Yesterday a friend of mine asked me if I could dog sit whilst he went to the gym at 7am. Once my look of horror had dissipated, I laughed and apologetically told him that I don’t do mornings. It is odd that I seem to be surrounded by morning people who get up at 5am when I’m a night person. 

As luck would have it, I was also listening to a psychologist talking at a conference this week who happened to mention sleep issues. I did enjoy it when he said that anyone who tells you that they can survive on 4 hours sleep a night is wrong. We need at least 7 hours sleep to function properly. We can of course survive for a while with less but at some point, things start falling apart. So then I started thinking about our energy flow and how some people are morning people and others, such as myself, are simply not. So what does that mean for our energy levels? How can you better manage your energy flow so that you can deal with your ups and downs during the day as well as that of others’?  

1- Step out of your Head 

I know many of us pride ourselves at how good we are at multitasking but it’s simply an illusion. The brain is not designed to multitask and we unnecessarily exhaust ourselves. Focus on one thing at a time. I like using my calendar as my to-do list to help me with that. It also has the added bonus of making the list look smaller and then the time is blocked out so no one bothers me whilst I’m working on it. Amusingly, people then think you’re really busy and so on top of it all which, in a way, you are.

2- Listen to your Body 

The first step is clearly to know if you are a morning or night person. Yes we all have aches and pains but when do you feel them and what are these telling you? Do you move around enough during the day? Have you tried walking or standing meetings? Those meetings also tend to be naturally shorter as no one wants to stand for an hour or more at a time. And by walking you help circulate the blood and oxygen around your body therefore giving you more energy. And let’s not forget self-care and wellness.

3- What’s in your Heart?

I know we all try to ignore our emotions and feelings but, whether we like it or not, they are part of us. Do you find yourself irritable for no reason at moments during the day? Do you say thank you to others enough? I’ve often mentioned the gratitude exercise but it really is a great one for helping us get some perspective. With perspective, we get less caught up in our own issues which leads to less stress and more energy. It’s a great way to manage your energy flow and you can even have a go at standing on a chair to see what perspective you get from up there. You might surprise yourself.

4- Do you know your passions? 

Could you write down your top 5 values? If not, this exercise is a good place to start. Do you know what activities make you feel good and full of energy and do you do these enough? Another great tool is the nourishing / depleting exercise where you keep a diary for a week of all the activities you do during each day. Next to each activity, you make a note of whether they deplete you of energy or whether you feel nourished and alive afterwards. Remember that this can also include people and not just activities. You’ll then get an overall balance at the end of the week that will tell you if you need to make some changes. 

So what are you waiting for? Make your plan and find the balance in your life that works for you. We’re all different but we can all find that balanced mental state where we feel at ease and content. You can now successfully manage your energy flow.