Monday memo #66
Track your energy levels.
The Monday memo is food for thought to fuel your week.
Hi everyone,
Our session with Mark McCartney last week went so well that we have scheduled a special Tuesday session which is happening TOMORROW from 9 to 10:30 AM Pacific time. Scroll down for more information.
Everything starts with energy. Without energy, none of us could exist. Life could not exist. Energy literally powers the universe, and it powers your life. It flows through you every day.
Sometimes you feel fully charged, energized. And sometimes you feel drained. Do you know what charges you up and what drains you? Getting better at managing your energy levels can put you on the road to a more enjoyable, sustainable creative life.
There are so many things that affect your energy levels. The quality and amount of your sleep. What you eat and drink, and when. The people you spend time with, what you do with them, the time you spend by yourself and what you do with that time.
A good step toward gaining control of your energy levels is to track your energy levels over time. For example, you can look at your calendar for the day and make predictions about how you think each event will affect your energy level, and then later compare that with how you actually felt. You can make a note of what you eat and check your energy level an hour later.
I’ve tracked my energy on and off for many years and I’ve learned to schedule creative work and calls in the morning, when my energy peaks. I try to make space in the afternoons for reading and reflective time. I’ve learned to carve out big chunks of time for creative work. I try to limit the number of calls in a day, and give myself a half hour to recharge between calls.
I don’t do it all the time, but periodically I will check and track my energy for a week, looking for adjustments and tweaks I can make to my schedule to optimize my energy levels.
Exercise.
Here’s your exercise for the week: Make an energy scale, a scale of 1 to 10 or -5 to +5. Every day, look at your schedule and make predictions about how you will feel based on your activities. Throughout the day, check in on your energy levels and make a note about how you actually feel. At the end of the day, see how your predictions compare with reality. If you do this for a while, I guarantee you will have a few surprises.
Track your energy for a week, and see what happens.
Special Tuesday event
Last week in the project studio we had a special guest, Mark McCartney. That session was so well-received that we scheduled a special extra session with Mark for tomorrow. This is a special “silent conversation” session with strict rules. I’ll be sending the rules to members later today. The Tuesday session is free for members but you do need to register. The registration link is below the fold.
This week in project studio.
This Wednesday is our last session before we go on Spring break for three weeks. We’ll resume sessions on April 16th. On Wednesday we will be checking in with each other on our progress. How’s it going?
More information for members is below the fold.👇