I recently saw a video that inspired this post, where the former publisher of SUCCESS magazine, Darren Hardy, was talking about managing energy. We all have the same amount of time in a day, right? Same as Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey or Bill Gates.
The difference is the outcome of everyone’s efforts. We all have to spend our time somehow. The truth is, we really can’t “manage” time and the only thing we can do is manage ourselves. We have experienced an energy crisis at some point in our lives and making hard decisions can sometimes lead to “decision fatigue.” That is why we need to be at our optimum energy to perform our best.
There are four major areas to manage: Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual. Let’s analyze each one of these.
Physical. Do you know what Dr. Oz’s #1 tip on staying young? It’s SLEEP! We need 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Sleep is considered more important than food because adequate sleep helps improve focus and concentration.
Did you know that lack of sleep impairs judgment especially when under pressure, increases irritability, slows thinking and impedes memory? So, sleep. And if you feel like you did not get enough sleep at night, take a nap during the day.
Here are just a few big-time nappers: Thomas Edison, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, Beethoven, Leonardo da Vinci, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher to name a few. Research proves that an afternoon nap restores energy better than a cup of coffee. It also helps improve one’s memory and creativity.
Even short naps can help compensate for an inadequate night’s sleep. Some NFL teams have players nap before a game. Employees at Google are allowed to nap because the company believes naps help in increasing productivity. It is common in several countries for employees to take an hour or two breaks to nap after lunch and then go back to work.
I, too, nap in the afternoons sometimes, especially if I have been on a couple of real estate appointments, talking to potential sellers or if I am getting ready to go on appointments.
Going to meetings takes a lot of my energy. It requires me to be on my “A” game as I aim at doing a great job on my presentation and have the goal of closing a deal. But despite feeling drained after an appointment, I feel replenished after I take a 20-50 minutes nap.
The next area in maintaining your physical energy is DIET. The trick is to maintain consistent blood sugar levels. Don’t go long periods between meals because this might cause your blood sugar levels to drop, causing irritability, unsteadiness and a tendency of being distracted easily.
On the other hand, eating too many sweets or carbohydrates like pasta, potatoes or bread can result blood sugar spikes. That is why it’s best to have something to eat every three hours or so.
A small snack like apple or a handful of nuts can be helpful. Water is also very important. In fact, adults are recommended to drink an average of 64-72 oz each day. Lack of water can lead to dehydration and can drain your energy, making you feel tired or lethargic. Try carrying a bottle of water so you can measure how much water you drink a day.
The last important thing in maintaining your physical energy is, of course, EXERCISE. We all know that exercise will help us look better and live longer. But did you know that it could help you make more money? How, you ask?
Exercising can improve your energy to perform better at what you do. I had a student, Rita, who is a grandmother of three, who recently retired from working at Verizon for over 32 years. She spends at least 2-3 hours a day at the gym to exercise. She loves it and says it is one thing she does for herself that makes her feel better. Now, Rita is working on putting the same focus and energy in her real estate business.
Let’s all make it a point to exercise 5-6 days a week in order to have the energy we will be needing to perform whatever we need to do. Exercise is also a natural antidepressant that leads us to the next category that we will be talking about next month – Mental Energy.
Until then, let’s focus on what our body needs in order to perform better in reaching our goals.
To your success,
