What Kind Of Tired Are You At The End Of The Day?

Issue #8

While this isn’t a lesson in my book, it is a lesson I’ve been working on myself for the past several months and wanted to share with you.

Pay Attention To Your Energy

Did you know that there are three types of energy expended everyday and to various degrees depending on WHAT you’re doing and WHO you’re doing it with? Physical energy, cognitive energy and emotional energy. And what I didn’t know until recently is emotional energy is usually the one we use the most of during our waking hours.

Have you ever noticed that at the end of some days you’re tired, but feel happy with what you’ve accomplished and not drained by a hard days work? I call this “good tired.”

And have you ever noticed at the end of others days you’re completely exhausted and feel drained to the bone? I call this “bad tired,” and is usually the result of an overuse of emotional energy.

Here’s another tip I learned recently from a fellow female speaker and author – burnout happens gradually.

When you’re in the “zone” as we often call it, you’re at a high energy level, and doing work you enjoy with people you enjoy working with. When your energy starts to slip – it’s usually a result of an overload of work to be done in a short period of time OR a less than optimal work environment. This dip moves you into “survival mode.” And if you’re stuck in survival mode for too long, you’ll eventually “hit the wall” as I like to call it, and burn out.

So here’s my suggestion as you wind down the week. Pay attention to your energy in the coming weeks, especially when you finally sit down at the end of each day.

What fills you up and leaves you wanting more? … after a good night’s rest, of course.

And what drains you almost instantly every time it or they come across your path?

It may be time to re-evaluate and readjust some things in your life and on your plate. The goal is to make sure you’re ending most of your days in a “good tired” state before getting the rest you need to do it all again tomorrow.