Energy that Lasts

If you wake up already tired, and the day feels heavy before it has even started, this one is for you. These are the three habits that consistently give me energy for what matters most, when it matters most.

Most mornings I wake up ready for my day. This hasn't always been the case, and it isn't luck. There's a clear pattern behind it.

For the last three years, I've been slowly building habits that give my body energy. And they're working. I sit down to work with a clear mind. I'm happy to be where I am.

This week my energy dived. And I saw why.

Not because I was off track. I was very much on track. This week I achieved something I'd been dreaming about, and working towards, for almost two years.

But in the middle of bringing that dream to life, I let three patterns slip. Three energy-giving patterns that usually leave my body ready for what's ahead, with anticipation and excitement rather than dread.

I want to share them with you, so you can build energy into your days for what matters most to you.

One

Morning and evening stillness

A plane doesn't climb from the runway to 30,000 feet in an instant. It doesn't land in an instant either, and if it tries, something breaks.

My days work the same way. I have a steady routine for take-off and a steady routine for landing, so I don't fall apart somewhere in between.

At 5:30 every morning, I get up, make a cup of tea and sit on my back deck in stillness. My music, my Earl Royale, my journal, my Bible, my blanket. No to-do list. No notifications. Before the day has a chance to set my priorities for me. I reconnect with myself, and with Someone greater than myself. God.

Sometimes I sense an extraordinary peace. Sometimes I walk away knowing exactly what to do. Sometimes I don't.

But almost every time, I leave recharged and clear-headed, with strength for the day ahead.

That's take-off.

At 7:30 every evening, when our youngest goes to bed, I turn off every light in the house but one. I make a cup of tea for myself, my husband and my son, and I sit at the kitchen table. My music, my Lavender Moon, the book I'm reading. The house goes still.

Sometimes we talk. Sometimes we read. Sometimes I just sit.

And almost every time, I feel settled and ready for sleep.

That's landing.

When I do both, there's a lightness in my day I can feel. I sleep better. I wake better. Whatever mountain is ahead feels easier to climb.

Two

The weekend disconnect

Even the longest flight in the world has to land. The plane refuels, the crew hands over, and the aircraft is checked before it takes off again. Nothing flies forever.

Every Friday afternoon, I shut my laptop, close the warehouse door, and don't open it again until Monday morning.

If I've hit my work targets for the week, we go out for pizza on Friday night. On Saturday morning, my husband and I go for coffee and donuts, and we read. Then we come home and I retreat to the back deck. Cup of tea. Stillness. Rest.

On Sunday, we're with our church community, and we eat dinner together.

When I skip this, the week ahead feels heavy, and I catch myself asking, "What's the point?"

When I keep it, I walk into Monday clear-headed and ready for the week.

Three

Regular workouts

Between flights, every plane is inspected and maintained. That quiet, unglamorous work is what keeps it strong enough to fly again.

Three times a week, I do a 30-minute BodyPump session.

I hate working out. I never want to do the workout. But when I skip it, a lethargy settles into my body that I can't hustle my way out of.

When I stay consistent, the energy stays with me. It's there on a Tuesday morning when the inspiration isn't. And it makes the thing that matters most easier to do.

Bonus

A glass of lemon water

For a quick lift when you first wake up, drink a glass of cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Your body goes all night without water, and that mild dehydration adds to the heavy, foggy feeling first thing. It's the simplest thing on this list, and it takes thirty seconds.

Here's what this week taught me.

I didn't run out of energy because the dream was too big. I ran out because I missed the small, quiet things that make big things possible.

Energy is rarely something we find in the moment we need it. It's built beforehand. In the stillness before the day begins. In the rest at the end of the week. In the workout we didn't feel like doing.

The busiest seasons are exactly when these patterns matter most, and exactly when they're easiest to drop. So I'm going back to the basics.

You don't need all three at once. Pick one. If you're not sure where to start, start with the first ten minutes of your day. Make a cup of tea, sit somewhere quiet, and give yourself a moment before the world gets a say. Protect it for one week, and notice what changes.

Build the energy before you need it.
Then go and do what matters.

Warmly,
Rebecca Domorev
CEO & Founder, Tielka