100% is the Exception, not the Rule

A few weeks ago, a client told me she was experiencing a super-stellar week and killing it at work.

She was able to do the task she said she was going to do and stay focused. She was able to take short breaks in between tasks, and not let 10 mins on her phone turn into an hour. She slept well that week, and even had the time and energy to take two HIIT classes. She said “this is amazing, I hope it lasts!” With equal parts pleasure and pain, I burst her bubble by saying that it most certainty it won’t.

Our energy levels, ability to focus with ease, and level of motivation will be inconsistent for the most part. There’s a variety of factors that influence all of this, and it’s almost all unique to you. Internal factors such as your hormones, diet, sleep, thoughts, and emotions all impact your ability to adult. So do external factors, like viruses, the environment, and the weather. Since all of these things are changing, this means your abilities change.

If you’re not planning and scheduling out your time, odds are you won’t notice these changes. But once you start regularly practicing the art and science of calendaring, it will be hard not to notice.

At first, this may come as a huge disappointment. You want every week to be stellar and jam-packed with all your heart’s desires, for you to be operating at 100%. But tell me: what else in nature is always functioning at its highest capacity?

Capitalism wants us to be at our most productive, always, and to buy products and services to keep us at our most productive. But everything in nature takes a break, needs a rest, and does not always function optimally. And that’s ok.

If you happen to have an extraordinary week where you’re following through on all the commitments you’ve made, great! Celebrate that. But don’t set that as your baseline. Instead, embrace your humanness.