Last week, I explored the idea of time as a resource, but the true goal of this trial is the best way to manage energy. Over the past few weeks, continuous questions arise in my head, such as how to spend it? When to spend it? How to get it back? With the observations I’ve made thus far, I feel a bit more familiar with energy as a concept.
Spending Energy
Just about every task we perform will cost energy in some way.
From constructing a building to walking to the fridge, actions take energy to complete. The full scope of the biological process by which our bodies generate and consume energy is well beyond the scope of this post. Ultimately, we spend energy on everything we do.
It may seem that only physical tasks like pushing or pulling things around need energy, but it’s far from the case. Chess players are reported to burn thousands of calories, upwards of 6,000, during a tournament. The high stress of the event causes various physiological symptoms from breath rate, heart rate, and muscle contractions that add up throughout the competition.
While many of us aren’t battling master strategists on the daily, I would guess that many have felt exhausted after a day of office or administration work, even if most or all of it was spent relatively calm and stationary.
Even leisure activities can be energy drains. As someone who probably plays too much Destiny 2, I’ve spent nights in group activities called “raids” that have left me exhausted. The raids consist of a number of challenging encounters, many of which have multiple elements to keep track of and manage throughout. All the while playing the first person shooter and keeping yourself from dying.
Getting It Back
If we’re burning energy all day, even on leisure activities, how do we get it back? Without any repercussions of course.
In measuring my energy throughout the day, I’ve found three things to provide me with energy: food, sleep, and disconnecting.
Food and sleep are somewhat straight forward; they are needed in the biological processes that keep our bodies functioning. Food, specifically, is the basis of energy creation.
These two are foundational to having energy throughout the day. To have a good amount of energy throughout the day, regardless of the tasks ahead, a good diet and sleep schedule are critical.
Caffeine, while effective in providing that kick of energy, isn’t always the best solution. The brief explanation is that caffeine works by mimicking a chemical our brain uses to convey tiredness, adenosine, and blocking the receptor for that chemical. This feels great because our brain no longer thinks it’s tired, but that adenosine is still there. Once the caffeine wears off, all that adenosine is ready to remind us how tired we really are.
The source of this trial, The Productivity Project, discusses using caffeine strategically. By getting to know your body’s tolerance and rate of metabolizing, how long it’s in the body, a cup of coffee can be the “pick me up” at the right time while also causing a crash as close to bedtime as possible.
Disconnecting for Recovery
Disconnecting is the thing I knew intuitively but didn’t really recognize until tracking my energy. My definition for disconnecting is partaking in an activity that you can detach yourself from almost entirely. This can be watching TV, listening to music, going for a walk, meditating, or so much more.
This can be hard to do in our modern environments. With devices that allow us to do practically anything at any time at arms reach, it’s hard to step away. You can reach out to a friend or family member, catch up on the news, start that new show everyone is talking about, learn a new skill, read any written work throughout history, and the list goes on.
“Shower thoughts,” are a popular concept because it’s one of the few places we are somewhat forced out of the usual scramble of distractions. In the shower, the mind can disconnect and relax. This does make showering a critical habit, not just for hygiene, but for energy management as well.
For years now, I’ve referred to Family Guy as my favorite show to watch at a hotel. It’s almost always on one of the available channels and doesn’t require much thinking or attention to find mild entertainment. After a long day of traveling, it’s nice to wind down with some mindless indulgence.
In the end, the goal is to give the body and mind a break from stress in it’s different forms.
Trying Out Before Buying In 