Raise Your Energy Level (Part 6)

Psalm 37:5 says: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

Our quote for today is from David Allen. He said: "Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them."

Today, in the Get Things Done podcast we are looking at Part 6 of Step 5: "Raise Your Energy Level."

We have discussed exercise, relaxation, proper diet, and posture as ways of increasing our energy levels to ward off procrastination. Our attitudes and emotions also affect our energy level. Let’s talk about how to handle these psychological factors.

Edwin Bliss writes:

You can make yourself tired just by dreading some frustrating or tedious task. This happens especially when you habitually turn your thoughts inward -- when you are pre-occupied with how you will feel while doing the task, with your aches and pains and discomforts -- instead of focusing your attention on the task itself.

This pseudo-fatigue cannot be cured by mollycoddling yourself and postponing the job: it is cured by action. Getting involved in the job often takes your mind off your "fatigue," and your energy problem solves itself.

We all know that external events often will cause fatigue suddenly to vanish. Perhaps you are tired and looking forward to a quiet evening at home, when the phone rings and you learn that some unexpected guests are on their way to visit you. As you scurry to tidy up and get yourself presentable the tiredness is forgotten.

The fact that fatigue can be banished instantly by such emotions as excitement, curiosity, fear, anger, and anticipation demonstrates that, to a considerable degree, it is an ephemeral, controllable condition. It fluctuates not just according to how much we have used our muscles, or according to the time of day or night, but according to our attitudes, our thoughts, our interests. And this means that we can override it -- temporarily, at least -- by a pure act of will.

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