Back to my self-experiment. You read about my big confession here. But I won’t be too hard on myself because I also noticed I’ve still done a decent job of managing both my energy and cognitive bandwidth.
Positive Reminder: Here’s what worked for me: I tried to do the hard work in the morning when I had the most energy and when I was not cyberloafing. Then, at night on my train rides back to DC (when I’ve noticed I get energy from speaking with other people), I scheduled phone calls with people who wanted my advice. I also remembered in advance that I’m useless after delivering workshops, and I had two last week. So, after my teacher trainings, I literally just opened a book and read for 30 minutes. So much better than scrambling to answer email on my smartphone in a taxi racing to my next location!
Keep the Habit Going: I’ve got to remember to do the hard stuff first, before I become distracted. Note to self: Group the lighter-weight work for later in the day when my brain is done and I need an energy boost. I can do this!