Manage Your Energy - Give Yourself a Break

It's that time of day, mid-afternoon, when my energy often hits a low point and it becomes a struggle to stay focused or to think clearly.  Writing is often a challenge at this time of day, so forgive me if I'm not quite as articulate. I'm blogging now precisely because this lull in my energy and concentration has reminded me of the importance of managing our energy if we want to increase our productivity while filling our days and our work with ease rather than struggle.

I still sometimes resist this afternoon sluggishness in an attempt to push through it, to keep working, to force myself to get more done, but it's a struggle. The irony, as I discovered long ago, is that often my productivity drops to such a low at this time of day that I'm functioning at (maybe) 25% of capacity. This prompted the realization that it was precisely in those moments when I least thought I could afford to take a break, that I most needed to do just that. And, that taking a much needed break was the most logical thing to do. That despite however busy I might be, I'd be more productive, not less, if I took a break. Why? Because when I stop resisting the need for a break and allow myself to take one, when I return to my work, I'm once again functioning at at my peak level of performance, and doing it with ease.

Let's take a closer look at this for all of you who are reading this skeptically and thinking "Is she nuts?! I don't have time for that!" If your energy is dragging and you're functioning at 25% and you push through it, even if you work for another 4 hours you're only accomplishing what you'd have accomplished in a single hour had you been functioning at your peak.  On the other hand, if instead of resisting, you take that break for an hour and return to work refreshed and rarin' to go for the next three hours, you're accomplishing three times as much as if you'd forced yourself to keep going without a break.

How long a break you need to take and what you do with that time, will be very individual. You might need only twenty minutes to renew your energy, you might need an hour. You might need a 20 minute power nap, to meditate for 30 minutes or to take an hour long walk. Do whatever works for you to renew your energy. Whatever it is, do yourself (and your business) a favor and give yourself a break. Speaking of which...it's time for me to do just that.