What many people don’t recognize about time management is that it’s inseparable from energy management. In other words, there’s no point getting back time to yourself if you don’t have the energy to use it properly.
Many of us want to work out and get into shape, or we want to learn a new language, or we want to start a side project. Unfortunately, we tell ourselves, we just don’t have the time to do those things.
This isn’t true though: if it were, then you wouldn’t have been able to watch that whole box-set of Breaking Bad recently!
The problem is energy. The problem is that you come home from work and have no energy remaining. One way to fix this is by getting more sleep. Let’s take a look at how you can make sure you do that.
Use a Daylight Lamp
One of the best things you can possibly do for your energy levels is to invest in a daylight lamp. This is a lamp that will get brighter slowly in the morning and that has a wavelength more similar to that produced by the sun. The brain interprets this as a sunrise and it helps you to slowly come around. When you wake up, the room is bright and you feel much less groggy. It’s a million times better than being startled awake by a loud noise in a pitch black room!
Have a Shower Before Bed
When is the perfect time to wash? Before bed. Both warm and cold water have the effect of helping our bodies to regulate our internal temperature. Warm water also acts as a relaxant though and helps the muscles to release tension so that we can drift off into a deeper sleep.
Have Half an Hour Before Bed
Before bed, take half an hour out in order to unwind and during this time make sure you don’t look at any screens. Phone, computer and TV screens produce a lot of light which causes the brain to produce cortisol, thereby keeping us awake and preventing us from sleeping.
At the same time, our phones and computers make us stressed. When we look at them, it causes us to think of work or to get excited by whatever game or TV show we’re watching. Reading on the other hand calms and focusses the mine, winding us down ready for bed.
