Manage Energy, Not Time.

Happy Friday Friends,

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“The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us are not. It is our most precious resource. The more we take responsibility for the energy we bring to the world, the more empowered and productive we become.” Sr. Jim Loehr

Our brains are biological batteries. Everything we do in a day drains our mental energy. I'll bet you charge your phone when it gets down 50%. But, when do you recharge your own battery? Only when it's depleted?

Can you think about a day recently when you felt drained, all day? You can't understand why you got a decent sleep, you've worked out and eaten well. But, you're slower and less reactive than usual. It feels like every decision you need to make is a monumental one. The reason you have days like these is that you are always depleting energy, not charging it.

There are many factors that can contribute to depleting your energy stores. I've highlighted a few that are most common in people I speak to.

Let go of emotional burdens.Regrets, grudges, expectations or complaints about small, unimportant things.Think of these burdens as extra tabs open in your Chrome browser. They sit there, you think they’re harmless. But, they slowly drain your mental “RAM” and slow you down. They’re taking up unnecessary space on the computer between your ears.

Re-reading an email or chapter of a book over and over because you keep losing focus. Forget a simple task or a few items on your shopping list. These may seem small but we all know they’re frustrating. Clogging your mental memory with burdens will affect you sooner or later.

Excess worry and negativity.I wrote about this in last week’s post. Focus on the present and you will relieve yourself of a lot of your worry.

Pay attention to your internal ego and you’ll quieten the negativity. Worry and anxiety can be overwhelming. They will consume every last drop of energy you can muster. Take baby steps, focus on the now and reach out for help.

“When you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have. When you focus on what you have you gain what you lack.” Greg McKeown

IndecisionI often coach teams that indecision can cripple progress on projects. Indecision is far worse than making the wrong decision. Pull the trigger quickly. Make the mistakes, learn from them and move on. It’s a simple mantra but not easy to execute.

The same applies in life. So many people and couples spend hours, days and even weeks trying to make decisions. And, most of the time the “hardest” decisions are over the most unimportant things.Think about how much mental bandwidth that back-and-forth consumes. Even when you’re not actively thinking about it, it’s still on your mind because you haven’t committed.

If the decision isn’t life or death then who cares if the decision is “wrong"? The answer is, only you care. If you put it in those terms is there even a wrong decision?Pull the trigger! Stop wasting energy and time trying to guess an outcome for a decision. Start walking down a path. Wherever it takes you you’ll learn something about yourself.

Learn to say noThis, by far is the most challenging factor to “fix”. It is a conscious mental shift and takes practice.Be honest with yourself and think back over the past year. There will be many times when you did something that deep down you didn’t want to. Drinks after work with colleagues when you would rather have been home with your partner. Going to an extended family dinner that no one ever enjoys but they all attend out of obligation.

Time is the only resource you cannot make, find or buy more of. Every person on the planet has the same amount of time in a day. YOUR time here is rare and precious. Why waste it doing things that you don’t like?  Or why choose to spend time with people who don’t inspire you?

The first time you say no to something that isn’t important to you will be the start of a brand new chapter in your life.

What can you focus on to recharge?

• Choose who you spend time with

• Be conscious about how you spend your time.

• Practice mindfulness

• Quieten your inner critic

• Let go of grudges. What job is that grudge performing in your life?

Learn to manage your energy before managing your time. If your energy levels are low everything you have planned for the day will take longer. The days and weeks will drag and blur into each other. For most of us, it won’t be about adding new habits or routines. It will be about identifying what depletes your mental energy. Then remove or reduce that as much as possible.

Do the things that excite you. Focus on what fires you up. And, spend time with people who you love.

Peace, love and muscles.

Podcast I loved this weekNaval and Chris Dixon - The Tim Ferriss ShowOk, ok I know I’ve been sharing a lot of Tim’s pods but he is on a roll. He has been diving as deep into the rabbit hole of DAOs and NFTs as I have. But, unlike yours truly, Tim has access to an incredible network.

If I’ve piqued your interest over the last few posts talking about crypto, NFTs and DAOs then this pod is for you. It is for absolute beginners and will explain everything you NEED to know.

What I’m reading this week“Warren Buffett: ‘Really successful people say no to almost everything’” - Michael SimmonsThe title says it all really. If you haven’t learned any lessons from the planet’s most successful investor then start with this. Easy, informative 10-minute read.

Gadget I’m thinking about buyingGoogle Nest CamWe got ourselves a little pup a few weeks ago. We’ve started leaving him for extended periods of time. So I am looking to put up a couple of cameras to check on him during the day. These nests have no wires, connect to my Home network and I can monitor them from anywhere via my Google Home app. Glorious!

Something beautiful (and super cool)Generative art NFT - Flux (Evolutions)1024 generative art pieces were made and put into a raffle on the Solana network. I was lucky enough to get one. Hit the link and read about how they make these.