How do you feel today?

05 Apr How do you feel today?

My friend Sarah is an amazing public school teacher. She is always in control of her classroom without ever having to raise her voice.

How does she do it?

She lets the class self-regulate. At the front of the class she has a thermometer from 1 to 10 and she is constantly checking the classroom’s temperature. If the noise level goes up because there’s a lot of talking during work time and kids are starting to get a bit squirrely, Sarah adjusts the thermometer upwards. When the kids are working intently on their creative writing projects, and are focused, the thermometer decreases down to a 3 or a 2.

How’s your thermometer today? Are you feeling like:

• 10—I’m ready conquer the world—or;
•  2—today, I’d like to curl up with my fuzzy slippers and do crosswords.

Before you start your day, get a handle on your energy level.

• Low energy is good for administration work: writing, proposals, and reflection. When you are low energy, be gentle with yourself. You can still be productive, but you need to get in your zone of comfort. What about working in another office, or down in the cafeteria for a change. Snuggle in there, and get focused.

• High-energy is infectious: capitalize on this gift by having outreach conversations with donors, prospects and stakeholders. Ride your energy wave for personal and professional success.

Pay attention to your daily energy levels. If you don’t, your day will be sabotaged by inefficiency.   ← Tweet this