Last night, I had the opportunity to meet over dinner some fellow mums whose children go to the same childcare as my daughter. It was really great to have some time just for ourselves.
As we started to get to know each other, I went to talk to one of them, who recently started her own business. She told me how hard it’s to keep herself productive and how challenging it’s to juggle everything out.
The interesting part was that the lack of TIME wasn’t the topic that got into the conversation. What she talked more about was the fact that she wasn’t really taking care of herself and how that was affecting her work day.
So, here’s the thing…
The lack of time is what gets anyone started in their journey to be more productive, but having more time won’t be the only thing to help you be so (especially if you are a working mum like me).
One of the most important elements, if not the most important, to help you increase your productivity is ENERGY, and here’s why:
Even if you have all the time of the world to work on your next task/project/goal but you have no energy, you’ll find yourself procrastinating, unmotivated and not following through. Because being more productive is not just about managing your time effectively, but your energy too.
Now, when I talk about keeping your energy up, I’m not only talking about your body (aka physical energy), I’m also talking about your mental, emotional and spiritual energy.
Let me explain each of them in more detail:
PHYSICAL ENERGY
Your body isn’t going to work at its best if you don’t take care of it.
So, if you’re eating junk food all the time, staying up until late regularly, drinking or even smoking, your body is not going to provide the energy you need to accomplish your biggest goals, in fact, any goal.
Here are 3 areas you need to look at to maximise your physical energy:
Movement: By getting yourself moving a little more each day, you’re helping your body and mind function at their best. Apart from all the amazing health benefits that you might already be aware of, exercise improves your mood, helps you sleep better at night and BOOST YOUR ENERGY.
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, which helps you feel more energised, motivated and positive. And the best of all…it’s a feeling that stays with you throughout the day.
Food: Are you having the right nutrients? Food has a lot to do with how your body function, as you may be aware. So, being more conscious about what you eat will help you maximise your energy and of course keep you super healthy.
You know your body, so listen to it and honour those feelings.
Rest/Sleep: I know this one is a tricky one. As mums, we can’t help ourselves by trying to do it all. But it’s so important for you to listen to your body when it needs to rest.
Work will be where you left it and once you have a proper rest you can go back to it. It will still be there, trust me!
Now, establishing consistent sleeping patterns will increase your energy. Prioritise your sleep over a great TV show. I know that when kids go to bed you just want to have some time for you and you end up watching TV. However, not having routines that help your body recover the energy drained during the day can cause you to procrastinate more, be more irritable, not performing at your best the next day at work/business.
MIND ENERGY
Imagine if you are feeling overwhelmed by the thought of having too much to do and not enough time and you can’t get that thought out of your head? – do you think that your mind is going to be in their best state to help you be more productive with your work and to help you feel energised and motivated every day? I doubt so.
Creating a positive mindset means making positive thinking a habit. It means, that you always look for the positive side of any given situation. Now, this doesn’t mean that you will totally ignore the bad things, instead, it’s about seeing the best in any situation, people or even YOURSELF and using it to your advantage.
I totally get that it’s easier said than done, but if you really focus on cultivating simple habits and creating routines to help you do just that, you’ll find that with the time, positive thinking is the only way you know to address any bad situation, any negative person or even any negative thoughts you have of yourself.
SPIRITUAL ENERGY
I know that this one seems to be like a woo-woo topic. But your spiritual energy refers to your sense of purpose and meaning in life.
When you connect with your purpose every day through what you do, you start each day full of passion, energy and positive about what you do and the difference you’re making in others with your talents, skills, and knowledge.
Your spiritual energy also means that you do every day the things that you love to do, things that make the difference in someone else’s life and contribute towards something that’s beyond yourself.
EMOTIONAL ENERGY
Your emotional energy refers to how you can manage your own emotions and redirect them in a more positive way. Similar to your mental energy, the idea is to focus on the bright side of things instead of the negative side. It’s about being able to manage your emotions as best as you can, so you don’t end up feeling irritable, angry, frustrated, overwhelm, etc.
Another way that your emotional energy can be drained is by the people you are surrounding yourself with. Sometimes after having a conversation with someone, you end up feeling exhausted because they are so negative and complain way too much.
So, it’s so important to be around people who you can develop healthy relationships with and be able to learn and grow together, so your emotional energy is being taken care of.
When you take this holistic approach and really take care of your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual energy, you’ll see permanent and positive changes to your energy levels.