Review These 3 Things In Your Life For An Energy Boost
We have all been there when we are feeling like we have no energy to do what we know we have to do.
When I am talking about energy here I am referring to the way you feel, not the physical energy you have. It is more of a mental aspect.
For example, when you go for a run or carry out a form of exercise, how do you feel afterwards? You may be physically tired but you may also feel ready and raring to take on whatever tasks you have after that because it puts you in that positive frame of mind.
If someone was telling me that they feel like they are often lacking in that energy then I would suggest they review these 3 things.
People
The People in your life can have a huge say on your energy. Think about the people in your life and how you feel when you speak to them or spend time with them. How do you generally feel afterwards ? Do you feel upbeat and energised or do you feel down and negative?
The obvious suggestion here is that you prioritise the people in your life that boost your energy and you try to avoid the energy sucking ones. That may be easier said than done as you may not be able to avoid some people but at least you are now aware of it and can manage it better.
You can reduce the amount of time with the energy suckers or you could get a bit creative by combining the time you spend with them with an activity that energises you and see if that improves how you feel.
Activity
What activity energises you and what drains you? When I am coaching one of my colleagues on something I feel so energised when I am done. When I am carrying out a period end routine I feel drained when I am done.
When you start looking at your activity and what it does to your energy levels it can tell you a lot about the type of person you are.
For example using my examples above it tells me that I really enjoy coaching others and connecting with others.
On the flip side I find mundane repetitive tasks draining and so if I can avoid them I will. If i can't avoid them I will manage them best I can.
Timing
Are you a morning person? If so, it means you feel most energised bright and early. I envy you as I am not a morning person! However understanding this is so important because it means this is when you are at your best.
If you need to complete an important task and you are a morning person then plan that task in for the morning! Sounds pretty obvious but how many times do you look at your diary and do this?
During my work day I will always schedule something called 'Focus Time' and I block out an hour or two in my diary. Because I am most energised straight after lunch in the afternoon I schedule this time for then. This is the time I know I will get things done that are on my 'To Do List'.
How You Can Identify Your Energy Increasing Or Decreasing Activity?
Here is an activity you could do to understand what activity, people and time is affecting your energy levels.
From when you wake up set an alarm on your phone for every hour (or half hour if you want to go more detailed). Then every time your alarm goes off, write down on a notepad or your phone, what activity you did in that hour or half hour, who it was with and rate your energy level following it. Rate it from 1-10. 10 being you feel super energised and 1 being it has sucked all life out of you.
Do that for a day (or a few days if you can hack hearing your alarm that often!) and then spend some time to go through it.
What do all of the half hour slots where you rated highly have in common? I reckon you will identify some traits and understand yourself a bit more.
Then do the opposite, where you have rated low, what do those slots have in common?
Let me know how you get on and hopefully you feel energised by reading this!
If you have found this post interesting, please share with others via the social media links below and Sign up so you receive my weekly newsletter (Sunday Snapshot) which has links to my new posts.
Thanks for reading,
Gav