PART 3 | SUSTAIN

We often cannot sustain our motivation because we’re burnt out. Burn out is a stage of feeling mentally, emotionally or physically exhausted because we no longer find the work meaningful, enjoyable or sustainable. And burn-out can be managed much before it happens.

Chapter 7 - Avoid overexertion

Sometimes we realise that we are stretched too thin and cannot possibly sustain everything we’re doing. Make a practice to never reach that stage by avoiding overexertion burnout.

1. Do less

Energy investment portfolio - You only have a finite amount of energy. List all the projects taking up energy in your life, and all projects you’d like to do. Shortlist 4-5 for now. You focus on those. You can take on a new one only when you finish/ end any of the previous ones.
Say No - Often we might say yes to things that are in the future, assuming that we’ll be in a better place by then. That is rarely the case. Say no to things that you don’t have energy for today, because you won’t in the future too.

2. Resist distraction

Add Friction - Research suggests that if we get distracted, it takes us much longer to finish any task because of switching costs. Hence, you must add friction in your process to avoid distraction. You need to avoid being distracted by notifications, by people or by yourself too.
Course Correct - Many people, who stray off-course once, give in to ‘reckless abandonment’. They give up fully and are never able to come back. Learn to forgive yourself for slip-ups. Recognise that they are a part of the routine. You slip-up, you get back on the horse.

3. Break More

Schedule breaks - Breaks are not a luxury, they are a necessity. You need to refresh your mind periodically to be more productive You can’t possibly expect your mind and body to work at full capacity for hours on end. So schedule a break in-between. Even if there’s a lot of work.
Embrace energising distractions - While trivial distractions should be avoided (social media, notifications, interruptions, etc.), some distractions can be energising. Like a phone call with your parents, walk in a park etc. Embrace those. They will help you become more productive, and happy.

Chapter 8 - Recharge

You can conserve your energy. But you can also recharge if you’re depleted.

1. Recharge Creatively

Calm Hobbies - Pick up hobbies that help you forget the world. Do not make them your business. There shouldn’t be any pressure to do well. Only do them for your own happiness.
Calm Projects - Similar to hobbies, you can also pick up projects instead - like volunteering, learning a new skill etc. But something where the stakes are low and you are not being assessed.

2. Recharge Naturally

Bring Nature Indoors - It is well-know that plants, greenery calm people down. Even 5 min in nature has a cascading effect on your body. So you can either try to have some plants or nature indoors, or you can aim to be around it.
Take a Walk - A walk can have huge effect on your nervous system in calming you down and slowing down your pace. So take out 5 min and walk around. You can club other recharging activities with it. Like calling your friends or letting your mind wander.

3. Recharge Mindlessly

Let your mind wander - As referenced above, letting your mind think about nothing is severely under-used and under-appreciated. All geniuses claim to have some of their best ideas when they doing nothing. Contrary to popular opinion, you don’t have to be doing something all the time. You can let your mind rest
Write off - Sometimes, all our efforts fail, and we are exhausted beyond repair. In those moments, give your self permission to rest, fully. Sleep. Write off the evening. You’ll thank yourself later.

Chapter 9 - Align

Many times our exhaustion is not caused by the task itself but the fact that we have to do that specific task, that is not aligned with our sense of self. How do we get around that?

In Part 1, we referred to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how intrinsic works better for us. Let’s expand that framework a bit. It has been found that there are 4 types of motivation

External - rewards like money, respect etc
Introjected - avoiding negative emotions
Inter ….. something - motivation to achieve the larger goal
Intrinsic/

1. Long Term Horizon

The Eulogy Method - What would you want people to be saying at your funeral? Would you want people to say you were kind? Or smart? Would you want to be remembered as a loving spouse? Whatever you want is where your real values lie.
The Odyssey Plan - Create 3 plans - What does your future look like if A. You continue down your current path, B. You take an alternative path, and C. You take a radically different path from where you are. Think through the 3 paths - what makes you happy to think about? If it’s not your current path, then you need to make some changes.

2. Medium Term Horizon

The Wheel of Life - The wheel of life contains a very similar set of things for everyone
- Health
- Family and Friends
- Romance
- Finances
- Career
- Fun
- Personal Development
- Contribution to society
How do you rate yourself out of 10 in each of these? Analyse these scores and see which areas of your life need more help than others. Prioritise those. Block time for the important things in your life.
12 month celebration - Draw up a 12 month celebration plan. 12 months from now what would you want to have done that you would like to celebrate? Then work towards your goals and make sure you celebrate when you reach your milestones.

3. Short Term Horizon

3 Alignment tasks a day - It’s hard to envision a future that‘s so far away - like a year or 10. It’s much easier to think of what you can do in the next few hours. Draw up 3 things that you’d like to move forward one day at a time. And focus on the small tasks. These small tasks lead up to the 12 month celebration or your Odyssey Plan eventually.
Alignment experiments - Finally, everything in this book is only a piece of advice. Some will work for you, some won’t. You need to run experiments in your life to figure out what works for you. Like A/B Testing. Take a small thing. Change its direction. See how it goes. Analyse how it went. Good if it worked, or else change course again. And do only 1 thing at a time. The goal is for you to able to figure out how to improve your happiness and productivity together, hand in hand.

Side note: I'm so happy to have finished it.