How to Shift the Focus of Your Energy to Achieve More Balance
Most of us spend more time on things that don’t yield the most joy and satisfaction, and less time on the things that do.
In an ideal world we’d all be spending most of our time on the things that make us happy and only a small amount of effort would go into things that feel less rewarding. Unfortunately, for most of us, the opposite is true. Most people spend most of their time and effort on things that, while necessary and important, do not always feel emotionally meaningful and rewarding. And this means that there is less time and energy available to spend on those things that do bring us pleasure.
I may be wrong (and I’d be thrilled to hear I am) but I’m prepared to bet good money on the following:
- you spend the vast majority of your time and effort on things that generate only a small portion of the joy and pleasure you experience in your life, and
- the things that you spend the minority of your time and attention on bring you the greatest joy and satisfaction.
If I am right (and again, I’d be thrilled not to be) then you are in very good company. When I ask my clients to do a cost-benefit analysis of their lives, with the costs being the amount of time and energy they spend and the benefits being the positive returns (enjoyment, satisfaction, joy, fulfilment) they achieve, they are more often than not horrified at the results. It almost always becomes clear that the things they spend the most time and energy on are not the same things that make them most happy and satisfied.
Although it may feel unimaginable to spend more time and energy on the things that bring us joy and fulfilment and less time on those that don’t, it is possible to achieve. We just need to be mindful about how we plan.
Here’s a quick way to get started:
Think about all the people you typically interact with. Who are the people you spend the most time and energy on? And who do you get the most satisfaction from being with?
Think about all the activities you typically engage in. Again, what are the tasks you spend the most time and energy on? And which are the tasks that you get the most satisfaction from doing?
Do you notice any patterns? If you are spending more of your time and energy on things that don’t spark joy than on the things that do, it’s time to think about how you can shift your focus to create more of a balance.
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Tags: be happy | energy | exhausted | personal development | time management
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