Don’t have enough time in the day?

Image by Kirill Averianov from Pixabay

Time is something we can’t directly change.

24/7/365 - we can’t change that.

But we can absolutely find more time by affecting something we can control: our energy. 

When I have the right kind of energy, 

• I can make the right decisions and trust them. 
• I finish things, and in a tenth the time that it takes when I have scattered energy. 
• I have time “left over” and have the wherewithal to take this extra time to play instead of trying to get more done. Which is to say, I can say no to burnout and yes to a more inspired and joyful life. 
• I’m more creative. Because I have concentration. I can tap into a zen state. 
• I think in possibilities instead of limitations. 

The right kind of energy puts me in a focused mindset to sort through the noise and make decisions. I feel simultaneously energized and relaxed, more secure, and at ease. I’m not thinking about running to the fridge to feed an emotional hunger or getting swallowed by my monkey mind and all the things I need to do today and in my life, which can get exhausting fast. I have focus, and with that, time is my friend. 

How I manage my energy is how I manage my time. 

There’s a direct correlation between the quality of my energy and the quality of my narratives, the amount of patience I have, my ability to give and receive, and my ability to make decisions that align with my deepest values and desires.

Being in the right energy state gives me command over time. 

How to have the right kind of energy

Being in the right energy state is your magic. It’s simple and sustainable. It’s only difficult when you’re looking for the glitter: there’s no sexiness in getting the right kind of energy. But you will experience it by having it. Glittering solutions crash. Grounding solutions free. Here are your grounding solutions:  

1. Get to bed by 10 pm. How many hours of sleep you’ll need depends on your diet, how you handle stress, your self care, and what time you get to sleep. The closer to midnight you get to bed, the more hours of sleep you will need. 
2. Consciously breathe throughout the day. If you’re not breathing correctly, you’ll tire and stress more easily. Proper breathing strengthens your lungs and mental capacities, improves your immune system and vitality, is a natural stimulant, and improves your ability to harness stress. 
3. Eat less. How much you eat has a direct impact on your energy. Simply eat less. Reserve some of that energy your body would otherwise need to digest and use it to get into your creativity. Learn to have meals that satisfy your body, not just your palate. Consume a ton of vegetables, some good fats, and a little bit of protein. 
4. Meditate. We take in a lot of crap during the day. Daily meditation and contemplation is like taking out the trash. The more often you take out the trash, the less gross and heavy your mind and body will feel.
5. Pay attention to your posture. Including your shoulders. And how much space you allow yourself to take up. Uncross your arms and legs and take up space. Notice how they affect your energy. 
6. Drop the to-do list and use your calendar instead. This life changing practice boosts your most important priorities and your ability to be present by allocating the times of your day to get the important things done.
   Imagine a dentist’s office. All the patients that the office said yes to, to come in this week, are listed on a page with no times or dates. What would it be like for this dentist to come into their day? When will each patient come in? What would take priority? What could go wrong? This is a to-do list. Use your calendar.
7. Observe your mental morning routine. Notice your story about your morning, how you wake up, and how you take command of it. Shift it to support the best parts of you. Your morning establishes your day.
8. Reframe your relationship with coffee. Might I propose that you find another way to wake up in the morning (one being: get to bed by 10 pm) and make coffee your after lunch treat instead? If coffee after lunch prevents you from getting to bed on time, then perhaps an earlier lunch might help. Which moves your dinner to an earlier time. Which helps move your bedtime earlier. Coffee’s worth holding onto as a treat, not as a dependency, and it’s better for your nervous system to use it this way.  

This isn’t all or nothing. Start where you can, with where you’ll find the quickest success first, and add as you go.

Love, Savitree