The Recharge

We have all been burnt out on occasion. In the last month alone, I have done over 70 Zoom calls with entrepreneurs talking about how each of them can tackle their own individual problems. This is in addition to maintaining a CRM, hosting a podcast, being a guest on podcasts, writing a blog 5x a week, and helping my wife with our 4-month-old daughter.

Simply put, I have spent the last few weeks with the needle barely bouncing above the “E” on the dashboard.

I do not think I could have done any of this without having some of the tools and the knowledge that I do. Without knowing the most efficient way to re-energize myself and how to avoid the most draining activities.

The way I recharge will be different than it is for you. However the best rule of thumb comes down to introversion versus extroversion.

As an introvert, I recharge by being alone. I need time to sit in my thought and allow things to sort out. This can be done with meditation, a walk, listening to a book, cooking, working in my basement on some kind of project, or simply playing video games. For me all of these things help me focus on a task and let the “files” in my head get sorted out.

I explain my recharge time like “defragging” an old personal computer. It is a boring process where it does not seem like much is going on under the surface, but you can tell things are being put in their place. It is no different than putting all my tools away in the shop. It is the process of getting things organized so I am not tripping over the wet-dry vac or searching everywhere for the tape measure. Taking this time to sit and think gives me the ability to be more constructive.

Extroverts tend to get their energy from other people. This is still a somewhat confusing phenomenon to me. They feel energized when they are talking to others. They get the jolt after a smile or a feeling of being cared for. There is not the de-frag period as much as there is a supercharge period.

The best way to recognize this is to see how you are at the end of a long week. Let’s say it is Friday and you have been buried the entire time at work. What do you want to do most? Do you want to run to the bar and hit on people you hope to have questionable moral fiber? Or would you rather sit and watch Netflix with a cold beer?

Regardless you need to know how to recharge before you get burnt out. Take the time to try different things. Try excercise, meditation, long walks, loud music, crowded bars. See which makes you feel the best at the end of it all. Then make sure you focus time doing the things that help you feel recharged.