I worked in film industry for almost 9 years for my ex-husband’s company. But when we split, I had dire task of figuring out just what else I was supposed to do, having worked in that industry for his company for duration of our relationship, here I was, having to think about finding a job. A what? I was totally clueless. Where would I start? I’m first to admit that I’m probably not going to receive ‘employee of month’ honors anytime soon, and thought of actually having a boss makes me cringe (I’m definitely “I only have two hands, do it yourself” type of employee).

Considering all of these things, I realized that it was probably best that I start thinking about starting my own business. But what kind of business was I going to start? What did I know about running a business? What did I know how to do? Granted, I could fold laundry, and change a mean diaper, but who was going to pay me for doing that? I was terrified. What was I going to do? What if what I did was a flop? Worse yet, what if this endeavor was a success?

Energy is a precious commodity that when spread too thin leaves people feeling drained, overwhelmed, and stressed. When there’s too much going on in your life, I call that clutter. Clutter happens when people try to put everything at top of their priority list and then try to give everything equal and immediate attention. It’s like throwing a whole bunch of tennis balls up in air and then running around frantically trying to keep them all up there. Of course, this is impossible! The end result… Half finished projects, burnout, not enough rest, illness, lack of focus, lack of direction, feeling stuck, etc.

So how do you get more energy to be able to handle everything?

You don’t.

That’s right, you don’t!

The truth is, you only have so much energy. Once it’s used up, that’s it, there’s no more! The trick is to manage your energy more effectively. To do this, start to implement these easy and simple strategies:

1) Tune in to yourself – Start to pay attention to messages you send yourself. Are you telling yourself that you should be able to multi-task and get everything done? Do you criticize yourself if you don’t get everything done? It is important to shift these internal messages and give yourself permission to let things go.

2) Set priorities – Setting priorities is about asking yourself 2 questions: 1) what absolutely needs my attention right now, and 2) what do I need to let go of? In asking yourself these questions, you will make choices that will conserve your energy. Determine what your top 5 priorities are and stay focused on these.

3) Schedule “you time” – “You time” is a period of time in day when you do something for yourself. During this time, you’re not answering phone, checking email, answering door, listening to messages, responding to any demands of any kind, etc. It could be a block of 15 minutes or it could be an hour. It doesn’t matter. Just as long as you make a commitment to yourself that during that time, you are doing something for you (going for a walk, listening to calming music, closing your eyes, enjoying a cup of tea, reading a good book…).