Well, I did it again. But I can say changing this one behavior has worked and I’m already doing better.
Here’s what I’m talking about. Do you have some things you do where once you get started you just can’t stop until you’re finished? For me, one of them is yard work. I know. It’s crazy.
It doesn’t matter how hot or how cold the temperature is outside. Once I get going, my inner Energizer Bunny kicks in and keeps on going until the job is done.
Here’s the thing…
Is it satisfying? Yes, definitely.
Do I get some good exercise? Absolutely.
Plus, yard work is one of those things that takes just the right amount of concentration to occupy the noise in our brains to enable us to empty our head trash that’s spilling over the top of our waste baskets.
Are there any downsides? Yes.
One. I’m totally exhausted when I’m finished. I mean exhausted. Spent. In need of rest and refreshments. Lots of rest and refreshments.
And this exhaustion almost always spills over into the next day.
After one of my bunny episodes, I often experience long recovery cycles.
You may have connected the “I did it again” part from my opening statement to being exhausted from all the yard work we did yesterday. If you did, you would be right. We pulled weeds along our quarter-mile-long gravel driveway filling five or six large construction-sized trash bags.
Lanette stopped when she had met her limit. But Mr. Energizer Bunny here kept on going, and going, and going.
You may be asking what’s wrong with pushing on and getting more work done.
Here’s what’s wrong with it…
You will likely be stealing energy, and therefore productivity, from tomorrow and possibly beyond.
So, how does that tie in with “But I can say it works and I’m doing better” from up top?
Well, a while back, I was reading Greg McKeown’s “1-Minute-Wednesday” newsletter. Greg is the author of “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.” (If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend making it the next book on your reading list).
Oh, and here’s a link to his newsletter.
And one simple, but powerful quote from Greg smacked me right upside my head. It sunk in almost immediately, but I’m still working on adopting it and making it a rule for living.
Here’s the quote…
Don’t do more today than you can recover from by tomorrow.”
–Greg McKeown
That quote really resonated with me because the instantaneous “A’ha” moment was the realization that I’ve been doing this very thing since we moved into our new house.
Think for a moment about how ridiculously simple it is!
We’ve been faced with countless projects and chores for more than a year now. And hey, most of them are either fun, feel-good work, or both. We’re not objecting to the call, by the way. Actually, we’re loving it—even pulling all those stinking weeds (some literally do stink a lot after you pull them).
Of course, change is never easy.
I was readily able to admit to myself that I had a habit of wearing myself out either physically, mentally, or both by doing or attempting to do more than my brain and body were prepared to do in any one day.
Here’s the kicker… you’re stealing energy from tomorrow!
If I overdo it today and exhaust myself beyond a reasonable recovery period, then I’m going to be nowhere near 100% on day two. Probably not yet on day three, and many times even beyond simply because I was stealing energy from tomorrow.
The net result is less productivity any way you slice it!
Another way to say it is—I’m putting myself into productivity debt equal to the time it takes me to recover.
It’s a lot like pulling an all-nighter.
The point here isn’t to slack off or take it easy, so you don’t get tired out. It’s to recognize that you must manage your energy and be self-aware enough to know when to stop and take a break.
Did you ever pull an all-nighter in school, but were so exhausted by the time you were taking the test you prepared so hard for you could barely keep your eyes open, let alone think straight?
This one habit is likely the source of my struggle with writing consistently over the past year. When I put myself into a state of mental or physical exhaustion, I’ve also zapped my creative energy for the entire recovery period.
I had never considered that all those times I could only stare at a blank screen was because I was pushing myself too hard when doing other things and robbing myself of creative energy.
Okay, what’s the answer?
Good news… it’s simple. Set a timer for a predetermined period. Limit yourself to an amount of time that will allow you to fully recover by tomorrow. And, give yourself permission to schedule tasks over multiple days.
I’ve tried this method several times and have been successful each time. Okay, okay, I did go over by thirty minutes one time, but I still consider that a win compared to my typical behavior.
This is where admitting in my opening line that “I did it again” comes in. I cheated. The day before yesterday, I cheated myself by thinking I could suck it up and push through and finish pulling the weeds along the whole driveway if I just gut it out.
So, I did, and I didn’t.
I did try to gut it out. And I still didn’t finish. And I didn’t finish anything else I had planned for the remainder of my day and a good part of the next day.
I admit we’re talking about a well-established habit I’m dealing with here. So, I’ll likely be continuing the battle for a while.
By deciding up front how much I can give to a particular task, and then setting an alarm for when it’s time to stop, I’m increasing my net productivity beyond today.
So, manage your energy by setting reasonable limits. And give yourself the necessary time to recover so you can be at your best when it counts. The net result will be on your plus side.
Be untucked.
p.s. Know someone who might like this post? Be sure to share it with them. Thanks…
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