The 5 Fundamental Principles of ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Approx. 2000 words
3 mental “spoons” per hour required to read and understand
Written by Julie Goodie
Not everyone has the same energy level. Energy capacity varies widely from person to person. Some people are high energy people, others are low energy people, while a whole bunch of people fall somewhere in between. But, in the end, one universal truth remains:
“We all have a finite amount of energy to use each and every day to accomplish all of the things we need to accomplish, all of the things we want to accomplish, and all the things we wish to accomplish.”
There’s just no way around it!!! If you’re a human being… YOU ARE LIMITED. YOU HAVE LIMITS!!!
If you find yourself strongly resisting this idea, maybe you’ve just never stayed up all night, night after night, partying or cramming for exams. Maybe you’ve just never stayed up all night, night after night, with a colicky baby. Maybe you’ve just never had to live with a chronic health condition, or two, or three,… Maybe you’ve just never exercised to the point of nausea and/or cramps. Maybe you’ve just never ran a marathon or climbed Mount Everest.
You get the picture???!!! WE ALL HAVE LIMITS!!!
And if you push yourself hard enough, once in a while, if you push yourself to your limits, physically and/or mentally, from time to time, you will eventually start to feel the effects…
Now, if you’re very much in tune with all your fatigue signals, you will start to feel the effects of going beyond your limits as soon as you’re a little bit sluggish, a tiny bit fatigued: once you reach the edge of your OPTIMAL ENERGY ZONE and start tipping into your FATIGUED ZONE.
Whereas, if you’re not as in tune with all your fatigue signals, you might only start to feel that you’ve gone beyond your limits once you’ve reached the point of exhaustion - that infamous EXHAUSTED ZONE - where you’re left feeling: overtired, overwhelmed, inefficient, irritable, anxious, nauseous, dizzy,…
How in tune are YOU with all your fatigue signals?
Do you listen to your fatigue signals? Do you respect your fatigue signals and stop before you’re too exhausted?
Are you the type to stop and rest as soon as you feel a little fatigued? Or are you rather the type to only stop and rest once you’ve reached the point of exhaustion? Or, even worse, are you the type to only stop and rest once you no longer have a choice, once you’ve reached the point of complete lethargy, of complete burnout?
**********************************************
Which Type Do YOU Think YOU Are???
TYPE 1: You always stop to rest as soon as you feel a little fatigued. You experience only low levels of fatigue on a regular basis. You’re doing pretty well energy-wise!!!
TYPE 2: You only stop to rest once you start showing more serious signs of fatigue, once you start to feel exhausted. You experience moderate to high levels of fatigue on a regular basis. You’re in need of an energy tune-up!!!
TYPE 3: You only stop to rest once you reach the point of complete lethargy, of complete burnout. You experience high to very high levels of fatigue on a regular basis. You’re at risk of an all-out energy crisis!!! That is, if you’re not already there…
**********************************************
If you’re the type to stop and rest as soon as you start to feel a little fatigued, then you probably only suffer from normal amounts of fatigue - from low levels of fatigue: levels of fatigue that are to be expected when you’re out there living a busy life, when you’re out there living a full and wonderful life!!!
But, if you’re rather the type to only stop once you’re clearly exhausted or completely burnt out, then you probably regularly suffer from more significant amounts of fatigue: from moderate to high or even to very high levels of fatigue.
How fatigued are YOU?
To determine YOUR levels of mental and physical fatigue, I suggest you take the time to fill out the following assessment questionnaires:
The MENTAL FATIGUE Assessment Questionnaire (Free DOWNLOAD Here ).
The PHYSICAL FATIGUE Assessment Questionnaire (Free DOWNLOAD Here).
. **********************************************
So… Now… Which Type Are YOU Really???
How often are you mentally fatigued? How often are you mentally diminished? Mentally dysfunctional?
How often are you physically fatigued? How often are you physically diminished? Physically dysfunctional?
If your levels of fatigue are always in the low range, then you’re most probably a TYPE 1: you’re already probably doing pretty well with regards to your energy management.
If your levels of fatigue are most often in the moderate to high range, then you’re most probably a TYPE 2: you’re probably in need of a few improvements with regards to your energy management.
If your levels of fatigue are most often in the high to very high range, then you’re most probably a TYPE 3: definitely in need of a major energy management overhaul!!!
So… Did you guess right before?
Or… Did you rather overestimate or underestimate your type?
Which type of person are you really when it comes to managing your energy?
**********************************************
Mentally speaking, in these modern times, it is very common for people to suffer from mental overload to the point of mental exhaustion, and way too often, even, to the point of complete mental breakdown and burnout…
As far as physical fatigue goes, it seems that sufferers are mostly people who are either living with one or multiple chronic health condition(s), or people who do not exercise enough (who do not challenge themselves enough physically), or people who go way beyond their limits, on a regular basis, physically speaking.
In this day and age, many people would benefit from improving on their energy management to LIVE THEIR BEST LIVES!!!
But how?
The 5 Fundamental Principles of Money Management
Well, as it turns out, managing your energy is a lot like managing your money… And to manage your money well, you need to adhere to the 5 fundamental principles that follow:
Track your expenses to make sure that you do not end up spending more than you make.
Make enough money to meet all your needs, and hopefully at least a few of your wants.
Save enough money for a rainy day, and for retirement.
Stay out of trouble, prevent financial losses, by making sure that you pay your bills on time, stay away form credit card debt, avoid getting fired form your job, maintain your home in a good state of repair, etc.
Plus, invest your money wisely in all the right places: in those places that will give you the best returns on investment.
Similarly…
The 5 Fundamental Principles of Energy Management
Principle #1: TRACK Your Energy Expenditure & Know Your Maximum Capacity:
Track how you spend your time,*
Count your “spoons”,*
Know your maximum mental capacity,*
Know your maximum physical capacity,*
Know the minimum amount of physical activity you need to stay healthy.*
* The LEFTOVER SPOONS CHALLENGE will help you with all those and more…
Principle #2: GENERATE Enough Energy:
Get enough sleep,
Take naps when needed,
Eat at least 3 times per day,
Eat nutritious foods,
Drink enough water,
Get enough exercise,
Sit & breathe,
Spend time in nature.
Principle #3: SAVE Some of Your Energy:
Balance activity periods with rest periods,
Take enough breaks (before you get tired),
Take real breaks (listen to music, watch the sunset, stretch,…),
Delegate & ask for help,
Do only one thing at a time (avoid multitasking),
Think about only one thing at a time (be fully present),
Slow down your pace,
Respect your limits & boundaries,
Reduce your mental “spoon” expenditure,*
Reduce your physical “spoon” expenditure if needed.*
* The LEFTOVER SPOONS CHALLENGE will help you with these and much more…
Principle #4: PREVENT Energy Losses:
Limit sedatives & alcohol,
Stop smoking,
Manage your health condition(s),
Let others do for themselves,
Limit distractions & focus,
Don’t overreact,
Worry & overthink less,
Be comfortable with some level of uncertainty,
Take care of problems before they get out of control,
Take the time to organize yourself,
Stop at good enough, and let go.
Principle #5: INVEST Your Energy on What Counts:
Spend time with your significant other,
Spend time with your kid(s),
Spend time with your colleagues, friends & extended family,
Connect with yourself (your needs, your values, your strengths, your interests),
Do what interests you,
Do what you’re good at,
Be helpful (be of service),
Take on a cause that you’re passionate about.
Goal Setting for Optimal Energy Management
If you find that you’re not doing so well in one or a few of the above areas, it might be important, at this point, to set some goals with regards to your energy management…
In setting your goals, it is important to first remember that working on only one goal at a time will always get you better results. When it comes to improving on your energy management, therefore, it is always better to focus on only one energy management goal at a time. Also, you should always probably wait at least 60 to 90 days before you start working on a new and different goal, because it usually takes that long for a new habit to form, for a new habit to stick.
As well, you should always probably start with an area that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. An area which if you improve it will, in turn, improve many others. Like, for example, sleep. Because, as we all know, it all starts with a good night’s sleep!!! A good night’s sleep is critical to optimal energy management!!!
Plus, starting with an area where you are the furthest from what’s ideal is also always a very wise decision. Since, there is always more room to improve when you are very far from what’s ideal. Like, for example, deciding to work on improving your sleep when you’re only getting 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night will always bring you much greater results than deciding to work on improving your sleep when you’re already getting 6 1/2 to 7 hours of sleep per night, but would like to be getting a bit more.
You get the picture, so far???!!!
Another important place to start is on something, just like sleep, that generates energy for you. Because… You cannot expend energy you don’t have!!! You need energy to spend energy!!! And the best ways of generating energy, apart from sleep, include the following: eating enough nutritious foods, drinking enough water, taking the time to breathe, getting enough fresh air, sunlight, and exercise.
And, in the end, most importantly, no matter how much energy you have to spend, at any moment in time, on any given day, you should always make sure that you spend less energy than your maximum capacity!!! Because… Just as spending money you don’t have is a surefire way of getting yourself into debt, of digging yourself into a great big hole…
“Spending energy you don’t have will only put you on a steady path toward burnout!!!”
So, you should always make sure to aim to reach the end of each day with at least a few LEFTOVER SPOONS!!!
Selecting the right goals to pursue, in order to reach the end each day with a few LEFTOVER SPOONS, is not always so simple though. It’s not always so straightforward. It often depends a lot on where you’re at in your life right now (on what season of life you’re currently in), and on what your specific circumstances are like at present…
If you think you would benefit from a bit more assistance in selecting and prioritizing all your energy management goals, know that I’ve created The LEFTOVER SPOONS CHALLENGE … Just for YOU!!!
It’s a 6-week, 9-step challenge that will help you in creating your very own personalized list of energy management goals to get you on your way toward A MORE ENERGIZED YOU!!! It will also have you set up your very own personalized accountability system to help you stay on track and reach your goals so you can LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE!!!
Because… “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
So… Are YOU READY???
