Recently, I've been really into CrossFit (for more details, read this article). To elevate my training, I've made a financial commitment by investing in video tutorials and personal coaching across various programs. During my journey, one thing that struck me was something Steve Jobs once said:
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.
Back in my youth, whenever I encountered problems involving angle and resistance calculations in my maths and physics classes, I felt the impulse to tear up my exam papers. Now, I'm enjoying using my background as a science student (and the stereotype of Asians excelling in math) to film my training sessions, working out the best angles to achieve maximum results with minimal effort. Shoutout to my ex-boyfriend from those days; without him, as someone who excelled in humanities, I wouldn't have chosen science back then for love's sake. Look at it now—it's paying off!
Smooth and efficient movements are essential in CrossFit, particularly during weightlifting and bar exercises, where ensuring minimal resistance due to improper form is paramount. Similarly, in our daily lives, it's crucial not to squander our energy needlessly. Through effective energy management, we preserve our strength and vitality, paving the way for more fulfilling experiences.
When it comes to managing energy, many of my readers often wonder how I maintain such high levels to tackle everything. Besides my natural knack for sensing the energy dynamics of people and environments, which enables me to selectively choose my company and destinations, I have a tendency to avoid dwelling on ideas for so long but taking swift action, directing my energy towards productivity or simply letting it dissipate without succumbing to stress, thus preserving my energy levels.
So, here are some detailed insights into energy management:
A
In our everyday lives, tasks never seem to cease, and acknowledging this can be quite liberating. With the rapid advancement of capitalism and technology, humans crave more, yet often overlook their limited capacity. The desire to control everything is destined to fail. The more tasks we tackle, the more problems tend to arise simultaneously. Therefore, we shouldn't blame ourselves for not completing numerous tasks, but rather intentionally choose to let go of some responsibilities and focus our efforts on what truly matters. One of my favourite bloggers and writers, Mark Manson, beautifully articulated this concept in his bestselling book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.
B
Many people frequently neglect to consider what should take precedence each day. We can begin by setting ourselves up with just 1-3 tasks per day, with other less significant matters either waiting or being deprioritised. The Eisenhower Matrix is a technique I often utilise to organise work priorities. It involves categorising ongoing projects based on their importance and urgency into four quadrants and then determining the appropriate course of action.
C
Every year for the past three years, I've taken part in the "21-Day Writing Challenge" with readers and friends. The rules are simple: spend at least five minutes each day answering three questions:
1. What excited you today?
2. What drained your energy today?
3. What was the most important lesson you learned today?
During the 21-day period, we make a habit of jotting down our responses and providing support within the group. When the final day arrives, we convene for a "graduation ceremony" in a scenic setting. Here, we reflect on our entries from the past 21 days and address these three questions:
1. What excited you the most this month?
2. What drained your energy the most this month?
3. What was the most important lesson you learned this month?
Through this 21-day exercise, we can identify what ignites our passions, what consistently saps our energy, and make targeted adjustments to our lives.
D
Renowned podcaster and blogger Tim Ferriss proposed a secret: make a decision that can help you avoid making a hundred decisions.
In 2020, he made a decision: not to read any new books published in 2020. The reasons are:
- The sea of books is endless, but time is limited. It's better to spend limited time reading books that stand the test of time.
- Avoid falling into the anxiety of FOMO. Many new things and new readings are just temporary topics of conversation and may not be helpful for personal growth in the long run.
- Since Tim often receives a large number of new books requesting him to write forewords or comments, he does not have time to reply to each one. Instead, he set a rule to reject all requests from the source.
This reminds me of a passage I read before: when you see people continuously falling into the water in a certain place, the key is not to keep rescuing them, but rather to investigate the underlying reasons for this ongoing pattern of falling and subsequently address the issue at its root. For example, making a decision to establish daily routines can reduce the hundred decisions about what to do or eat each day.
E
Make sure the information you consume doesn't drain your energy. In today's world saturated with information, it's essential to filter what you take in on a daily basis. The majority of people haven't developed the media literacy skills or established a system to ensure they're consuming high-quality content. It's wise to restrict exposure to news and focus more on timeless literature. Don't allow the flood of irrelevant online content from the past 24 hours to impact your mood. For specific strategies on creating an effective information filtering system, refer to this article.
F
Up to 90% of our daily actions are dictated by habits, serving as efficient shortcuts for the human brain and enabling us to navigate through the day effortlessly. Despite being just ordinary individuals like you and me, those who have excelled in their respective fields owe their success to the cultivation of good habits, which gradually widens the gap between themselves and others through the cumulative power of "compounding".
The ultimate aim of fostering positive habits is to minimise the time and energy expended on addressing life's challenges. Rather than making resolutions or relying on sheer willpower, the initial step involves eliminating the barriers that impede progress. Read Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear for more details.
G
Strive to maintain a simple and flexible lifestyle, as this paves the way for your bold ideas to flourish. If you live and work like most people, your outcomes will likely mirror theirs. True success stems from simplifying everything to the core of human needs and considering how to achieve these needs with minimal effort. Take, for example, Elon Musk's approach to problem-solving: thinking from first principles, daring to propose new ideas, and then seeking the simplest, quickest ways to test these ideas in the real world.
H
The English word "decide" originates from Latin, meaning "to cut off." When making a decision, it implies cutting off all other possibilities, focusing solely on one direction and assuming one responsibility. The indecisive moments are the most draining, as having options doesn't necessarily equate to freedom; sometimes, it's quite the opposite. Accumulating choices only leads to anxiety and inner turmoil. Once you've decided on life's "theme," you'll find ways to navigate through it.
I
You cannot force yourself to stop internal conflicts; you can only show your brain the pain that attachment brings. When the brain clearly realises the pain of attachment, it will let go. The more you reconcile with yourself, the less you need external comfort. The greatest secret of life is to become your own best friend. When you do this, everything becomes easier.
J
Following Pieter Levels' inspiration, I've calculated how I spend my time:
24 hours in a day
- 7 hours sleeping = 17 hours remaining
- 1 hour for morning routine, dressing, coffee = 16 hours remaining
- 2 hours for maintaining website/social media channels + checking emails = 14 hours remaining
- 2 hours for outdoor activities and gym = 12 hours remaining
- 1 hour for grocery shopping or errands = 11 hours remaining
- 2 hours for chatting with friends or family = 9 hours remaining
- 4 hours for deep work or writing = 5 hours remaining
- 1 hour reserved for unexpected events = 4 hours remaining
- 2 hours for reading = 2 hours remaining
- 2 hours for leisure time (usually watching sports or movies) = 0 hours remaining
Once you are clear about how you spend your time, you can reasonably arrange or replace the time needed for different tasks based on their urgency.
As Ryan Holiday often advocates the Stoic wisdom of "Memento Mori" (I've tattooed it on my arm),
Let us prepare our minds as if we'd come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life's books each day. ... The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.
Our fate is unpredictable, and death can come at any moment.
To ensure each day serves you well, it's essential to plan and strive for an ideal day. The concept of an "Ideal Day" should be thoroughly explored and detailed. Avoid overly broad statements such as "My ideal day is staying at home without working" or "My ideal day is travelling the world," as they lack specificity and personal meaning.
Consider this example of my ideal day:
Start the day with 10-20 minutes of morning meditation
Devote an hour to exercise or a stroll in nature
Engage in deep work throughout the morning
Have a quality meal accompanied by a meaningful chat with loved ones
Spend time in writing, reading, or doing CrossFit
Enjoy watching sports or a movie in the evening
Handwrite journals before bedtime
Have intimate human interactions in between.
Life is yours, not anyone else's. Sooner or later, you'll realise that it's impossible to please everyone, and there will always be those who criticise your way of living based on their perspectives.
Some will adore you, while others may dislike you. Some will appreciate your virtues, while others might misinterpret your words. It's essential to understand that living your life shouldn't revolve around meeting others' expectations. Instead, craft your own narrative to truly follow your bliss and embrace life to a full.
Remember, you are the one-of-a-kind brand of the world, shaped and fulfilled by yourself.
You hit the nail on the head.
I agree with all this: the conservation of energy, slow deliberate motion, peaceful state of mind, gentle and varied strokes with the brush for an artistic flourish of the running script. I am glad i had the lessons in 书法. You can apply it to life - it is amazing and there are so many scripts to learn too :)