Time management is an individual quest. Every. Single. Minute.
I have a ton of choices about energy management, mental acuity or dullness, and all the ways I can change my trajectory in any direction.
You Have Choices To Make
Mindful awareness of your time and energy are critical to understanding how to improve your life. We’re all under a great deal of stress. The people who do better during times like these are ones who manage their own engagements and intake while limiting their exposure and intake of more stressful energy, activities, relationships. It’s a balancing act. Every day, all day, you are making choices about actions, food, entertainment, work, rest, play. How do some people keep their focus and their energy even when things are hard?
Let me explore an energy:time map I created this morning to better understand my process of navigating daily fluctuations between vibrancy and exhaustion.
First Step: Understand your long goals and short-term goals. It is important to map your actions as TOWARD or AWAY FROM your goals. If you don’t have clear goals, now is a good time to start building your list. If you don’t have a target it is impossible to hit the bullseye. You have to know and explore what your bullseye is, and adjust your actions and intentions accordingly.
With that established this map begins to make a bit more sense.
In my daily cadence I wake up around 5 or 6 am naturally. No alarm. I have studied my sleep patterns, and deep sleep goals for years, and when my body is rested, my mind wakes up and begins the ignition sequence for the day. Mine often includes a plunge in the pool (hot or cold) and a fresh cup of coffee with a touch of cinnamon, cbd, and organic whole milk. And I’m launched.
The world around me is mostly still at rest. This is my golden moment. 1 – 3 hours of uninterrupted creative time. (Occasionally a work project will encroach on my time, but that’s okay, and I manage against that pattern.)
This is the first secret of my creative time management: early risers get extra hours in the day.
As The Day Burns On
I have a ton of choices about energy management, mental acuity or dullness, and all the ways I can change my trajectory in any direction. (I’ve written a lot about this part: start with this article: The Daily Grind: How Do You Trend UP or DOWN During the Day) The easy practice is to pause in your day as you are context/activity switching. Let’s say you just finished a zoom call. When you hang up from the call try this:
- take a few breaths
- pause
- check in with your body
- do you need more energy or less?
- are you hungry?
- tired?
- inspired?
- bored?
- label your state of mind and body (example: i’m tired and bored)
- take action to change the state you are in if needed
- take the next right action on your list
That’s the microprocess you can do anytime you think about it. Some people set one-hour timers on their watches or computers. I’ve started having my computer announce the hour.
“It’s 9 o’clock,” Siri is about about to say.
“Okay, John, take a breath. Pause. How is your body, mind, and spirit? What do you want to do next?”
click on the image to view an interactive version (will open in a new window)
I think the rest of the chart is pretty self-explanatory.
John McElhenney — let’s connect online
Facebook & LinkedIn & The Whole Parent
Resources from other sites:
- Our Daily Grind: How Do You Trend UP or DOWN During the Day?
- A Radical Approach to Joy
- Just Because You Feel It, Doesn’t Mean It’s There
- All of your Life is Input + All of your Actions are Output
- More Self-Care, Less Rush Rush Stress and Anxiety
Please check out a few of my books on AMAZON.
Especially this book about finding your creative life.
