Random Observation/Comment #714: Remember to take a break. Split up your hours, days, weeks, and take those vacation days.
Why this list?
You start your day with a limited amount of energy. Each decision or long thought process requires your attention to execute. A recommended exercise is creating your energy plot of your hours and days of the week. Mine looks like this:
The energy levels here are related to activities best allotted to creating content. Some trends I’ve found in myself:
- I’m usually pretty good in the morning with getting work done early
- I really look forward to lunch on Wednesdays (because it’s usually the day I go eat outside)
- There’s always a lull post-lunch where I totally need a nap or one of the listed replenishing activities
- The blocked out dinner and night time routine with the family is usually tiring, but enjoyable (Don’t ask me to make any big decisions at night)
- Most weekdays, I can be 3x more productive if I just do a 10pm-11:30pm work session
- My Friday and Sunday nights are pretty low energy and chill
Once you have observed your chart (and it should be specific to your real feelings in the week), then you can assign your hardest tasks to your highest energy points. The low energy and convenient tasks can be done on your phone (like responding to messages or filtering through emails).
If you’re ever feeling low on energy, consider some of these activities:
- Take a nap. Best if under 45 minutes. Set an alarm and remove all distractions.
- Meditate. Focus on your breathing and clear your mind. Close your eyes and quiet your mind.
- Day dream. Just sit and stare at some clouds. Think about random things and wonder.
- Go outside and take a walk. Don’t bring your phone. Fresh air always helps and even a walk around the block can rejuvenate you.
- Do some stretches. Nothing intense – just make your body limber or lay straight flat on your back and let your spine readjust.
- Listen to a soothing Playlist. Maybe some classical music.
- Watch a nature documentary. Something with David Attenborough narrating. It doesn’t have to be a full episode, but it always amazes me and makes me feel relaxed.
- Drink some water. You might be feeling tired from being dehydrated from all that coffee you drank in the morning.
- Have a verbal conversation with your partner or friend. Sometimes it’s nice to call and just say hello to catch up about random things.
- Water your plants. I usually do this when I’m bored or when I remember (which is why I’m not in charge of plants).
- Listen to a comedy podcast. I’ve been recently into Make My Day by Josh Gondelman. Short and funny. Also Dungeons and Daddies (not a bdsm podcast)
- Feed the Guinea pig. I also tend to do this as a nice break from work. Sometimes we’ll just sit there and watch him chew.
- Draw or write in a notebook. It’s always nice to doodle with a nice pen now that everything is digital.
- Build Ikea furniture. While this is a physical task, I always feel accomplished after doing it. Any household item that has a known completed state makes my day.
- Do some push ups. Not a full workout, but a few push-ups will get the blood circulating. Works for me and gets my daily 100 push ups in.
- Eat some fruit. You probably need some more fiber and fruit in your body for a balanced diet. Sweetness always gives me a mini boost.
- Take a shower. I’ve once taken showers in the middle of the day to think about things. It’s actually quite nice.
- Give your loved ones a kiss and hug. Just being close to someone by proximity adds a lot of value.
- Text or Call your parents. Some people find this draining, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s always good to time box these conversations and do a check-in with family.
- Drink some warm tea. It doesn’t need to be caffeinated, but I do like a nice green tea. Make one for your loved one while you’re at it. Warm tea goes well with any of the other activities.
- Scream into a pillow. This is a bit of a joke, but not really. Screaming is sometimes healthy. Maybe just really deep breaths at first.
- Look into some distant scenery. This is a focus exercise to get your eyes away from a screen.
- Fold a piece of origami. I usually fold a butterfly because I’ve done it a thousand times and it’s nice thing to reduce focus.
- Take a step back to think strategically. Organize your tasks from a macro perspective. Do something easy and low energy like shredding paper.
- Hang upside down on your aerial yoga setup. Maybe this is very specific to a select group of people. The act of hanging upside down and stretching at the same time can be simulated.
- Wash your face with a hot towel. This is super relaxing and usually gets me back on track.
- Cook something small or cut some Veges. I love cooking, so this might not be for everyone. When I get bored, I’ll make some hard boiled eggs.
- Play some VR table tennis. This is a nice break activity with some light physical movement. Also a great way to have a physical coffee chat with a friend if they also have the game.
- Write in your happiness jar. If you don’t have a happiness jar, make one. I cut up some slips of origami paper and leave the setup by our bed.
- Write a list of 30. I always feel great after writing one, but this probably takes some energy in itself. If you want to learn how, here are the 30 principles.
~See Lemons Replenish energy
