Controll your Energy :Part 3

You're a driven, motivated person. But it's easy to feel exhausted and drained when you're working on a big project or trying to tackle too many things at once. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a freelancer, or an employee, here are five ways to control your energy levels and get more done.

1. Get organized to control your energy levels.

When you get organized, you’ll feel like you have more energy. You’ll be able to make decisions faster and you’ll feel a sense of control over your life. When you feel in control, your energy levels will skyrocket.

The possibility to re-organize your life (at least personally and professionally) is HUGE. My?friend Dan Shapiro is a disciplined person. He hardly ever reads reports, works on technicalities, or spends an inordinate amount of time strategizing. He simply takes action and moves forward.

For 12 months, I was the Director of Strategy for a start-up. I had no authority. Yet every morning the meetings started and I’d have 20+ nominations for new clients, 10 new contacts for new deals, 150+ partners and board members, and 125+ digital marketing content ideas.

Today, I am the Director of Strategy for a large international tech and marketing company with offices around the globe. Each morning I spend a half hour reviewing my day and brainstorming what I want to accomplish for the rest of the day. I don’t even use spreadsheets or spend half my time on whiteboards, tasks lists and strategy documents. 1) I have to be 50% of the way there before I take the next step.

Don’t feel overwhelmed — stop procrastinating.?Every (successful) day, we read a new book. Every (successful) month, we write a check to someone. Every (successful) year, we retire our old car. Focus your energy there. Read one book a month. Make one check a month. Work on one deal a week.

?Open your closet, put away all the things you've accumulated in the past, and fill it with treasures of that which you’re aiming for in life: untold knowledge, time, relationships, experiences. Let’s embrace our biggest resources — ourselves.

2. Prepare your day the night before so you don't have to think about everything first thing in the morning.

Before you go to bed, plan out what you’re going to wear the next day so you don’t have to think about it when you wake up and have to get ready to go to work. Plan out your meals for the day so you don’t have to think about breakfast or lunch while you’re at work.Think about your favorite caffeine drinks, snacks, and what kind of skincare you want to use for your skin so you don’t have to think about it during the daytime. If you have a client you want to keep in contact with, schedule calls or scheduled time to sit down and talk.

Focus on one thing for an hour, 20 minutes, or even five. This is how much time you can dedicate to achieving your highest level of productivity. The good news is this works in both directions.

For example, if you choose five minutes for work, then your first priority in the morning is to get that done. If you choose 20 minutes, then your first priority in the morning is to finish your work for that hour. On top of that, you can also choose longer time blocks when you’re not actively working. We all naturally want to stretch this out because it’s the only way to get more done in a shorter amount of time.

In the evening, you can take a few minutes to make a list of what you want to do and accomplish for the next day. This way, you don’t have to set aside an hour to do everything else.

Being successful doesn’t happen by accident. There’s a lot of hard work in creating the habits that help anyone achieve success. All you have to do is start and continue to do the right things consistently.

If you want more time in your day and creativity to kick in, dedicate some time to your journal, journaling. Writing in your journal not only helps you stay organized, but it also triggers your brain into thinking about things that you want to accomplish.

3. Make time for the things that make you feel energized and motivated.

Making time for the things that make you feel energized and motivated is a great way to get your energy back. Feeling drained and uninspired is a surefire way to burn yourself out and lose your motivation.Taking a breather and taking care of yourself helps your body stay healthy, your mind stay sharp, and your productivity keeps up.

Quiet time strengthens your immune system, so you can work, or train, or exercise more easily and safely. Taking time every day to practice breathing effectively lowers stress and boosts the immune system.

The right time for you to eat can drastically impact your productivity. Think about when you actually wake up and whether you feel energized and motivated to get out of bed.

Sleeping when you feel tired is a good way to improve your productivity and your sleep quality. Get eight to nine hours a night and sleep by nine or 10 p.m.

4. Take care of yourself: get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly

Your body is the vehicle that allows you to do everything in life, so you have to take care of it. If you don’t, it will start to break down, and you will be less productive and focused. To stay healthy, try to do these three things every day: get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly.It sounds like quite a task, but many people put too much pressure on themselves to exercise regularly or get enough sleep. They think if they don’t meet these unrealistic standards, they’re failing themselves. You don’t need to be perfect to succeed in life. Be kind to yourself. Not all days are going to be ‘productive.’ Some days will be fine, and that’s ok.

If you’re looking to start a side business, ask yourself if you have the time to dedicate to it. If not, start one you can manage. Either it’s for a couple of hours a day or longer, or it can be a hobby that you can do at your desk or out of your room.

Do you really want to be constantly stuck in physical meetings with people you don’t like? Remote working has been proven to be successful, free from remote work’s toxic effects. Set yourself some time each day to be with yourself and come up with some time-saving ideas. If you don’t have any ideas, then don’t stress. There are plenty of simple things you can do when you’re not plugged into meetings.

Nowadays many people use a ‘distance learning’ approach, but you don’t have to make this a permanent decision. You can always turn to an app like EdX to learn new skills through video and audio. In this way, it’s possible to build skills you couldn’t afford or access before.

We’re spoilt for choice when it comes to learning however we like. You can learn by reading books, following online tutorials, or joining any online community. Select the skills you want to learn, whether that be photography, coding, writing, marketing, or something else.