Manage Your Energy - Manage Your Day

By Ambila Nath

Why do you need to manage your energy to manage your day? Surely I should be talking about 'Time Management'.

Bear with me, and let's talk energy and find out more...

We need 'Energy' to carry out our daily physical or mental activities to help us run our businesses.

Think Of Your Energy Levels Like Batteries. Your mind, body and spirit are like batteries. They only last so long before you need to rest, recover and recharge to your total capacity and feel ready to go again. If you find that your energy levels are dipping, listen! Take whatever action your mind, body, spirit, or emotions want and need.

You may find that some of the things listed below will deplete your energy levels in your business.

- Projects that you're doing that your heart is not in
- Dull and repetitive tasks
- Focusing on negative thoughts
- Stopping yourself from feeling optimistic about things going well
- Letting your ego and pride get in the way of your achievements or a lack of discipline in doing the work that you need to do

Discipline is the keyword here. Your success is based on you consistently taking action every day, hour and minute. (But remember to take a break!)

So why is there so much focus on time and time management if that's the case?

If you were to meet every deadline, regardless of your body and mind begging you to take a rest and some downtime, would you feel as if you have just sprinted or run a marathon?

To run a marathon, a runner knows to start their training with smaller goals because they understand their limits and would never push beyond them in case of injury or burnout. They know when to slow down, rest, and recover and when to pick up speed. They run in intervals based on the peaks and dips in their energy. They listen to their mind, body, and spirit. If their energy dipped, they would slow to a walk or stop completely to stretch, take breaks, and refuel. They know precisely how to manage their power according to their stamina levels.

Yeah, but we're not running a marathon; We're running a business.

I know, and that's why I want to show you how.

Ways To Manage Your Energy Like a Pro

Get To Know How You Work

Are you a last-minute.com kind of person? Do you take on too much and have trouble saying no? Or do you work on a project slowly and steadily?

Think about it for a moment. Get to know how you work, energy-wise. You want to use the high and the low peaks to your advantage so that you know what tasks to do at what time during the day.

Set Daily Minimums And Maximums For Yourself

If you take on too much in the day and are constantly running around, set goals. For example, You will have no more than five meetings on any given day, and then allow yourself one completely meeting-free day each week. This will help you avoid burnout, set boundaries for yourself and others, and make you happier and more present during the day.

Take Breaks Based On Your Natural Body Cycles (Ultradian Rhythms)

The term "Power hour" is named after ultradian rhythms. They are the natural cycles that our bodies move from high to low energy states—these cycles of energy range from 90 to 120 minutes, depending on the person.

Focus On Your High Energy Interval "Power Hour"

Focus solely on whatever you're working on during a time of high energy. Avoid multi-tasking or checking your phone and emails. You'll be thrilled to discover just how much quality work you can get done in a short amount of time.

Time For A Break To Rest And Recover

At the end of a cycle, notice your body will give you signals that it's time to rest and recover. You may yawn, feel hungry or thirsty, struggle to concentrate, feel anxious or have the urge to get outside and take a break.

Most people ignore these signals and just "power through" and finish a task. Don't! That isn't helpful in energy management. That's how you burn out, tire yourself out, get grumpy or produce low-quality work. Instead, use the break time (approximately 20 minutes, but the time is less important than the actual break) between your body's natural cycle to do any of the activities listed below.

• Go for a walk
• Eat a healthy food/snack
• Meditate
• Journal
• Get some fresh air
• Spend time with loved ones
• Read
• Write a gratitude list
• Do what you love more often
• Let in positivity
• Let go of negativity 

When you're ready, jump back into your next power hour.

Managing Your Energy Means Listening To Your Body

Your mind, body, spirit, and emotions are highly intelligent. They'll tell you what they need and when. It's up to you to listen. Mediation is a great way to connect with what your body is telling you. Gratitude diaries are another great way to let in more positivity and let go of negativity.

Last Thoughts

Before returning to your day, consider how you would like to be remembered as an entrepreneur. Would you want to be remembered as pessimistic, tired, and stressed out, always having too much to do to go on a long lunch break or take a yoga class in the middle of the day?

Probably not.

It is more likely you want to be remembered as the optimistic, happy, creative entrepreneur who always got tasks done on time and somehow still had the energy for mindful moments throughout the day.

Now ask yourself: What's holding me back from doing that or being that way?

You've gotten this far, which is a significant first step because it means you care and are ready to listen. Next, get to know your mind and body's energy cycles. Respect them and take breaks when you feel your energy dipping. You'll thank yourself for it every day and every hour from now on.

Ambila Nath is a serial entrepreneur, certified coach, spiritual leader, international speaker and an avid follower of her passions. She is known for her 'Straight Taking Spirituality'.

With a corporate background in management consulting, Ambila is far from your stereotypical Spiritual Coach. She went from a 6 figure corporate job to having a spiritual business. She has worked with clients spanning 4 Continents and she knows that the greatest journey you can take is the one to build a relationship with yourself. Life isn't complicated - we are!

Ambila helps you manifest a business you love by aligning your energy, shifting your mindset and creating positive daily habits to grow your business using the 8-step Elevation process. The key to manifesting the Business you dream of. . . is knowing who you are!

You can find more about Ambila and her work here or look her up on LinkedIn, drop by on Facebook or Instagram or even watch her on Youtube