ENERGY IN THE EVENING
AND UTILIZING EVENINGS FOR EVEN MORE GOOD STUFF
SOME SUCCESS, BUT MISSING A VITAL PIECE
So, I solved my morning energy problems, solved how to use my energy and up it as needed during the day, but was still feeling challenged (or defeated or wiped out or languishing into a state of PokeyMan) in the evening and was prone to be relatively stupid in what I did - even doing that which bled over into harming the next day.
That is unacceptable if I am truly committed to having a great life! It is not to be tolerated.
I will not give away that part of my life!
While I "kinda" knew this already, the problem persisted - wasted hours of my life!
(Of course, rest and rejuvenation and good leisure and socialization are legitimate. It is not all about being some super-achiever.)
SO, I NEEDED MORE
Even Robin Sharma, who does a long run early in the morning, talks of having another exercise period in the late afternoon, where he reenergizes for the evening. (How To Get Up Early, video (4:07); consider watching other videos of his on YouTube) See his video listed in Productivity Resources.
Since my ability to bounce back into the highly functional zone seems to decline later in the day, I need to do more to get my body to reenergize, by doing a combination of more extensive strategies and tactics. Of course, to do this you've got to know that the myths about the body are not true: the body does not run out of energy by spending it generously to reenergize!!!
The Instant Energy From Something Good is still applicable but the one-minute reenergizer probably is not sufficient if the machine (body) is further down in the energy band. You've got to do more, period - and not wait until you somehow wait out your low energy period and are struck by the ambition to do something beneficial and/or interesting in the evening - the odds of that working are...well, you know, by experience.
THE CHECKLIST, THE PROCEDURE
So, this is what I had to do to redeem this part of my day (and to not ruin the next day).
Do a minimum of 10 minutes of a walk outside or a treadmill walk, except don't stop until you do feel energized.
Drink a whole bunch of water, superhydrate (very early in the evening, so you don't have to disturb your sleep...) - I found that I forgot that super-principle that is necessary to feel good energy.
Eat a completely non-sugar, non-refined-food meal with lots of vegetables and 3 oz of protein, so you keep your blood sugar even, at a time when you are extra vulnerable to spikes and drops.
Operate from a list of already decided things to do, preferably decided in your daily planning time. (Avoid as much as possible having to make decisions when in a lower energy state! It doesn't work to ask for smart decisions when your brain isn't fully functioning!) You may have to accept that this part of the day isn't always (for most people, especially if you've converted to a morning person) your good energy time - and perhaps draw from My Low Energy Activities - Doing Something Beneficial But Easy. (Keep this list handy or whatever list you finally come up with!)
Stick very strictly to an early bed time, perhaps a half hour earlier if particularly tired.
