I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Dolly Parton in Dingle years ago in the Post Office at Ventry. We were both holidaying there. We met again in Ceann Sibéal that afternoon at the Golf Club. And once again that evening in Páidí Ó Sé’s Pub, where she sang like a bird. She has one local guy on a guitar and his small floor speaker for accompaniment.She was truly professional and natural at the same time. A genuine vocal talent, who needs no technology to sound good. I had never been a fan, up until that day.
However that lady has a voice like an angel and a personality that is electric and sincere. I suspect that Dolly is working 5 to 9 rather than 9 to 5, just like so many entrepreneurs and business owners, whether they are aspiring or deep in the weeds.
Many of us work 5.00 am to 9.00 pm or 6.00 am to 10.00 pm, whatever crazy hours work best for you. Some of that time is spent reading books by people like Tim Ferriss about how we can work 4 hours a week or maybe 5.00 am to 9.00 am. I am sure Tim works a lot more than 4 hours a week. Ideally, we should work that 4 hours in the morning and be ultra productive. Then we could spend the rest of the day being creative or helping members of our teams to get their work done.
However, for most of us, we do a lot more than 4 hours a day and we have to accept that as being a fact of our life, if only for the time being. If you have to do long hours or put up with stresses, try getting a little bit of time to yourself. Go for a walk or do some meditation. You can take 10 minutes out during a busy day and do some meditation or simple breathing exercises. In the office or in the car or even a bathroom.
Here are some links to 12+ sources of FREE meditations and apps that might be of help.
- The Free Mindfulness Project which has 30 FREE tracks to download and focuses on Loving kindness, mindfulness, relaxation, sleep
- Headspace – Some FREE and many paid tracks
- Calm – Some FREE tracks and hundreds as paid through this popular app
- Chopra Centered Lifestyle – Depak Chopra offers 16 FREE tracks
- Mindfulness Ireland – Loads of FREE Body Scans and Meditations
- UCLA Meditation – FREE 8 tracks
- Tara Brach over 100 FREE tracks
- The Meditation Oasis – 50 FREE tracks from Mary & Richard Maddox. It took me a bit of time to get comfortable with Marys voice, but now I look forward to listening to her.
- The Meditation Podcast with 28 FREE tracks
- I Live The Life I Love – 10 recommended meditations
- Audio Dharma – 40 FREE tracks. #Mindfulness #relaxation #loving kindness #body scan
- Padraig O’ Morain – FREE audio
- Dharma Seed – with literally thousands of options
If you have any more useful FREE links, please do send them to me to add here to improve this resource.
(No sales pitches or paid apps or link building please)
Are You Headed for an Energy Crisis?
Please check the statements below that are true for you. Add them up when you finish to get a score out of 16.
Body
__ I don’t regularly get at least seven to eight hours of sleep, and I often wake up feeling tired.
__ I frequently skip breakfast, or I settle for something that isn’t nutritious.
__ I don’t work out enough (meaning cardiovascular training at least three times a week and strength training at least once a week).
__ I don’t take regular breaks during the day to truly renew and recharge, or I often eat lunch at my desk, if I eat it at all.
Emotions
__ I frequently find myself feeling irritable, impatient, or anxious at work, especially when work is demanding.
__ I don’t have enough time with my family and loved ones, and when I’m with them, I’m not always really with them.
__ I have too little time for the activities that I most deeply enjoy.
__ I don’t stop frequently enough to express my appreciation to others or to savor my accomplishments and blessings.
Mind
__ I have difficulty focusing on one thing at a time, and I am easily distracted during the day, especially by e-mail.
__ I spend much of my day reacting to immediate crises and demands rather than focusing on activities with longer-term value and high leverage.
__ I don’t take enough time for reflection, strategizing, and creative thinking.
__ I work in the evenings or on weekends, and I almost never take an e-mail–free vacation.
Spirit
__ I don’t spend enough time at work doing what I do best and enjoy most.
__ There are significant gaps between what I say is most important to me in my life and how I actually allocate my time and energy.
__ My decisions at work are more often influenced by external demands than by a strong, clear sense of my own purpose.
__ I don’t invest enough time and energy in making a positive difference to others or to the world.• • •
How is your overall energy?
Total number of statements checked: __
Guide to scores
0–3: Excellent energy management skills
4–6: Reasonable energy management skills
7–10: Significant energy management deficits
11–16: A full-fledged energy management crisis
What do you need to work on?
Number of checks in each category:
Body __
Mind __
Emotions __
Spirit __
Guide to category scores
0: Excellent energy management skills
1: Strong energy management skills
2: Significant deficits
3: Poor energy management skills
4: A full-fledged energy crisis
From Harvard Business Review article by Tony Schwartz
Talk to someone about how you will tackle any of your challenges. We all have some and they will creep up on us if we ignore the warning signs. Your score will fluctuate every time you do this test, so try it every few months, to check up on yourself. A score of 4 is wonderful, one of closer to 8 is more likely. Anything above 8 or a high score in one section is a call for help by you to you. Many of you will say Why did I not know about this test before now? – Well it is never too late for self care.
