UNDERSTANDING  EMOTIONAL CURRENCY

The idea that our emotional capacity has limits is not a new concept but anyone who has been regularly reaching their emotional limits will know it is a strange thing and it does not simply get “refilled” the next day and we may require more than one day, and certain interactions will consume more of it.

To give you a betterr perspective, think about the term, “I don’t have the time to do X.” In truth, we both know it is not that you do not have the time, but you do not have the energy to do it. You need this “time” to do recharging activities. In other words — recharging emotional energy.

Being aware of this concept is an important step in increasing control over life and when done right, effectively increasing the time we have available to ourselves. We spend over 70% of our days not fully in control of habits etc. By doing the activities that recharge us more and avoiding things that drain us. In theory, we can increase the effective use of this energy that bottlenecks our productivity and have “more time”.

Think about what activities make you feel ready to go and tackle the next thing on your list. Note down those things and try to move things around to add that activity more to your life. Then think of things that drain your emotional energy then avoid them. It is hard to predict how much you will be drained, however, we know that just like a muscle we can improve its capacity, and just like a muscle we can injure it if we do not use it properly.