Energy Levels
.
I’ve always had a distinct rhythm to the day where energy is concerned.
As a student I realised there were 2 peak times of the day for me: late morning and late evening. If I read in-depth philosophical treatises, or wrote my essays during these times, I could far achieve more than if I spent the whole of the rest of the day in the library. These were the periods of peak brain performance.
When I was running my web design business, I came to accept that afternoons were fine for meeting up with colleagues for conversations and networking, but pointless for planning or strategising. I could function socially, but not in any way that required deep thought.
Click on images for larger versions
And so it was until the Chronic Fatigue took over. My body slowed down. My brain slowed down. Tiredness became a feature of most hours.
But then I rediscovered coffee*. Vile, disgusting, foul-tasting coffee that was almost bearable with a spoonful of sugar. Coffee made me feel alive again. Coffee made me feel “normal.” I would cope with loathsome taste and the mood drops afterwards just so I could experience something other than the Netherworld.
However, I soon realised I would have to restrict myself to no more than 2 cups a day. Coffee was poison. Coffee was a dangerous drug. Coffee had to be controlled.
Eventually I became used to a new energy cycle of peaks and troughs; times of the day I knew should be used when something needed doing, and times it was vital to avoid making appointments with anyone for anything
Note the coffee peaks, although they still don't go that high
Now though, coffee is out of the equation, and I haven’t worked out a way to cope with the day. Only a very small part of it allows me reasonable brain power, while the majority is spent in sort-of-functional or where’s-something-I-can-lie-down-on states of being.
How do I find a way to maximise my minimal usefulness?
How do I find a way to feel alive each day?
*I know this is the 3rd lack-of-coffee related post in a row, but it is a topic I’m still rather obsessed with at the moment. In case you hadn’t guessed…
.
I’ve always had a distinct rhythm to the day where energy is concerned.
As a student I realised there were 2 peak times of the day for me: late morning and late evening. If I read in-depth philosophical treatises, or wrote my essays during these times, I could far achieve more than if I spent the whole of the rest of the day in the library. These were the periods of peak brain performance.
When I was running my web design business, I came to accept that afternoons were fine for meeting up with colleagues for conversations and networking, but pointless for planning or strategising. I could function socially, but not in any way that required deep thought.
Click on images for larger versions
And so it was until the Chronic Fatigue took over. My body slowed down. My brain slowed down. Tiredness became a feature of most hours.
But then I rediscovered coffee*. Vile, disgusting, foul-tasting coffee that was almost bearable with a spoonful of sugar. Coffee made me feel alive again. Coffee made me feel “normal.” I would cope with loathsome taste and the mood drops afterwards just so I could experience something other than the Netherworld.
However, I soon realised I would have to restrict myself to no more than 2 cups a day. Coffee was poison. Coffee was a dangerous drug. Coffee had to be controlled.
Eventually I became used to a new energy cycle of peaks and troughs; times of the day I knew should be used when something needed doing, and times it was vital to avoid making appointments with anyone for anything
Note the coffee peaks, although they still don't go that high
Now though, coffee is out of the equation, and I haven’t worked out a way to cope with the day. Only a very small part of it allows me reasonable brain power, while the majority is spent in sort-of-functional or where’s-something-I-can-lie-down-on states of being.
How do I find a way to maximise my minimal usefulness?
How do I find a way to feel alive each day?
*I know this is the 3rd lack-of-coffee related post in a row, but it is a topic I’m still rather obsessed with at the moment. In case you hadn’t guessed…
.
Post a Comment