Days for doing & days for not doing

As I have got older I have learned that 'listening' to what my body has to tell me is important.

There are times when a difficult schedule, disrupted sleep patterns or intense days of work can deplete your reserves of energy. Trying to squeeze in one more day of intense activity when our inner reserves are already depleted is damaging.

If we ask too much of our self, it drains our reserves of energy, weakens the immune system and leaves less us less able to cope with new challenges and demands.

So what can we do?

Think about dividing your time into 'Doing Days' & 'Not Doing Days'.

'Doing days' are those times when you are travelling, visiting clients or customers, undertaking physical activity, writing reports or essays; days that are action driven and that drain your reserves. 

'Not Doing Days' can be divided into two kinds, planning and preparation days and rest & recreation days.

'Planning/Follow up days' allow you to get the very best from your action days. You can set goals and formulate strategies that will allow you to achieve more on your action days. You are not being idle, but you are allowing yourself to both reflect on what has been done and plan what to do next. This is also the time to follow up on previous actions and ensure they were brought to a conclusion.

Rest & Recreation days allow you to reset the mind, restore the body and reconnect with those you care about. They are important because without the rest your ability to both work and think during your doing days is compromised; ultimately without sufficient Rest & Recreation you are a candidate for ill health possibly even an early death.

So how do you best divide your time?

It will depend on your own physiology and character as well as the demands of your environment.

A useful start for a 1 week period may be:

• 4 Doing Days
  
• 3 Not doing Days (broken down as below)
  
• 2 Not Doing Day for Planning & Preparation
• 1 Not Doing Day for Rest & Recreation

You can take the same approach for periods of time within the day. We tend to be more active and mentally focussed in the morning so this period is best used for more thinking or intensive activity. The afternoons are better suited for the more mundane or plodding activity that needs less mental concentration.

Take some time to play with the ideas here, I believe that if you adopt them they will allow you to be both more productive and healthier in the long run.