One Apple A Day #228
Last Saturday has been a bad day. I felt unproductive. I’ve been busy all day, I’ve done plenty of things, and yet at the end of the day, I felt I had accomplished just a little.
How is that possible? My daily planner was full of goals and task. I made sure everyone was well aware that I wasn’t to be disturbed. My tools were all in place, and I arranged to have a room only for me for the whole day.
In the morning I participated in all the meeting I had planned, but I wasn’t happy with the results. I wasn’t focused, and the quality of my work didn’t satisfy me. So, I doubled down with more effort in the afternoon meeting. I closed the door to keep the world out.
And then it was seven pm, the afternoon was gone too, and that sense of failure was still there.
I kept thinking about the day for all the evening, and I went to sleep with the feeling of a wasted day. It was only the day after, while I was watching my nephew playing basketball that I understood.
At that moment I was disconnected. For one hour I didn’t check the email, I didn’t think about my projects and tasks. I just enjoyed the game, and it struck me.
Sometimes, I just try to do too much, and I run out of energy.
The number of hours in a day is fixed. We all have 24 hours every day no matter what we do, who we are or where we are. And they flow at the same speed every day. However we use the hours before 12 am, we will have other 12 hours after.
It’s not the same with energy. Also, our energy is a limited resource. We have a reserve ready to be used when we wake up and once is gone, is gone until the day after. But, unlike the time, the more we use our energy the sooner it will end.
And when our energy is gone, is gone for good.
This is what happened last Saturday. I started with a low energy level after a busy week and not enough hours of sleep. I burned it out in the morning trying to keep up with my plan. And then it was gone. The rest of the day I was busy, but without energy, I wasn’t able to focus. I was busy but I without achieving nothing and because of that I felt frustrated, so I doubled my effort. But there was no energy to use, so it only got worse.
Now I know that it is pointless to keep pushing if you don’t have the energy to move forward. The best way is to stop, relax and take the time to recharge the battery.
Maybe, I would reduce the time dedicate to my projects, but surely I will achieve more and feel more fulfilled.