0:00

Hey there , my name is Corinne

0:02

O'Flynn and you're listening to the Calm Entrepreneur

0:05

podcast . I am a USA

0:07

Today best-selling author , non-profit executive

0:09

and organizing nerd with over 20

0:11

years experience running my own small businesses

0:14

. I teach entrepreneurs , solarpreneurs

0:16

and small business owners like you how to organize

0:18

your business , find more time and

0:21

deepen your alignment practice to experience more

0:23

calm and confidence every single

0:25

day . If you're

0:28

looking for that intersection between practical

0:30

business advice and spiritual goodness

0:32

, then you're in the right place . So sit back

0:34

, relax and let's dive into this

0:36

week's episode of the Calm Entrepreneur

0:38

podcast . Welcome

0:43

, welcome to the Calm Entrepreneur podcast

0:46

. I'm your host , corinne O'Flynn , and

0:48

this is episode 32 . I'm

0:51

really excited to dive into today's topic

0:53

because it's one of those things

0:55

that I think we take for granted , that we don't think enough

0:58

about , and that's how our

1:00

energy is impacting the way

1:02

we use our time

1:04

and how that impacts our

1:06

productivity . And I would like to talk

1:08

to you about optimizing your productivity

1:11

by managing your energy and not

1:13

necessarily focusing on time . And

1:16

now I know what you might be thinking like

1:18

. I can't create more hours in the day

1:20

or completely control my schedule

1:22

. But while we can't always

1:25

control time , we can exert

1:27

more influence over our energy levels

1:29

, and when we learn to harness our

1:31

energy effectively , we can gain the

1:33

power to achieve so much

1:35

more during the limited time

1:37

that we have . It's easy to

1:39

think about productivity in terms

1:42

of fitting more tasks and to-do items

1:44

into the 24 hours that we have each day

1:46

right . But what we really

1:48

need to realize is that our

1:50

time is fueled by

1:53

our energy levels right ? No matter

1:55

how packed your schedule

1:57

is , if your energy is depleted , you

1:59

won't be able to power through with focus

2:01

and motivation . So

2:03

I wanted to talk about how to get the most out

2:06

of your day by understanding and

2:08

managing your personal energy cycles

2:10

and planning accordingly , and

2:12

it's possible to learn how

2:14

to maximize the times when you have

2:16

natural high energy and

2:19

how to optimize the periods when your energy

2:21

tends to dip . For me , managing

2:23

your energy is crucial because when

2:26

your energy is optimized , you get

2:28

into a better flow state . You're able to hyper

2:30

focus , power through tasks with

2:32

motivation and make the most

2:34

of the time that you do have

2:36

. So how do you maximize

2:39

your energy so that you can maximize your productivity

2:41

? Before we go further , it's

2:43

crucial to remember that I

2:46

come to all of my productivity talks

2:48

while standing on my very big

2:50

soapbox , because I do

2:52

not think that productivity is

2:55

solely about getting more done or cramming

2:57

as many tasks as possible

2:59

into our day . From where I

3:01

stand , productivity is

3:03

not about doing more . It's about

3:05

getting your work done sooner so

3:08

that you can experience the freedom that

3:10

being an entrepreneur is all about

3:12

and , yes , some days

3:14

will require us to power through a

3:16

long to-do list . In

3:19

general , being truly productive

3:21

, though , is about working smarter

3:23

and more efficiently . We

3:25

want to streamline our efforts

3:27

so that we can complete important work

3:29

quickly and then focus

3:31

on everything else that

3:33

matters in our life . Right

3:35

, this is our family , our friends , our fun

3:38

, our passion projects , our hobbies

3:41

, rest and our health

3:43

, and my aim , and

3:45

the aim of the calm entrepreneur

3:47

business , is to help

3:50

you work at your highest level during

3:53

the hours that you choose to devote

3:55

to your business , because , at the end of

3:57

the day , success is not about finding

3:59

work-life balance . I don't I ? That's

4:02

another soapbox I've got . I don't think it's a possible

4:04

thing , especially for women

4:06

, right ? I don't think that work-life

4:08

balance exists . I believe

4:11

that we need to find that path toward truly

4:13

integrating your life and

4:16

your work , so that you can do what

4:18

you love and live a life of freedom

4:20

with energy and intention

4:23

. So in this episode

4:25

, I'm sharing energy

4:27

management strategies to help you make the

4:29

most of your work day while still prioritizing

4:32

your overall well-being , because you

4:34

are a whole person , living a

4:36

whole life while running a

4:39

whole business , and

4:41

I believe that it's possible to do it all

4:43

. I think it's possible for all of

4:45

us to do it all , and I think that

4:47

it looks different for each of us , and

4:49

it should . We are not robots

4:51

. We do not work the same way as

4:53

each other , and I think that one

4:56

of the things that drew me to

4:58

doing all this work of

5:00

the column entrepreneur is to try to help

5:02

all of us identify

5:04

the places where what we do is

5:07

our own . It's not following

5:09

what the pack is doing . Are there tactics

5:12

and strategies and things that all of us have

5:14

to do in order to run online businesses today

5:16

? Yes , but that doesn't mean

5:18

we have to do it all in the same way , in

5:20

the same time , in the same fashion , with the

5:22

same energy . We just don't . It's

5:24

not possible , and I think that that is

5:26

the path to burnout . I think

5:28

it's the path to dissatisfaction and it's the

5:31

path to losing the

5:33

vision of what's possible because

5:35

it's discouraging , because

5:37

when you're trying to fit yourself

5:40

into a hole that you're not like the square

5:42

peg round hole cliche

5:44

, when you're trying to fit yourself into

5:46

a business model that does not work for you , because

5:49

everybody else says this is how it's done , it's

5:51

just a recipe for disaster . And ask

5:54

me how I know I am here speaking

5:57

to you after coming out of a years

5:59

long burnout that the way

6:01

that I got back to life

6:04

was through

6:06

the foundational , simple

6:10

ABCs of time management

6:12

and productivity , and energy

6:14

and focus . So

6:17

, okay , I didn't

6:19

intend to go onto my soapbox , but

6:21

there you have it . I want to talk

6:23

to you about optimizing your

6:25

productivity by managing your energy

6:27

, and not just managing

6:30

your time . And the first step

6:32

to getting there is understanding

6:34

your energy cycles . Gaining

6:37

an in-depth understanding of your unique

6:39

energy cycles is crucial for

6:41

being able to optimize your productivity throughout

6:43

your day , and this requires

6:46

dedicated , focused time

6:48

to tuning into natural

6:50

ebbs and flows of your energy . And

6:53

the simplest way that I recommend that you start

6:55

this is by keeping an energy journal for at least

6:57

one full week , and this really

7:00

isn't one of those like every 30 minutes

7:02

and you know it's this crazy tracking

7:04

system . It really doesn't need to be complicated

7:07

at all . Set reminders

7:09

on your phone or on your calendar to

7:11

check in with yourself and record your energy

7:14

levels three to five

7:16

times a day . Three times a day

7:18

minimum morning , afternoon and evening and

7:21

on a scale of one to 10 , rate

7:23

your energy level with 10 being extremely

7:25

high energy and one being

7:28

completely drained and exhausted . And

7:30

next to your note on the

7:33

number that you've assigned for that time period , add

7:36

some information about what

7:38

specific activities you're engaging in

7:40

during each check-in and any other

7:42

context clues that can

7:44

impact your energy at that time , so that

7:46

you can know , going backward right when

7:49

you look back over your journal , you want to be able to understand

7:51

exactly what was going on . So , for example

7:53

, you know . Note if you just finished

7:56

a strenuous workout or if you

7:58

just had a stressful meeting or a call

8:00

, if you just ate a filling lunch

8:02

or if you're prepping for something

8:04

exciting happening after you're done with

8:06

your workday . In addition to

8:08

the numerical rating , use descriptive

8:11

words like laser , focused , easily

8:13

distracted , motivated , foggy

8:16

, amped up , mellow , sleepy

8:18

, to capture your mental and

8:21

your physical state , and

8:23

you don't have to like make

8:26

a list . That's a key that you lock

8:28

into for the same phrases

8:30

every single day . It's really just a

8:32

matter of tracking patterns that you

8:34

will find after you look back

8:36

over time . So track any

8:39

ebbs and flows that you notice throughout the day and pay

8:41

attention to your energy , not just while

8:43

you're working , but during downtime

8:45

as well . Note differences between

8:47

the weekends and the weekdays . After

8:50

a week of diligent tracking

8:52

, analyze your journal and

8:54

see if you can spot any trends or

8:56

patterns or surprises . Look

8:58

at when your peak energy times are versus

9:01

when you tend to drag or feel depleted

9:03

. When do you feel sharpest and

9:05

most focused ? When do you

9:07

struggle with brain fog or fatigue

9:09

? For most people , peak

9:12

energy seems to occur early

9:14

in the day , after a good night's

9:16

rest , and then it dips

9:18

in the afternoon before perking back up

9:20

and then declining again in the

9:22

evening as bedtime nears . But

9:25

your cycles may vary . I know that mine

9:27

does . The first time that I did this , I was

9:29

surprised to discover that the mornings

9:31

were the absolute worst time for me . I

9:34

am not an early riser on the

9:36

best of days , but I was

9:38

able to figure out that the

9:40

first hour to the first hour

9:42

and a half after waking up . So whatever time

9:44

that is , we'll call that the morning for me , if

9:47

I can give myself that first

9:49

hour to 90 minutes of

9:52

doing whatever like that's not

9:54

work time , after that

9:56

I can get into some good focus . So

9:58

that gave me a real big hint about how

10:01

to set up my morning routine , how

10:03

much time I needed and how much I could

10:05

take from my day . And

10:08

that was really helpful to me because if I'm not careful

10:11

, sometimes it feels like I could build a gigantic

10:13

morning routine that lasts for hours and

10:15

hours because of all the things that I wanted

10:18

to in the

10:20

ideal morning routine , but

10:22

that's the opposite of productivity

10:25

. But I was surprised to

10:27

really be able to identify that I'm

10:29

useless in the first hour after I wake

10:31

up , no matter what time that is , no matter

10:33

how well I slept or didn't the

10:36

night before . So

10:38

giving myself at least an hour

10:40

from the moment my feet hit the floor

10:42

in the morning until I sit

10:44

down at my desk has really allowed

10:47

me to build a steady

10:50

morning routine so that

10:52

I was able to ramp into my work day

10:54

. And it's been really something because I was not expecting

10:56

that when I started looking at my tracking

10:59

. And so , while

11:01

a week is a good starting point for tracking

11:03

. Consider doing it for at least two to three

11:05

weeks , if you can account for

11:07

that Like , and this gives you

11:09

more time to stretch over

11:11

and watch for patterns . This

11:15

also allows you to see for differences over

11:17

the weekends instead of just a single weekend

11:19

. You also might have some vacations

11:21

or days off or super duper

11:24

busy periods in there . So the

11:26

goal is to gain insight . Right

11:28

, we want to find out what your natural rhythms are

11:30

so that you know how to plan

11:32

your days around your ebbs

11:34

and flows , and this is

11:36

really a self awareness tool . Right , and

11:39

self awareness is power . This

11:41

helps you manage your time , which

11:43

then helps you manage your tasks . And

11:46

so the next thing once you've tracked

11:48

your energy for a sufficient

11:51

period of time and you'll be able to spot some

11:53

natural peaks it's time to

11:55

start leveraging those high energy windows

11:57

to optimize your productivity . Right

11:59

, we want to maximize high

12:01

energy times . Be intentional

12:04

about fiercely protecting

12:06

your identified peak energy

12:08

hours and using them to make progress

12:11

on the goals and the tasks that are

12:13

most meaningful and demanding . So , for

12:15

example , if your energy journal revealed that

12:17

your focus and motivation surged between

12:19

like 10am and 1pm , start

12:22

blocking off big chunks of this

12:24

time and batching

12:26

your tasks right . Choose

12:28

the most challenging things or the

12:30

most creative demands that

12:33

have to happen in your goals and

12:35

schedule them during those times . And

12:37

guard your mental energy during these

12:39

windows like it's your most precious non

12:42

renewable resource , because in many

12:44

ways , that is exactly what it is . Allow

12:47

for no distractions . Allow

12:49

for no unnecessary obligations to

12:52

encroach on these blocks . Let

12:54

your people know that you're

12:56

going to be heads down working on your

12:58

stuff . Turn off notifications , close

13:01

your door , silence your phone . Whatever

13:03

you must do to preserve this precious

13:05

time . Channel your surging

13:08

energy into tackling

13:10

complex assignments . Right

13:12

, you want deep strategic thinking . These

13:15

are solving tricky problems . This

13:17

is where brainstorming should be scheduled . This

13:19

is mapping out detailed plans or

13:22

finally making headway on your biggest

13:24

goals . Don't let meetings

13:26

, emails , people dropping in

13:28

derail you . Right , this is your

13:30

power time and label it on your calendar

13:32

. This is like power hour or whatever

13:35

it is that really resonates with you , and use it

13:37

accordingly . Think of your high

13:39

energy hours as the time when your brain

13:41

is firing most powerfully . Right , your

13:44

ability to hyper focus and enter

13:46

a state of flow will be at its peak . This

13:49

allows you to get into a groove , which

13:51

you can then produce your highest quality

13:54

work most efficiently . There's

13:56

no need to over schedule yourself , right

13:58

? Don't pack everything into these power hours . You're

14:01

not going to need to , because you're going to have

14:03

more of these power hours in your

14:05

day and in your week , because now

14:07

you understand where you're operating

14:09

at peak performance , right . So

14:12

don't over schedule , don't multitask

14:14

, right ? This

14:16

is batching think batching . During these

14:18

blocks , we have time blocking now , and now we have

14:20

time or task batching . Focus

14:23

intently on one priority

14:26

at a time and watch

14:29

your productivity skyrocket . This

14:31

actually brings me back to a book that I talk

14:34

about a lot on this podcast , and it's called the

14:36

Practicing Mind by Thomas Sterner , and

14:38

he talks about the value of single

14:40

focus when it comes to really

14:42

honing in flow

14:45

for productivity and efficiency

14:47

. It's a short

14:49

read , it's a wonderful little story

14:51

, but I really think it's

14:53

valuable and that's the crux

14:56

of what this is about . It's kind of like

14:59

working to your strengths

15:01

. When you identify that this is a power

15:03

time , well then , put your power tasks

15:05

there and focus , and

15:08

if you block everything else out and all you

15:10

have to do is this thing and your body

15:12

is ready for the thing , like , think

15:15

about how powerful that is . It's a wonderful

15:17

, wonderful opportunity to

15:20

really make the most efficient use of

15:22

the time that you choose to dedicate

15:24

to your work . You

15:26

know this is the same way that athletes

15:29

have their main training and competing

15:31

times where they give 100%

15:33

. You need to view your peak energy

15:35

windows as your performance time right . Go into

15:37

it knowing that your mind will feel clear

15:39

, you will feel focused , you'll be primed

15:42

for progress and channel

15:44

this mental energy into whatever

15:46

one or two big

15:48

rocks need your best work right

15:51

and the key there is the things

15:54

that need your best work , because

15:56

you'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish when you really

15:58

do harness these power

16:00

times . And the converse is also

16:02

true , like during lower energy times , you

16:05

can then catch up on busy work tasks

16:07

like meetings and emails

16:09

and admin and calls

16:11

, and then

16:14

you're not wasting your lightning bolts of

16:16

peak mental energy on the low

16:18

value work , which is not to say that

16:20

those things don't need to be done , like , yeah , we all need

16:22

to check in on our social media

16:24

and do our email work and pay

16:27

the bills and do all the things

16:29

, but we don't need to do that during our

16:31

peak lightning bolt brain time right

16:33

. So protect the

16:35

searches and invest

16:37

them only into your most important goals

16:39

and priorities to get massive leverage

16:41

from your efforts and then structure your

16:44

days to take full advantage of your power hours

16:46

and your low time . The

16:48

other thing that I want you to pay attention to while

16:51

you're tracking is managing

16:53

your diet for sustained

16:56

energy , and this is I'm not gonna give you dieting

16:58

tips and tricks . I want you to pay attention

17:00

to what you're doing . The food

17:02

and the drink that we put in our bodies have a huge

17:04

impact on our energy levels throughout

17:07

the day , so to optimize

17:09

your productivity , we

17:11

need to be more intentional . Many

17:13

of us do about fueling

17:15

ourselves in a way that provides

17:18

steady , sustained energy . Right

17:20

, so that includes

17:22

eating frequent small meals , if that works for

17:24

you , snacking on good stuff using

17:28

whole foods all the good things , but

17:31

the most important thing is to

17:33

track it on your energy tracker to

17:35

see if this heavy meal caused

17:38

food coma , if this thing really energized

17:40

you , if you prefer this kind of a snack over that kind

17:42

of a snack , because paying attention

17:44

to how the different foods

17:47

make you feel and avoiding the

17:49

ones that cause crashes , avoiding

17:51

the ones that cause brain fog or make you feel

17:53

sleepy Be strategic

17:55

with everything that you put into your body , but also

17:58

track it on your energy journal to

18:00

see what happens for you . Like , I

18:03

am not one of those people who

18:05

is impacted by caffeine , for

18:07

example . I think that's because

18:09

I drink it like , I mainline it all

18:13

the time . I'm like a professional tea drinker and

18:15

I love caffeinated black tea . I

18:17

can have tea all day long and it doesn't cause

18:20

me to have jitters , it doesn't keep me up

18:22

at night . It's just one of those things . I think

18:24

it's just part of my makeup . I've been drinking

18:26

tea since I was a kid , so

18:28

for me , I don't

18:30

even factor tea I would factor in a lack

18:33

of tea in , like , maybe

18:36

I'll have a headache from a caffeine withdrawal . So

18:38

maybe there is something that I have to work on . But

18:42

I'm not here to tell you what to do with

18:44

your food and drink intake

18:46

. I'm asking you to track

18:49

how what it is that you are

18:51

doing is impacting your energy

18:53

. If it is like , how is it

18:55

so ? Because once

18:57

we see things , then we can make changes for

19:00

the things that aren't doing what we want to do . You

19:02

know , if you're eating something

19:04

super heavy for lunch and it makes

19:07

you feel really lethargic for the next three hours

19:09

. You know what happens if you switch that up , like

19:11

what happens if you eat

19:13

that meal at night . What happens

19:15

if you skip that meal and do something

19:18

much lighter in its place ? What

19:20

is that due to your focus ? What is that due to your energy

19:22

? Because once we start tracking , then

19:24

we can start tweaking , and because

19:26

we're tracking , we're now getting data

19:29

that we can then act on . So

19:31

, fueling your body the

19:34

right way for you takes

19:36

thoughtfulness , right , and when you

19:38

eat in a way that optimizes your energy , you'll

19:40

be amazed at how much more motivated and focused

19:42

and productive you feel throughout your busy days

19:45

, right . So don't underestimate the power

19:47

of the fuel right

19:49

, the food and drink that you're taking in , and

19:52

its impact on your productivity

19:54

and your energy levels , and the patterns

19:56

that you get to see now that you start tracking . So

19:59

, now that we've talked about managing your peak energy

20:01

times , let's discuss how to

20:04

effectively manage the energy

20:06

dips that are going to occur . You

20:09

know we all have them every single day . So

20:12

when you notice that your energy levels take a nosedive

20:14

, the first thing to do is to reflect on

20:16

potential causes . Low energy

20:18

could stem from not getting enough sleep , being

20:20

overly stressed , it could be burnout

20:22

, it could be boredom , inactivity

20:25

, it could be dehydration , or it could

20:27

be that you ate something that you shouldn't have eaten

20:29

for lunch . So tune into

20:31

your body for clues on what is zapping

20:33

your fuel right , what is making you feel depleted

20:35

. And while you can't avoid

20:38

occasional energy dips altogether

20:40

, you can minimize the frequency and intensity

20:42

of them . You know , through shifting

20:44

your habits right , like maybe you get

20:46

more sleep , like that was one of the things that I noticed

20:49

. For me , I need like eight

20:51

to nine hours of sleep a night , and

20:53

if I don't get like that

20:56

much sleep , I'll be good

20:58

for like three , four , maybe five

21:00

days , but then I will have like

21:02

a huge unproductive

21:05

day , followed by like an 11 hour night

21:07

, like I have to have sleep . And

21:10

it's terrible because it

21:12

makes me feel like I'm lazy . In

21:15

some ways I am a

21:17

recovering napper , like I have been

21:19

trying to not nap during the day

21:21

in favor of trying

21:24

to ascertain how much sleep I actually need

21:26

. And it's been

21:28

interesting because I do need

21:31

the rest that I need . And if I don't get the

21:33

eight to nine hours at night , I'll

21:36

have a dip in the afternoons and

21:39

, luckily for me , like a 20 , 25

21:41

minute nap will do it for me . But

21:43

before my burnout happened

21:46

, which was over the last several years , before

21:49

that happened , I was like scheduling

21:52

my entire day around my napping

21:54

, because my napping was starting to take hours and

21:56

it was like , why is this going on ? I didn't

21:58

really have any kind of awareness

22:00

of it . I knew that . I was like , well , you know what this is

22:02

, just how it is , I just need to sleep right now . But

22:05

I wasn't paying attention to the fact that , like the

22:07

longer naps that I had , the

22:09

longer I stayed up in the second half of my day

22:11

, the later I went to bed . I

22:13

was still getting up with kids and doing stuff

22:16

in the mornings , and so I was just cutting

22:18

into all of my rest . So

22:21

I mean , it sounds really simple when I explain

22:23

it like that , but in the moment it wasn't

22:25

something that was apparent to me . And

22:27

so once I started really

22:29

paying attention and started tracking all

22:32

the things that I was doing , I was like , oh my gosh , like

22:34

anybody observing me from the outside

22:37

, like watching me , would be

22:39

like it would take them like two days to

22:41

say , hey , karen , like hold up , like

22:43

what's going on here ? But when you're in the

22:45

thick of it and when you're just kind of trying

22:47

to get by , you don't see it and

22:49

it's not as apparent . So there

22:52

really is something to be said about tracking

22:54

this . So when you hit an afternoon

22:56

slump right or exhaustion sets

22:58

in , I want you to view it as

23:00

a sign that you need to take a break

23:03

and recharge pronto . It

23:05

needs to happen right now , and I don't

23:07

want you to ignore fatigue and

23:09

I don't want you to force yourself to power through

23:11

, because that really just prolongs

23:14

the dip . It's just one of those

23:16

self-fulfilling , you know downward

23:18

spirals . Instead , force

23:21

yourself to get away from your desk right

23:23

, close your laptop , engage in something

23:26

else for 10 to 15 minutes

23:28

. That will revive you . For me , a lot of times

23:30

, that's stepping outside into the fresh

23:32

air . Sometimes it's doing jump

23:34

and jacks . If it's raining outside

23:36

and I need to get moving , you can go for

23:39

a walk . You can do some stretching , do some

23:41

deep breathing . You can meditate , listen

23:43

to uplifting music , have a little dance party . In

23:45

your office you can find protein

23:47

snacks maybe it's your

23:49

blood sugar that's needing a boost

23:51

. Or

23:54

you can nap . Or you can call a high energy friend

23:57

to get you over the edge . But

24:00

set your timer right . Do that for like

24:02

15 minutes max and

24:04

then return to your work , feeling that energy boost

24:06

renewed . Because , whenever possible , when

24:09

you schedule tasks during your energy

24:11

dips that require less intense

24:13

focus right Like we talked about

24:15

returning phone calls , doing emails

24:17

, reviewing documents

24:20

and you save your deep work

24:22

for when your energy returns to normal , you're going to

24:24

find that even in the low periods

24:26

, you're making the best use of your time right

24:29

. And the other side of that is don't

24:32

wait for the dip right . Be vigilant

24:34

about taking regular breaks to avoid reaching

24:36

complete exhaustion . Those

24:39

tools like website

24:41

blockers or phone timers , apps

24:43

that can remind you to take a break every hour or

24:45

hour and a half . Or if you use

24:48

the Palmodoro method that has

24:50

a built in mini break , right , it's 25 minutes

24:52

on , five minutes off , 25 on five

24:54

minutes off , and the five minutes off doesn't

24:56

really allow for much of a break . But you can get out of your

24:58

chair and you can do some

25:01

moving or get a drink of water

25:03

. But the key here is , during

25:05

the low periods , staying chained to

25:08

your desk is really going to add

25:10

to the drain . So pay attention to that

25:12

when you're doing your tracking . So

25:14

, by tuning into the fluctuations in your energy

25:17

. You can mitigate the impact

25:19

of the dips , right , we all

25:21

have to accept that they're going to happen . But

25:24

when you have a plan to recharge

25:26

the moment you feel it happening , you

25:29

know , and getting consistent about that and

25:31

recognizing the drops early

25:33

, you'll be proactive and you'll

25:35

prevent them from sabotaging your productivity

25:37

. Because , again , this is not

25:40

about working , working , working , working , working

25:42

. This is about getting the things that need

25:44

to get done on a day done and

25:46

then being done for

25:49

the day right . So how do

25:51

we get all the things we need to get done in

25:53

a day without spending 15

25:55

hours at our desk , right ? That's the goal . Don't

25:58

fall into the trap of grinding . When

26:01

you're exhausted At

26:03

the end of each workday , right , consciously

26:06

shift into relaxation mode . You

26:08

can do relaxing activities that bring your

26:10

stress levels down . You can

26:12

set up a bedtime , which is something that I

26:15

, like I so

26:17

badly want a bedtime . I wish

26:19

I had a bedtime , but

26:21

I just don't , and this is because

26:23

of my rest cycle . Like I need

26:26

enough rest period

26:28

full stop . So if I go to bed late

26:30

, I sleep in , so my day starts

26:32

later and you know one of those

26:34

things , my kids are on the same kind of a thing . They

26:36

come down to like oh , I just fixed my sleep

26:38

cycle , wake me up at this hour , because

26:41

it is a slippery slope , because you could start , you

26:43

know , becoming nocturnal , which is not

26:46

my natural state , but I definitely

26:48

am not an early , early morning riser . So

26:51

, getting on a regular soup schedule

26:53

if you don't have a bedtime , winding

26:55

down two or more hours

26:58

before bed with a buffer period

27:00

, right , and this is all those good

27:02

things , like don't eat anything

27:05

before in the hours before bed , no

27:07

screens in the hours before bed

27:09

, and you know it's

27:12

all about the slow practice . It's about easing

27:14

into that rest period

27:17

, right , and prioritizing rest

27:19

because proper recovery

27:22

is what gives you energy is really

27:24

what we need , right . We have to be

27:26

intentional about the connection

27:28

between all of these things , which I know that

27:30

we all know it , but I don't know that we all

27:32

live it . I think that , like , as parents

27:35

, we can tell our children every

27:37

single day you need to get rest so

27:39

that you have energy for the day , but like we

27:41

don't , it's like do as I say , not as I do

27:43

we need to make sure that we pay

27:45

more attention to how we're

27:48

doing . Right , if

27:50

mama goes south , we're all going with her . That was

27:52

a book that I read a hundred years ago and it was

27:54

about , you know , filling your own

27:56

cup , putting your own mask on first , and

27:59

I think it's just , it's evergreen

28:01

advice that will never not be true

28:03

, because we really do need to make

28:05

sure that we understand

28:08

that our energy is probably

28:10

our most valuable asset , right

28:12

, without our energy , like

28:14

without energy , everything

28:17

goes downhill Our health , our

28:19

attention , our desire

28:21

, our oomph , our attitude

28:25

, like , and then , because

28:27

all those things are fallen by the wayside , our

28:30

productivity dips , and then we're not focusing

28:32

on our goals , and then we get into like

28:35

a slump and , you know , it

28:37

just keeps on feeding itself , and

28:39

then , oh , you know , we don't want

28:41

that and we can be more

28:43

proactive about this , and I think it's one of these things where

28:45

we don't ever really want to focus on it until

28:48

it becomes urgent and

28:50

like we're feeling that we're at risk , our health

28:52

is at risk , our focus is at risk , and it's

28:54

one of those things that I think , you

28:56

know , tiny little steps really

28:59

do make a huge impact here , and

29:02

you know , I just can't speak to that more

29:05

, I can't recommend it more

29:07

. Okay , so we covered a

29:09

lot of ground on how to

29:11

optimize your productivity by

29:14

focusing on your energy throughout

29:16

the day . We discussed the

29:18

importance of tuning into your own rhythms

29:20

and identifying when your energy levels peak

29:22

versus when they naturally decline . We

29:25

talked about maximizing those peak energy

29:27

windows by protecting them for

29:29

your most challenging and

29:31

meaningful work . We

29:33

covered how to fuel your body and how to pay attention

29:36

to the fuel and what that's

29:38

doing to your energy , and

29:40

we went through strategies to minimize and recover

29:42

from the inevitable energy dips when

29:45

they do occur . The key here

29:47

is that , by understanding your energy

29:49

cycles and patterns , you can

29:52

plan your days intentionally

29:54

to do focused , quality

29:56

work during times of peak energy

29:58

, and you can then use the lower

30:01

energy periods for tasks that require less

30:03

concentration and less effort . Right

30:06

, and it sounds really simple , but you

30:08

may be surprised to find that your patterns

30:10

aren't what you think they are . So I urge you

30:12

to take some time to track it for

30:14

at least a week and more if you can

30:16

and this is literally like three

30:18

times a day Set a timer and

30:21

just make a note and keep a special journal

30:23

just for this and see

30:25

what you see With this energy

30:27

management approach . I promise you

30:29

that you will be focusing your power tasks during

30:32

your power hours and this will allow you to get

30:34

more high value work done in

30:36

less time . Right

30:39

, you will avoid wasting mental

30:41

energy , grinding when you're running

30:43

on empty and you will end

30:45

each day with energy left

30:47

over for other priorities , which

30:49

is the whole reason that

30:51

we choose to be entrepreneurs . Right

30:53

, we want freedom . We want , we want

30:56

to live the life that we choose . We

30:58

don't want to just be chained to the desk at home

31:00

, versus chained to the nine to five

31:02

desk that somebody else owns . Like

31:04

. The whole point here is freedom . So we want

31:07

to be able to again

31:09

productivity . We

31:11

want to focus on productivity , which is getting

31:13

our work done in shorter

31:16

timeframes , not

31:19

packing in more stuff

31:21

. All right , I

31:23

promise that if you track your energy , you're going

31:25

to avoid wasting energy , grinding when you're

31:27

running on empty , you're going to maximize

31:29

the power times and you're going to thank me Like

31:32

this is one of those things that it's it's

31:34

it's so easy and

31:36

it's so simple . It's completely

31:39

uncomplicated , but the strides

31:41

that you can make are really

31:43

something else . So I

31:46

hope that this helped you change

31:48

the way you think about your energy in the day to day

31:50

and perhaps piqued your interest

31:52

in tracking your own rhythm so that you can optimize

31:55

your own energy . I

31:57

would love to hear from you again , like you can

31:59

email me at any time , but I always love

32:01

hearing from people

32:03

who listen to my episodes and then tell me that

32:05

it it it had an impact

32:08

on you . So please do reach out and let me know what you're

32:10

thinking . And until next

32:12

time , thanks for listening . And

32:14

remember part of being a calm

32:16

entrepreneur is developing the systems , habits

32:19

and know-how that lets you

32:21

know that you are the one in the driver's

32:24

seat for your business . You get to

32:26

choose how you think and you get to

32:28

choose how you work . So

32:30

you got this , my friends . Thank

32:32

you for listening .