I have times when it is hard to keep my energy level up for my business. Maybe it has to do with the sporadic lulls in business that crop up, or with a bursting-at-the-seams schedule, or perhaps it is just my own cyclical waxing and waning of stamina.

Maintaining momentum can be a challenge for a business owner, even with the best of intentions! While we'd like to think we merely have to sprint to the finish line, in fact, we need to prepare for a marathon.

Here are three ways I have learned to manage my energy, to stay in shape for my marathon and to stay somewhat sane on the job!

1. Hide the Big Task List. My weekly activities are guided by a "master" action list that I'll refresh every so many weeks. However, one of the biggest causes of an energy-drop for me is looking at that same helpful list! The only solution is to put it away for a week or so, and get very "micro" about my activities -- focus in on the absolute essentials, and forget the aspirations for a while.
   
2. Focus on where the money lies. As crass as this may sound, when I am overwhelmed, the one question I ask myself is "what actions should I focus on that will increase revenues in the next 30/60/90 days?". I am able immediately to prioritize on the obvious next steps and stay away from the unmotivating "I should be doing these things to build my business to the next level" stuff.
   
3. Leave it all behind for a week. No, you do not have to pack up and go away on a vacation., In fact, you can still continue to deliver all your usual services.
   
   However, instead of assigning "business development" hours or days to your calendar, how about reading a book you've been wanting to get to for a while, or hanging out at a coffee shop and emptying your Inbox (mainly by deleting most of the stuff you've been meaning to handle for the last three months, and that is now no longer important), or even heading off to an afternoon movie by rescheduling some of your patients or clients?

My favorite escape is to splurge on a massage. What's yours?