How to energize yourself [it’s not what you might expect]

We don’t have to convince you how big a role the energy plays in any of our endeavors. That much is clear and everyone has their ways of dealing with it. These include better sleep, hydration, exercise, nutrition, etc. But there is yet another critical component – the mental strength and capacity to focus on what is most important for you.

Today we will not talk about all those standard points related to the health aspect of it but instead, we would like to get on the topic of what deprives us of vigor and tenacity. It may surprise you how we address the issue.

In the back of our mind…

It’s all about those smaller everyday commitments that you tend to put off. These might be things like going to the bank, the county office, the car service, and whatnot. You think about them almost every day but you still fail to find the time to get them done.

And if they stay for too long on your mind they will inevitably generate some uneasiness and even worry. This means they will eat away from your ability to concentrate and work effectively on the bigger objectives.

Why now is the perfect time

The last quarter of the year has just started and we are about to define new personal 90-day goals. A little bit later we will give you an idea of ​​how you can formulate your future steps so that you get as much energy as possible.

This period is particularly consequential for yet another reason. It is not just the end of the year but also the Holliday season which always puts us through some retrospection. That’s perfectly normal since that’s how we can kick off the New Year with a renewed understanding of what we want in life.

What is it that drains us out of energy

It’s very simple – postponing what is constantly bothering us.

These are important but not quite urgent tasks. And that’s why we think we can leave them for later. They are on our mind but we do nothing and as a result, they will start doing “things” to us.

The degree of our uneasiness is not proportional to the significance of what we have fallen behind with. Even the minor of these could bring us some amount of anxiety which could cost us dearly in terms of progress towards our top priorities.

Examples

We bet every single one of you has experienced some of these:

• Health-related – you know that you have to do your annual physical.
• Relationships – you keep thinking about calling a friend you haven’t heard from in a while.
• Finances – you have to go to the bank to make some changes to your accounts.

These may seem to us as to be some small chores and that’s one of the explanations why they tend to fall through the cracks of everyday life. We often view them as not as pressing or significant but just annoying.

Some more recent examples

Ivan’s credit card was hacked. Although he had insurance he still had to spend the time to get things straightened up. At some point, he even considered not bothering with it at all.

Niki had to go to the county municipality office to get some parking permits issued. And what happened was that as soon as he came in and saw the long line he turned around and left.

How to identify them

There is no need for some special tricks here. You know very well what has been on the backburner. If you just close your eyes for a second these will come up right away. They are also those that you don’t feel like doing and therefore you end up leaving them for some time later.

What to do

This is where the key is:

Don’t let them hang over your head for too long and thus kill your focus and determination. Just deal with it as soon as possible.

Your choice is between the following two. You either drop them right now or you promise to yourself that the first thing for you tomorrow is to start working on them.

Option 1: “I will not do it!”

If that’s your choice then try to get the task completely wiped out from your mind. And on top of that, do it without any remorse whatsoever. This can turn out surprisingly well.

Niki’s decision to give up on the parking permits saved him not just time but also spared him the not so positive experience of feeling that he is sitting on his hands doing nothing. He made the right decision since for months the municipality hasn’t activated the parking zone in his neighborhood.

“I won’t have to do it right now but I’ll do it when it becomes urgent.”

Option 2: “Let’s get it done!”

If this becomes your course of immediate action then you may end up feeling great with yourself. But once you kick it off you will be amazed how quickly you progress. It will take much less time than what you wasted on keeping those in the back of your mind. And on top of that, you will unlock some extra potential to go forward.

It’s very much like spring cleaning. You don’t feel like doing it but once it’s over you feel with more energy, physical as well as mental.

Here’s what you can do.

90-day goals to boost your energy

You see words matter.

If the objective was worded as something like “90-day goal of clearing up the backlog” it would be a far cry from exciting and motivating.

But when you are fully aware of what you need it for then the whole picture is quite different. Just like what Ivan wrote:

“Every week I am going to get 1 or 3 tasks done /those that drain me of my energy.”

How to do it?

Step by step, of course, and to be a bit more precise, the weekly step is what you need.

In the first week, you should do something like a “brain dump” writing down all the things you have to take care of.

But you can also take a more relaxed approach, i.e. no lists whatsoever. As we have already mentioned, you hardly wonder what worries you – everyone knows the problematic ones.

And then you get rid of a couple every week. If you have the opportunity you can do a few more.

As you already know well – the weekly review is crucial. It’s best, of course, when it’s done together with your Goal Buddy.

Tactics

If you are wondering how to find the time in your busy day we can suggest several different ways.

Some prefer to do the most unpleasant thing in the morning, or so to speak “to bite the bullet” early on. The advantage is that once you get rid of them, you can go on with the rest of your day free of worry.

In the morning, Ivan marks the three tasks that were on the “waiting” list longest. Then he looks to find some openings in his schedule so that he fit them in.

Clearing the space and resources for the new goals and then charging forward!

Have a look at the “Wheel of Life” to figure out if there is something you are still putting off even if it is part of an important aspect of ​​your life. Do you think you will save much time and effort if you don’t do it? How about if taking care of it will open the way for the rest of the many more?

You don’t have to think too much about it. Just the first thing that comes to mind is what you do today.

Words of gratitude

Last Sunday we had an amazing workshop with those who passed the first level in January. This time around it was done outdoors, in a small group, much more personal and with less formality. We talked to everyone and gave advice as well as guidance on how to continue improving. Everyone was so inspired that at the end of the day they all signed up for the next workshop. We neither planned nor expected this to happen.

This day holds a special place in our hearts.

We want to take the opportunity here to thank all of our followers, readers, and friends for showing us how much appreciate what we do with the “GoalBuddy” system. This invaluable feedback gives us confidence and motivation to keep going. That alone brings us more energy than anything else.