Reset To Recharge
Is there anything more frustrating then whenever the electronic device you are using starts to die? And it seems it’s always at the worst times. Right when you are working on something super important, the battery symbol starts flashing, and it’s a matter of time. Whenever that happens to me I tend to get way more work done though as I am flying to accomplish whatever it is I was trying to do before the clock runs out and the device is dead in the water. And have you ever noticed there’s never a charger around when you need it? They seem to disappear the more you need them.
We all experience this day in day out.
I’ve realized that humans operate much like electronic devices. You see, you and I are energy-dependent creatures. We must be charged to keep our bodies alive and our mind alert. In fact, one of the first things therapists need their patients to do before they deal with depression, anxiety, or mental challenges is to make sure they are eating properly. The mind can’t work properly without nutrients from the food we eat. Therefore, if a patient is not eating because of their mental challenge, it exasperates the problem even more.
We have to recharge if we want to be successful.
It’s critical that we have systematic commitments to make sure we are powering ourselves back up. The problem is not that we don’t know this…the problem is that we don’t know how to do this very well. Most people are terrible at setting up recharging stations throughout their life on a continual basis. Many people only operate reactively and recharge when they’ve hit rock bottom. The problem with waiting that long is that it takes infinitely longer to get back up to par than if you would have kept your batteries charged consistently.
So how do you weave this recharging effect systematically in your life? I’m glad you asked.
1) Know Your Drainers
The first step in making sure you keep charged up is to identify what drains you the most. Just like a phone may have certain apps that require more energy than others, so our life has specific things that drain us more than others. It’s vital for you to know what areas of your life these are. You want to look for patterns. Be mindful of how you feel whenever you are done doing whatever it is you’ve done. I often coach leaders to keep an energy log. An energy log works fantastic with a time log. As you log your time and what you’ve done, you also want to log how you felt afterward. You’ll quickly begin to see patterns of what drains you. The more you know what your drainers are, the more you can prepare for them and even possibly start to purge them from your schedule.
2) Know Your Energizers
Just as you need to know what drains you, you also need to know what energizes you. There are certain things we do that recharge us while we are doing them. For example, when I read and study, it pumps me up. I love to learn and help others with what I’ve learned. This is why I read the first thing I do when I wake up very early before all my family is out of bed. I want to start the day off with energizing for the tasks ahead of me. Just like it’s frustrating not knowing where a phone charger is when you need it, it’s even more infuriating knowing that you’re drained without knowing how to recharge. This is why you must take time to write down what your energizers are so you can go to them quickly. Make a playlist of your energizers so you know what they are. You should have a small list and a big list. The small list should consist of things you can do that are quick and easy. It could be a particular song that pumps you up. It could be a motivational video you watch. It could be a friend that encourages you. It could be taking a walk as you break from tasks. Your big list should consist of things that take much more planning such as taking a vacation. It could be getting away for a retreat. It could be spending a half-day doing a hobby. Whatever refreshes you that you need.
3) Know Your Schedule
The secret to success is in your schedule. You have to be intentional about making sure your day is filled with energizers, especially if there are drainers throughout it. You need to make sure you have margin in your schedule to recharge throughout the day. Don’t schedule back to back meetings without any time to reset and assimilate what happened and also to prepare for what’s to come. Too many leaders are redlining their life without any moments to charge back up. These energizers should be scheduled in your day before it begins. Don’t wait for breaks in your schedule to recharge cause they’ll never show up. You have to make it happen on the front end by scheduling it. Protect your schedule by knowing what is going to drain you and what is going to energize you so you can adjust to it. For example, if I know I am going to have a busy few days of significant focus, I’ll make sure I schedule in a very light few days right after to make sure I recharge before I go back at it. And I protect those few days of breaking at all costs.
To help you get more intentional with resetting to recharge, I’ve designed this worksheet to help you. It’s a FREE download I want to give you so you can become more successful. Take some time to fill it out and work through the exercises.
