Are you exhausted? If you’re like most of my  clients and friends, you are. And the exhaustion you feel isn’t just physical. It’s on every level, and it’s impacting you in far reaching ways.

I know a lot about exhaustion. I’ve spent the last 9 years healing my own bone-deep fatigue that couldn’t be easily resolved. I’ve done everything I could to get myself back into a high functioning state.

The truth is, there are many factors that contribute to exhaustion – enough to write a lengthy book! But to begin, today I’m going to share 3 of my life hacks that have helped my clients regain a semblance of life-work balance, which has also allowed them to reclaim their energy.

The only way we get a different outcome is by doing different things. So, try one or all of my tips below!

1. Ask yourself if you are holding on to an outdated (and totally false) idea that the only work that counts as real work is what you do for a business or a job. Because if you are, you aren’t accounting for all of the other deeply significant, time and energy consuming work you are also doing.

Housework, meal prep, shopping, childcare, research for anything involving yourself/significant other and/or kiddos, shuttling yourself/significant other and/or kids to and from appointments, … the list is LONG!

And when you add that to your actual work week? Your true working hours aren’t 6-8 hours a day. They’re more like 10-14 hours a day, and then some. You are doing the work that must be done, and you may be doing more than what others in your household are doing.

It’s important to factor in ALL the work you do, and ALL that your life is actually demanding of you so that you have a more accurate picture of where your time, resources and energy are going. Once you’ve done this, consider #2 below.

 

2. Wherever and whenever possible, invite simplicity into your life. This includes the number of decisions you have to make on a daily basis. It’s amazing how exhausting it is to have to make multiple decisions, even small ones, every day.

What should I wear? What am I going to eat for breakfast? What do I need to do when I sit down to work tomorrow? What am I doing during my workout time tomorrow morning? What are we having for dinner tonight?

So many decisions! My challenge to you is to see if you can cut the number of decisions you need to make every morning in half.

Make decisions the night before. Lay things out for yourself ahead of time. Knowing  all of this in advance makes moving through your day so much easier.

This way of doing things asks you to plan. It does require forethought. But then you get to be super present for whatever moment you’re living in, simply because you’re not exhausted by all the moment-to-moment decisions you have to make all day long.

It’s also important to know that planning doesn’t mean there’s no room for spontaneity. There is! But you get to choose what feels good to you rather than feel like life is yanking you in one direction or another.

3. Take note of how much time, energy and resources you have – just for YOU – so you can feel yourself, catch up with yourself, recharge, replenish, fill your cup, and care for yourself.

Without regularly caring for yourself, you will deplete yourself. You wouldn’t expect a car to operate for an infinite number of miles without regularly filling its tank, rotating its tires, cleaning the interior and exterior, doing regular maintenance and oil changes… all the things you need to do to take care of said car.

What do you need to be doing for yourself to operate, at a high level, consistently? What does your body, heart, mind and soul require?

Knowing what YOU need to keep operating at a high level is something you develop over time. Your needs will shift and change as you do. Making certain those things are not only happening regularly but are built into your life and schedule is one of the MOST self-honoring things you can do.

Your productivity and creativity will grow. It’s one of the most considerate things you can do for the people you love, too.

 

So very often, when we are exhausted we wait for someone to remove the things from our lives that are exhausting. But the truth is, only we can do that.

Only we can masterfully edit our lives, so we feel fulfilled instead of depleted. Try these life hacks out and let me know what you discover.

And if you’re deeply exhausted, I want you to know that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reversing the weariness you feel.

If you’re ready for more, reach out to me for a free conversation about how you can feel good again. With guidance and support, it is possible!