Travel Light: 5 steps to creating more personal energy By Racheal Govender

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me about how little time they seem to have in a day and how tired they are, I could go on a very luxurious holiday! It seems to be a constant complaint! Personally, I don’t believe that time management even exists! I believe that energy management is more important, because if you have enough energy for something, you will find the way to make time for it!

It’s a little ironic that I am writing about this topic, because recently I have been complaining about not having enough time myself! I often find however that when I start to find myself falter in a particular area; it often helps to write about it! So hopefully this blog helps you as well as myself to remember some key steps!

1. Simplify: I’ve moved several times in the last few years, and I am always amazed at the amount of stuff that I can accumulate over time! It seems I have unconsciously pick up some of my mom’s habits of collecting stuff, ‘because you never know when you might need it!’ But what one doesn’t realize is that over time all this excess stuff is cluttering your space, and draining your energy! If you think about how much time you can waste looking for things, because all the ‘might be useful one day’ stuff is in the way that you can’t find the things that are essential to you right now. Maybe it’s time to give them away! If you have not made use of something in a year, it may be time to let it go. Sentimental people might find this particularly difficult, so you may want to start small! And as you start realizing how much better it feels to be a little lighter and more energized, you will find the decluttering process easier.

2. Organise: Once we’ve decluttered and gotten rid of the excess unneeded stuff, we can spend some time organizing things. It’s amazing how much energy you can save if you have one place for something. How much time have you lost spent looking for keys? (I’ve done that so many times!). If you don’t want to spend your weekend organizing, then outsource it. I have an absolutely fantastic friend who loves organizing and she gets kick out of it! It’s weird, I know, but there are people out there that have excellent organizational skills and can teach you a thing or two about how to organize in a practical manner that can work with your lifestyle…and they love organizing!

3. Remove or address one thing that’s draining your energy. It can be absolutely anything from shopping (I absolutely hate shopping!) to spending time around negative people. In our busy lives, we sometimes ignore or just don’t pay attention to things that are draining our energy. Have you ever walk away from a situation and felt completely exhausted afterwards? Then it may be time for you to re-evaluate and come up with a creative way to address or remove that energy-sucker. I’ve made it a personal goal of mine to spend less time with negative people! I used to think that I could influence them and maybe my positivity could rub off on them! But I’ve realized that some people can be so negative that all your positivity is wasted on them, and before you know it you are walking around in a negative frame of mind! Just as positivity can be contagious at times, negativity can be just as contagious and very dangerous. Make sure you have people who inspire you and encourage you. There’s so much beauty and joy in the world pursue, embrace, savour it!

4. Do something that energizes you! So many times in the busyness of making everyone else happy, and trying to complete a never-ending task list, it’s so easy to forget about ourselves and that we need to enjoy life, and protect our internal energy and passion. What is the one thing that you love doing, and have placed on hold without even being aware of it? For an outdoor girl like me, nothing makes me as joyful as being in nature, the sea, or the forests, or the mountain, it rejuvenates, energises, and calms me at the same time. For you it could be spending time reading, going to the movies, spending time with loved ones. Are you spending enough time to replenish your energy?

5. Rest: It seems like most of us these days have actually forgotten the meaning of rest. It does not mean going on holidays, or spending time with the family, although that can be fun and can create energy. Rest is simply providing that space to recharge, to be quiet, to listen to that inner voice saying slow down, breathe, sleep, stop. Wow, even writing that I feel restful already, connected to my body, and present! How does that make you feel? Our body experiences a large amount of stress from all the noise, and traffic, and thoughts buzzing in your ear! Put it aside for a while and be quiet. In the peace that comes from just connecting with your body, and giving it the rest it needs you can really be more successful and have deep contentment.
As you start to create more energy and time for yourself, think about how to maintain it on an ongoing basis, and think about where you would like to focus this new-found energy.

I hope you find these steps useful in achieving greater energy and creating the lightness of being.