what brings you energy?

bedtime
my body clock is totally confused right now! luckily, my shift this evening doesn’t start until 11 pm, so i have plenty of time to catch up on sleep. i just went for a lovely run in the AM sunlight (and pollen) and am about to curl up with my current obsession favorite. and i’ll probably sleep for oh, 6 hours or so.

sound lovely? it is. yes, i’ll be in the ER in the dead of the night — but see, there are upsides.

highlights from the HP: january

as promised, here are some of my highlights and takeaway points from the first chapter. the book is organized by months, each focusing on a different area of life. i can’t say i hadn’t already had the same idea myself — too bad i didn’t capitalize on it earlier!

for january, the chosen topic is energy — because, the author reasons, an energized person is going to have a much easier (and more pleasant) time making changes and additions to her life than a tired one.

her resolutions for energy are as follows:

■ go to sleep earlier. self-explanatory.

■ exercise better. for her, this meant working with a trainer to get in a super-efficient workout.

■ toss, restore, organize. translation: clearing away clutter, and implementing an evening mini-cleaning session each night.

■ tackle a nagging task. ie, getting to the items languishing forever on her to-do list, and getting quick things done right as they come up.

■ act more energetic. faking it until you make it.

all worthwhile goals, as far as i’m concerned! but the point of this book (to me) isn’t to become the author — even as i do see reflections of myself in her musings — and adopt all of her habits for happiness. i see it more as a jumping off point to start off from to develop my own program.

so the question is, what energizes me? what could i add to my life to bring more energy and vitality to my days? a few options i can think of are:

■ get outside more! whether this is for a morning run or just a stroll around the block, there is something inherently refreshing about being outdoors in the sunlight.

■ eat good food — with an emphasis on whole foods and fruits/vegetables. i already do this, for the most part — but could probably improve. i truly feel my best when i am conscious of what i put in my mouth. i don’t know why that is so easy to forget, but sometimes it is. (PS: this does not in any way preclude wine or ice cream! these sorts of things — in moderation, of course — are an absolutely essential part of my personal formula for a happy life.)

■ smile more. as an extrovert, smiling — and engaging with others — can be very uplifting for me. i sometimes walk around with a scowl for absolutely no reason.

■ prioritize. identifying the top few things (not EVERYthing!) i’d like to get done at the beginning of each day is energizing because it feels good to have a manageable amount of work on my plate. going in knowing that i have a good chance of success is not only rewarding but very motivating as well.

■ sleep is sacred: i realize — this is not very original. because there’s just no arguing with this truth.

■ create an energizing space. to me, a relatively well-ordered space is an inspiring one. therefore, it is worth it to take the extra time to keep things under control in our apartment. rather than an evening cleanup, i’d rather just use the spare odds ‘n’ ends minutes of each day (in the AM, after getting home from work, etc) to clear spaces, sort through clutter, and the like.

if you were doing your own happiness project, what would your rules for energy be?

i’m still not sure exactly how i’m going to implement my plan, although i am toying with the idea of doing a yearlong project like the author did, only starting with my birthday rather than january 1. at the very least, this gives me an endpoint to my countdown!

all right . . . off to sleep! to follow my own recommendations, of course.

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4.6.10

workout: 20 minutes easy yoga (forward bend session from rodney yee’s AM yoga for your week DVD

reading: 10 PREP questions and most of the rest of the peds in review article on otitis

i am grateful for . . . fun magazines, and okay, fine . . . this book.