Are you finding that you are still stressing about your schedule and all there is to manage in a day? Do you too often feel overwhelmed regarding your schedule; getting to places on time, and still deal effectively with child rearing and work responsibilities.
And what about making time for your most important relationships? How is that going?
Self care? What’s that you say? Are you living in “someday land” – that far off place that seems unlikely you’ll visit anytime soon?
If this describes you- feeling anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted and stressed, read on.
There is a consideration that is truly important that often gets left out of the time management discussion. And that is learning to tune in ward, and manage your energy well.
Most of us are not waking up feeling like we are ready to jump into the fray of the day and sustain good energy all day long… so we have to come into awareness of when our energy is highest, and when it is lowest.
There are other factors to consider in managing ourselves so that we are not sick, stressed and exhausted all the time.
CONSIDER YOUR ENERGY LEVELS AND WHAT MAKES INCREASES AND DEPLETES YOUR ENERGY. I call the latter, energy zappers. So does exercise or some kind of work out increase your energy? What do you notice? If the answer is yes, try and get your movement time in earlier in the day. Who are the people, places and things that rob you of energy? How can you manage that differently? Might you need to cut short time with people who zap your energy? Minimize time in crowds if that is an energy zapper for you. It’s about paying attention and honoring what you need.
SCHEDULE THE MOST PHYSICAL AND/ OR BRAIN INTENSIVE TASKS WHEN YOUR ENERGY IS THE HIGHEST. Think about what really taxes you and schedule strategically if possible to knock that out when your energy is best. When you know you have more of a low energy period, build in a pause or rest- even if short- into your schedule.
CHOOSE ENERGY LIFE GIVING FOODS TO BOOST ENERGY. This may mean staying further away from processed, fried or junk foods – all energy zappers, and steering your diet more towards good sources of protein, plant based foods, increasing fruits and veggies, and eating at regular intervals to keep your blood sugar steady.
MOVE YOUR BODY IN SHORT SPURTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY IN ADDITION TO A WORKOUT. If you work from home, or have a desk job, get up every hour, and for 3-5 minutes walk around, do wall pushups, or dance. You can just find a private space and do some squats- anything that moves your body gets you out of your chair and increases circulation. This can help you feel better and increase energy and boost mood as well.
CREATE SOME BOUNDARIES TO PRESERVE YOUR ENERGY. In other words if you are a self proclaimed people pleaser, or you fear losing your job if you’re not a yes person, consider where and how to set some boundaries to protect your time and energy. Sometimes giving a good no is just what is needed. Practice this with people and situations that don’t feel quite as dire, and then pause to think before saying yes to the next request. Maybe it’s not yes, or no, but rather a “not now”.
SCHEDULE YOUR PRIORITY COMMITMENTS, SCHEDULE THE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO, AND SCHEDULE IN SOME DOWN TIME/ SELF CARE. In other words, your hours for work, need to be scheduled. I call those “fixed bricks”. But also scheduling one on one time with your kids, a date night with your partner, or a monthly massage for self care also can be beneficial to schedule. Schedule priority people and tasks first, and then look at the remaining hours left. How will you intentionally fill them and also keep a bit of “white space” in your schedule as well for flex time.
Looking at your time, energy and obligations through a new lens, and not staying stuck in the “this is just the way it is “ thought can also be helpful in looking at your time, schedule and energy through a new lens.
Start with a clean slate, and identify what must be done, what you’d like to get done, and be sure to include time scheduled with the people you love.
By managing both your time and energy, you can get off to a great start in the year that can carry you through in a way that feels more doable and empowering with less stress.
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