Hard work is important but what’s more important is effective work. Are you tapping in those times when you are high on energy to get work done or are you just wasting those golden pockets of time trying to do something that isn’t that important? Once you can understand your natural rhythm and use it to your advantage, life becomes a lot more enriching as you have so much extra time to do things that you enjoy.
We all have our unique energy flow. You must plan your activities according to your natural flow, instead of trying to go against this natural rhythm. There must good sync between your energy flow and activities for the day.
In this article, I am going to tell you why you must act according to your energy flow.
Understand your internal rhythm
You must identify the energy flow for your day and use the high energy slots in the day wisely. For example, some of us are morning people and we are so productive during the first half of the day, while some of us are still trying to fully wake up till late afternoon and then suddenly start to feel very enthusiastic and energetic. You must have an understanding of your energy flow and plan your activities accordingly.
Don’t Force Yourself
Once you know that you are a night person and are more productive at night try to work at night. Don’t force yourself to wake up and finish it just because everyone else around you thinks that morning is the best time to work. Honor your internal rhythm. Trying to break the pattern might lead to reduced productivity and poor results. The point is to identify what hours work the best for you and act accordingly. Don’t try to copy someone else’s style and plan.
Make changes
What this means is that you don’t always have to keep following the same energy flow forever. You can do things to change the pattern. This might take some time but it will happen. For example, doctors are made to do both the day shift and night shift. In this case, they have to change their lifestyle and routine to change how energy flows through the day.
Getting enough rest, having lots of water, shifting sleep patterns, exercising a little can help you change the energy flow.
Now if you are a night owl but your things to do in the morning like dropping off kids at school, some urgent meetings, etc then it is a better idea to try and shift your energy flow by making small lifestyle changes.
If you don’t try to shift the pattern and keep operating against the natural internal rhythm, your body will collapse and give in very soon.
Find a good balance
Remember maximum energy doesn’t mean optimum energy. They are different things. It is important that you take small breaks and combine easy- difficult tasks in a day. This will prevent you from burning out. Sometimes we tend to work non-stop for 2 days and then we are not able to do anything on the third day. Instead, a better approach is to consistently work every day at your optimum energy level.
Optimum energy means that you consume less energy to get a better or same result. For example, we say that the machine is working at the optimal level. What this means is that the machine is giving a better output and consuming less energy to do so.
Avoid Boredom
We must stay away from boredom. Boredom can make your energy level go down. This has a spiral effect.
Boredom means less energy which in turn means less activity.
Now, less activity means more boredom, even lower energy, even more, reduced productivity & activity and the cycle continues.
Don’t get trapped in this cycle of ever-reducing energy levels.
You must take time off to break the monotony and boredom. Recharge yourself and then start working again at a higher energy level.
Summary
It is extremely important to be aware of our energy levels and plan and schedule work accordingly. When your work time is aligned according to your natural energy levels and internal rhythm, you will be getting optimal results for the effort that you put in.
Remember it is always about effective productive work over hard work.
Everyone is only interested in the results you show, they are not interested in how hard you work.