Stop Looking for Balance: Start Cultivating Energy

by | Oct 30, 2017 | Leadership, Mental Resilience

If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me “I just can’t find the time to get a good work/life balance” I would be a very wealthy lady.

So let me let you in on a little secret: Balance is impossible.
It means if something is up, something has to be down and guess what, that’s just another thing to beat ourselves up for’.

As the CLARETY team wrap up a huge month of training & coaching and gear up for the sprint to the Christmas finish line, I thought I’d share the secret to keeping our vitality high.

“One of the most important requirements for being happy and productive is for you to guard and nurture your energy levels at all times”
~ Brian Tracey

So how do we meet competing client demands in a time where social events are at a high, time is short AND we are looking to finalise projects to clear the slate for 2018? One of the most important things we can model as leaders is sustainable practices. Instead of simply surviving the next few months and collapsing on the finish line, let’s elevate ourselves and our teams by thriving our way there – and being ready to turn around and have the energy to do it all again!

Start Managing Your Energy

Instead of getting caught up in saying ‘yes’ to everything and agreeing to all those pre-xmas deadlines, start checking in with where your energy level is at. Create some boundaries and ask ‘what is possible in this timeframe and with the level of energy I have in the tank?’ Then start getting back to basics with your wellbeing routine to cultivate more energy daily.

There is no silver bullet, no magic makeover, and no need for a massive overhaul of your routine. It’s just about checking back in with where you are, calibrating body’s feedback, and maintaining consistency in your routines.

Read on for my Top 5 Tips for Optimising Energy

  1. Maintain Your Wellness Routine.

It can be really easy to allow our routines to slip away when we’re really busy, and I’ve been as guilty of this as anyone! What I do now, is make sure that each morning I make my Wellness routine a must. That might mean getting on my yoga mat for just five rounds of Sun Salutations instead of my usual 45-minute routine. It might even be just 5 minutes! Even a few minutes of walking, meditating, or breathing is enough to reset your body and create a positive mindset to begin the day.

  1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate.

Did I mention hydrate? I can’t emphasise this enough. Not only have we just had Australia’s warmest winter on record, we’re experiencing a hot spring and heading into an even hotter summer. Not to mention the dehydrating effects of caffeine and alcohol at celebratory events! Even a 1% drop in your body’s hydration can affect your cognitive abilities and lead to foggy thinking, tiredness, and headaches. My personal favourite approach to hydration is to begin my morning with a glass of water & half a squeezed lemon, then to drink coconut water through the day, substitute herbal tea for coffee after 12 pm, and to keep a chilled water bottle beside me as I work.

  1. Breakfast Like A King

Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day. Our metabolism is primed for fuel, and a great breakfast will help maintain blood glucose levels and prevent energy dips. But it isn’t only the timing that matters, it is what we are eating that will enhance or detract from our performance. Our Head Chef & Wholefoods Guru, Ben Horne, says “for a meal that will sustain you through the whole morning, try mixed grains i.e. chia, teff, quinoa and, some activated nuts and seeds making them more easily digested, putting less loading on your digestive system”

Click here for Ben’s Supercharged 3-ancient grain Summer Berry Pudding recipe

  1. Daily 5 to Thrive

You may be aware that willpower is a limited resource, and that decision-making can lead to depletion of those resources. But what does that mean for wellness? While many people struggle by trying to initiate too many habits simultaneously, at CLARETY we recommend picking just five daily habits that will have the biggest impact on your health right now. Here is a list of ideas we prepared earlier!

Try choosing small things. Something that is so small you can’t succeed. For example, instead of “drink 2L of water a day”, try “drinking just 2 extra sips a day”, which invariably leads to drinking a whole extra glass. These become mini-habits and help to build your muscle around routine. That means that over time they become automatic habits that no longer require willpower to maintain, and you can modify the quality or quantity of the habit with ease.

  1. Sleep for 8

Research gun and CLARETY partner Emma Hart says, “When we think about a ‘Whole-System’ Leadership approach, sleep & rest is a crucial element in taking care of our physical body. It’s all about creating good sleep hygiene and routines”. She goes onto say, “Having worked with many leaders experiencing signs of stress and burnout the first question I ask them is ‘how is your sleep?’ The second, ‘what are you doing to rest & recover given your schedule load?’” Time and again she says, “we get their sleep patterns changed and it’s transformational to their lives, their relationships, and their business”.

For tips on improving your sleep, check out It’s Time to Sleep Your Way to the Top

P.S. Whenever you’re ready…here are 3 ways we can help you personally or, the people within your company, thrive more;

  1. Grab a free copy of our ‘Whole-System LeadershipTM’ assessment & plan
    It’s the roadmap to start making a difference today to your energy levels and your ability to find a better sense of balance between work and life. Email info@claretyinc.com with “assessment” in the subject line and we’ll ping it over to you.
  2. Join our Implementation Program and be a Case Study
    We are putting together a new coaching case study group for our Whole-System LeadershipTM Program at the back end of this year. If you’d like to work with us on transforming your personal wellbeing and leading with more passion and purpose then just email info@claretyinc.com putting “case study” in the subject line and we’ll get you the details.
  3. Work with me and my team privately
    If you’d like to work directly with me and my team to support you through a major leadership, cultural challenge, or transition, then email info@claretyinc.com putting “private” in the subject line….tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together and I’ll get you all the details.

 

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