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I don't have any good books but this is exactly how I feel about myself. I spent a decade trying to get better with my management of energy. Apologies if these

I don't have any good books but this is exactly how I feel about myself. I spent a decade trying to get better with my management of energy. Apologies if these are too obvious or basic. * Sleep is important. Not too much. * Sleep on schedule is helpful, if you can do that. * Food and diet play a factor. Don't rely on processed food/sugar too much or it will bite you down the road. * Exercise. The fitter you become the better your energy level. My body is like a battery. I need to recharge with exercise or the battery capacity will deplete. * Mindfulness (be aware of thoughts and stressors, don't let them consume the thought process) * Meditation can help you learn to relax * Momentum. Small progress daily can make you feel good and is more sustainable than big bursts then burnout. Keep the ball rolling. * Develop habits and routine * Identify your weaknesses and chip away at those with small habitual adjustments or scaffolding * Work systematically so you can work when your energy is low * Life balance - we can't be a machine. You may need to recharge in nature or around people. * Surround yourself with people who are positive (vs negative) and have lots of energy. Their enthusiasm can be helpful. * I used to use copius coffee or stimulants or supplements or whatever worked in the moment but nothing will fix this. Save some of those aids for those days when you need them. I never mastered this. I got a bit better at life, however I had to realise, I can only work to my strengths.

rkhassen9 5y ago
thevagarant - thank you so much. This is a very detailed strategy plan. I can see so many places I work against myself here. I think the main one is hoping that the things that draw too much energy do not. Like over investing in work. Also some people seem to have so much more energy to work with! And comparing myself to them seems not to help at all. It will be interesting to figure out my min/max from this Lensa. Thank you again! Much to think on here.
rubicon33 5y ago
These are great suggestions and they even appear to be in priority order. Nice. I think the problem of "energy" is a tough one to solve because often what we mean by "energy" isn't what we think. I find it's easier to think about what we're trying to do. If my goal is to write more quality code, then this is actually a function of more than just my energy. The problem is that the line between these factors is somewhat blurred. Energy influences focus, and motivation influences both focus and energy. Lack of knowledge can sometimes feel like lack of focus. etc. - Knowledge - Energy - Focus - Motivation The last one, motivation, is the biggest wild card for me. It can be the source of huge productivity. When I feel motivated, it's almost like a 2x or 3x modifier to energy and focus. There are days when I have energy, and I can focus, but I just don't feel motivated to work on programming... even if, I want to. I often describe this as, "I want to want to work". In other words, I want to work, but I'm just not feeling it at all. I'll generally read a book or something in those instances.
- thevagrant 5y ago
  I agree with you on those four key factors. Motivation is difficult but if I have structured plans and start small, then motivation can build as I make small amounts of progress. I found motivation doesn't have to be there to start, it can be created as long as we see a task/milestone that is not impossible (assuming the end goal still aligns with our objective/future outlook). We can become re-motivated by taking a break, visualising the end goal or exploring our feelings that brought motivation early on and try revisit / recreate these. Focus / Energy is a bit more difficult. On days where I have tiredness, fog or bad focus, it doesn't always clear up if I get started and push on. I have the knowledge in my head but the connections are not quite firing, an opaque feeling, recall is bad, reading is harder, progress is slow, motivation does not come.

rkhassen9 5y ago

thevagarant - thank you so much. This is a very detailed strategy plan. I can see so many places I work against myself here. I think the main one is hoping that the things that draw too much energy do not. Like over investing in work. Also some people seem to have so much more energy to work with! And comparing myself to them seems not to help at all. It will be interesting to figure out my min/max from this Lensa. Thank you again! Much to think on here.

rubicon33 5y ago

These are great suggestions and they even appear to be in priority order. Nice. I think the problem of "energy" is a tough one to solve because often what we mean by "energy" isn't what we think. I find it's easier to think about what we're trying to do. If my goal is to write more quality code, then this is actually a function of more than just my energy. The problem is that the line between these factors is somewhat blurred. Energy influences focus, and motivation influences both focus and energy. Lack of knowledge can sometimes feel like lack of focus. etc. - Knowledge - Energy - Focus - Motivation The last one, motivation, is the biggest wild card for me. It can be the source of huge productivity. When I feel motivated, it's almost like a 2x or 3x modifier to energy and focus. There are days when I have energy, and I can focus, but I just don't feel motivated to work on programming... even if, I want to. I often describe this as, "I want to want to work". In other words, I want to work, but I'm just not feeling it at all. I'll generally read a book or something in those instances.

thevagrant 5y ago
I agree with you on those four key factors. Motivation is difficult but if I have structured plans and start small, then motivation can build as I make small amounts of progress. I found motivation doesn't have to be there to start, it can be created as long as we see a task/milestone that is not impossible (assuming the end goal still aligns with our objective/future outlook). We can become re-motivated by taking a break, visualising the end goal or exploring our feelings that brought motivation early on and try revisit / recreate these. Focus / Energy is a bit more difficult. On days where I have tiredness, fog or bad focus, it doesn't always clear up if I get started and push on. I have the knowledge in my head but the connections are not quite firing, an opaque feeling, recall is bad, reading is harder, progress is slow, motivation does not come.