How to Enjoy your "Good" Days - Without Paying For it Later

Can you relate to this scenario?

You wake up - and you feel pretty good! You’re excited because you finally have energy to do all the things you’ve been too depressed to do (yay!) and decide to get stuff done, son.

Flash forward a few hours later and you’ve run errands, answered client emails, done laundry, cleaned the house, paid bills, caught up with friends and family….and you’re absolutely wrecked.  You’ve exhausted yourself so much that you didn’t even get to enjoy your day.  Heck, you can’t even enjoy the rest of the week because you burned yourself out so much!  Sound familiar?

Unfortunately, I hear about this cycle all too often.  I’ve even lived it myself!  For some of my clients (at least until they met me!) it got so bad that they started to dread their good days because they knew they would have to pay for them later down the road.  

The good news? You don’t have to live like that! 

So what can you do to enjoy the hell out of your good days while preserving your mood and energy for the days ahead? Read on to learn more!
​

• Don’t worry about getting everything done in one day:
  It may feel like it, but this won’t be your only good day!  Consider this your official permission to not get every single thing done.  Pick a couple of priority tasks and allow yourself to stop if you start running out of steam.  Remember - the more you guard your energy, the more you’ll have left over for another day!
  
  
• Include things that recharge your energy:
  It’s tempting to want to tackle your entire to-do list on days when you’re feeling your best.  However, running from task to task without taking some time for yourself is a recipe for burnout.  Including a few things that recharge your batteries (think: meditation, a brisk walk, journaling, etc.) will help space out your tasks and prevent an energy crash at the end of the day.
  
  
• Check in with yourself throughout the day:
  Sometimes we can get so distracted by what we’re doing that we forget to check in with ourselves and our energy levels!  An easy way to do this is to rate your energy level on scale of 1 (I need a friggin' nap) to 10 (I’m bouncing off the walls!).  When your energy dips below a 5, it’s time to take a break and recharge before moving on to the next thing.
  
  
• Outsource, outsource, outsource:
  Here’s another reality check - not everything on your to-do list has to be done by you!  Consider hiring others to do the tasks you dread or that really drain your energy.  Protecting your mental health is a top priority - if you have to spend a little bit of money to make that happen, then it’s money well spent!  (Tip: a great resource for this is TaskRabbit - you can hire someone to do almost anything!)
  
  
• Don’t forget about your thoughts:
  Repetitive, negative thoughts drain your energy.  While you’re focused on getting things done, don’t forget to tune into your inner voice.  Is she being nice to you and supporting your goals today? Or is she beating you up for not getting more done?  If it’s the latter, it’s time to start keeping those thoughts in check! (Psst - my upcoming 21-Day Negative Thought Detox helps you do just that - in less than 20 minutes per day! Sign up for the waitlist here.)
  
  

It’s important to enjoy the hell out of your good days! Incorporating the above strategies will allow you to do just that, while leaving some energy left over for you to enjoy tomorrow too!

How do you make sure you don't burn yourself out? Let us know in the comments below!