52 Tiny Changes
You've done it before. Tried to change your whole life in 30
days. Only to fizzle out at day 10 because it take too much time.
Join me in making a small change each week and by the end of the
year you will have made 52 improvements to your life!
52changes@encouragingcoach.com
with 52 changes in the subject line. Or come here each week for
a new change and some steps to help you along the way.
Tiny Change #19: Do your most important
priority at your peak energy time
Have you ever tried to work on a big project when
you were tired? The project probably took longer than expected
because you had to keep rereading or redoing. If you work on those
kinds of projects when you have the best energy, the project will
go better and you will be less drained. When do you feel most
energetic with the best concentration? Are you using that time
period to its best potential?
I realized lately that I have been squandering
those precious hours. My peak hours are between 6:30am and 9:00am.
Instead of using those hours productively I had been doing household
chores, frittering, checking e-mail and doing a bunch of things
that require little of me.
I worked out a new schedule where I ease into
my day by doing my quiet time at 6am. Then from 6:30-8:30 I would
focus on coaching and writing: things that take concentration
and creativity. Plus both of these rank high on my priority list.
For a few days I want you to keep track of your
energy and concentration levels. Directions and a chart to print
out can be found here.
Once you have finished your chart, you can analyze
the chart to see if you can see any patterns. Use that information
to help in your planning. In your high-peak times you can exercise,
get your most difficult project done, do something you have been
procrastinating on because you think it will be hard, the thing
that absolutely has to get done today, your highest priority,
the thing that will move you forward the most. In your low energy
time you can do things like errands, filing, and housework that
takes little concentration.
Resources
Stressbusters:
how to have less stress by checking your stress cycles
Your
Body Clock: medicine and body rhythm by ABC news
Circadian
Rhythm How your body keeps time
Take a Body
Clock Quiz
The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy,
Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
by Jim Loehr (Author), Tony Schwartz (Author)
What will you do with your best time?
52 Tiny Changes Archive
