Let’s not beat around the bush here.
You don’t have much time to be reading this today, nor the energy.
But let’s face it, we could all do with a bit more of both.
Especially when you want to have a bit of a spring in your step when you hit the office in the morning.
But it’s tough when you’re middle-aged and have a family that relies upon you, including ageing parents as well as the kids!
Everything seems to fall on you.
You’ve also got the chores to do at home, as well as planning this weekend’s activities, organising the school pick up, planning this year’s holiday, doing the food shopping… yada yada yada!
And we haven’t even mentioned your work commitments yet!
At work, we middle-aged folk often find ourselves in positions that demand even more of our time, energy and concentration at the exact moment when we have the least of it!
Who designed this cruel world???
So how can you optimise your time and energy you need when you’re being pulled in so many different directions?
Well. There is an easy way to massively improve your time and energy, and I’ll get to that in just a moment, but before that, there are a few other things you can be doing on a day-to-day basis.
7 things you should be already be doing to optimise your time and energy
1. Plan tomorrow the night before
When time is scarce, being as well-organised and focussed as you can is vital to ensure you hit the ground running once the alarm clock goes off.
2. Have a place for everything
How much time do you waste looking for your keys, your wallet, your phone, your laptop charger? Give everything a place to save even more precious time!
3. Make sure you get enough sleep
Dr. Matt Walker, author of Why We Sleep argues that sleep isn’t just one of the three pillars of health (along with exercise and nutrition) he believes it’s the foundation of health on which a healthy and productive life is built upon. Needless to say, being well rested is crucial for having more time and energy during the day.
4. Focus on nutrition & exercise
A healthy diet coupled with exercise on a regular basis will do more to boost your energy levels than you think! Food is fuel, and motion is emotion.
5. Say no to everything that isn’t vital
With precious little time on your hands, make a not to do list and make sure that you’re only paying attention to the things you have to do, not the things you think you should.
6. Switch off notifications on your phone so you’re less distracted
Obvs.
7. Work in focussed batches on one thing at a time
Using a timer like Pomodoro can help you stay focussed on one task at a time, which is far more productive than trying to bounce around multiple tasks at once.
But these little nuggets of obviousness aren’t why you’re here…
You want the BIG ONE…
So here it is…
The easy way to 10x your time and energy
You might be about to hit the roof when I tell you this.
But…
If you genuinely want to 10x your time and energy so you can crush your goals at work, be the parent, friend, and sibling you want to be, and still have the time and energy to exercise then you need to do this.
You need to kick alcohol out of your life.
BOOM!
There, I’ve said it, and you’re now likely thinking “WHAT? REMOVE THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME SANE!!???”
Yep.
Your drinking has to go!
Alcohol is THE BIGGEST drain on your time and energy, 100%.
Think about it.
How much time do you spend drinking or being hungover each week?
How many mornings do you drag yourself out of bed, feeling like a wreck because of the beers you drank last night?
What do you do with the last couple of hours of your day once the kids are in bed?
How do you spend half of your weekend?
And did you know that alcohol, even in small doses is detrimental to a good night’s sleep, despite the fact that most people think they need a drink to fall asleep?
The undeniable benefits of not drinking alcohol
When I quit alcohol in 2019, time and energy were the last thing on my mind.
I just wanted to stop feeling like shit every morning, have the motivation to do a bit of exercise, and stop feeling so grumpy when my son, then a toddler, wanted to play at 5am.
Little did I know that I’d just made the easiest, and best lifestyle choice I ever could have.
And this isn’t just my opinion.
More and more people are discovering just how life-changing getting off the booze can be – including many of the men on my 28 Day Challenge, The AF Experience who find their lives change drastically once they remove the gigantic road-block in their life that is alcohol.
But it’s not just time and energy that come flooding back to you when you’re off the booze.
In fact there are 21 additional benefits to not drinking that I wrote about here:
21 Benefits of giving up alcohol
There are some unlikely treats in there too, like reduced anxiety and a greater sense of achievement.
These are earned from the self-discipline and self-love that comes from respecting your body and working towards building the life that you want to have, rather than trying to escape the life you don’t want by drowning yourself in booze.
6 Crucial Steps to Help You Control Your Drinking
Here at Smashing Fifty, I help busy middle-aged men get out of a rut and into the best shape of their lives.
If you’re a middle-aged man and you’d like to take control of your drinking so you can 10x your time and energy, then get my Free 6-Step Guide – Off the Booze by clicking here.
