5 Ways To Preserve Your Mental Energy
It’s been a while since I posted my last blog post but I have a good excuse. Working on instaMek has been the most ego destroying venture I’ve been on so I’ve been a little low on the arrogance and self righteousness that I’m known for.
At the end of the day though, excuses are for the weak so here I am, telling people what’s up on a Saturday night at 9 pm.
Something I’ve been working on the last little while to stay sane and focused is the preservation of mental energy.
A lot of people talk about what it takes to be successful and they all focus on the same things like hard work, determination, persistence, have a to-do list blah blah blah.
What no one seems to ever bring up is mental energy and how crucial it is that you protect it.
Not protecting it is death by a thousand cuts.
My theory is that you only have 5 hours of solid mental energy where you can perform at your peak. After that your performance begins to drop.
The problem here is that literally everything in this world takes up mental energy from picking what outfits to wear in the morning to texting to talking to your friends and driving in traffic.
Almost everything you do takes a little bit of prime mental energy until you’re left with nothing but 2nd rate work and focus.
The worst part is that the results won’t show right away. It takes a while; years and sometimes decades to show the lost potential.
Since I figured out this vital key I’ve been on a mission to expend as little energy as possible on anything unrelated to my craft.
The way I’ve done this by self-limiting my options, creating systems and routines so I don’t have to think. Essentially removing anything or anyone that wastefully drains mental energy.
Below are just a few of the things that I do to keep myself performing at my highest level.
1.DON’T DRIVE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC EVER.
It’s such a pointless drain on mental energy that I changed my work schedule so I only drive when the roads are empty.
Even my peer Kobe Bryant knows this and that’s why he goes to work in a helicopter.
I’ve also looked into getting a helicopter as well for the same reason.
After doing a thorough financial analysis and looking at the logistics of such a move, I decided to just move my schedule around instead so I wouldn’t have to drive in rush hour traffic.
A luxury that Kobe Bryant doesn’t have at this point in his career.
Another thing that takes up cognitive load is listening to music. Almost everyone listens to music or the radio while they drive but it actually is another drain on your mental energy.
I usually don’t listen to music while I drive because I use it as a chance to reflect and think about how not to go bankrupt.
It also helps that my engine sounds the way it does.
2) WEAR THE SAME COMBINATION OF CLOTHES EVERYDAY
I’m usually 10/10 well dressed at all times but I never expend any mental energy on picking my outfits. My secret is to have a combination of a few tops and pants that are comfortable and just wearing various (or the same) combinations.
I made to sure to pick my my core pieces well so even if I’m caught off guard (like on picture day with the Financial Post and Globe & Mail), I still look fresh.
3) DELETE ALL YOUR CELL PHONE APPS
A massive drain on your mental energy, which you can literally feel, are all the different apps on your cell phone from text messaging to Instagram to Facebook and all the others.
I’ve deleted everything except Snapchat, and that only to watch DJ Khaled occasionally. Plus most people send the worst snaps of their stupid pets so you aren’t missing out on anything.
You should also turn off all notifications as well because every time you hear a beep or a buzz you get a little shot of dopamine that gets you more and more hooked to your phone. It’s also a major distraction and prevents you from focusing that prime mental energy on what matters.
When it comes to sending messages, if a message requires an ounce of mental effort just don’t reply back.
4) CLEAR YOUR ROSTER OF MENTALLY DRAINING AND BORING PEOPLE
Back in the day, before I knew how important mental energy was I used to always hang out with people for coffee or go on dates just because everyone deserves a chance and you just never know.
Now that I’m more enlightened, I realized what a drain hanging out with boring people or people who just require effort to talk can be.
It’s not just the time that you spend with them that matters, it’s the fact that you have to make time for them and get off your rhythm and then spend the next few hours after your time with them, drained.
With my broflation article before, I thought I had minimized the investment going on dates because coffee isn’t a big deal so it didn’t matter.
Now that I’m in my mid to late twenties I know the value of mental energy is a lot more than the cost of coffee so I always make sure to filter out my dates by asking a few basic questions.
If their answers aren’t what I’m looking for, then it’s +EV to end the conversation there and then.
5) DON’T ARGUE WITH PEOPLE
This is something that I was personally really bad for in the past. I used to love arguing with people just for the sake of it but I’ve learned that this is a massive waste of time.
There is hardly anything to gain. Sure you might convince the other person of your superior way of thinking but what does that really accomplish?
Chances are that fools aren’t going to change their mind anyways and most people are so caught up in their own ill-contrived convictions that it’s a losing battle.
Nothing is worse than arguing about your political or social views on the internet. Probably the most -EV thing that you can do even though I’m guilty of doing it back in the day especially with those with extreme views.
Remember, it’s not the elephant that kills you.
It’s the mosquitoes.
