FREE Subscription
The World’s Most Popular Natural Health Newsletter   
 
 
POSTED BY
November 01 2007
61,452 Views

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

The 7 Energy Sinkholes (and How to Avoid Them)

Energy sinkholes are situations that slowly but surely drain your energy and stress you out. These seven energy drains may not be immediately apparent because they rarely hit you all at once. Over time, however, they can leech life right out of you, leaving you stressed, depressed, and apathetic.

Your best combat technique is to get a routine, and to have preplanned methods for handling each of these energy sinkholes. Here are a few of the biggest time stealers. For the complete list, don’t miss the full article at Lifehack.org.

Disorganization – Few things can be as draining as constantly having to root around for missing documents and files.

The remedy lies in creating a system for organizing and routinely tidying up. Some areas to keep in mind are your computer hard-drive, to-do lists, filing system, your desk, and your closets.

Poor diet and lack of exercise – Getting in the habit of eating right and exercising regularly can actually help combat all your other energy drains as it will help keep your energy levels high.

Create a routine and stick to it for at least 30 days before you allow yourself to change your mind, and don’t try to overhaul your diet all at once. Instead, replace one unhealthy food type for a healthy one, one at a time.

“Squeaky hinges” – These are pieces of technology, or products that work, but have annoying, or time-consuming side effects. Examples include a computer that’s too slow to run the programs you use regularly, a dishwasher that doesn’t get all the food off, or an alarm clock that doesn’t wake you up.

If you can fix or replace the piece of machinery inexpensively, do it now, or come up with a plan for how and when to replace it with something that can actually get the job done.

Sources:



Dr. MercolaDr. Mercola's Comments:

Disorganization is perhaps the greatest time waster of all bad habits, and can lead to endless daily frustrations. And, yes, it can add to your poor diet and exercise routines, making it seem as though you never have enough time to get into, or out of, your kitchen and into the gym. 

This Lifehack article mentions several important energy drains worthy of attention to free up your time for more important endeavors. But here, I’d like to focus on organization and health in particular. 

One of the most important changes you can make to improve your health and optimize your weight, is to cook your own meals, using fresh organic products suitable for your nutritional type -- abstaining from processed foods as much as possible. There’s only one problem, however, which is finding the time to actually do it. 

That’s where being organized can be both a virtual and literal lifesaver. I happened to remember another article I ran in December of last year, which seemed to fit the bill precisely, called How to Organize Your Kitchen.  

Not only will an organized, practical, clean space be more conducive to culinary experimentations, but it can also reduce your cooking time. A few of the wise recommendations from that article included:  

    1. Reduce the number of objects you keep permanently on your kitchen countertops, limiting them to the ones you use on a regular basis
    2. Replace appliances and kitchen tools that don't work (those “squeaky hinges”)
    3. Store frequently-used objects in easy-to-reach locations
    4. Create centers of activity
    5. Create a shopping list of things you’re about to run out of

Remember to organize according to how you cook, not how you think you should be cooking. Experiment with different arrangements, and see what works and what doesn't.

Once your kitchen is in working order, Colleen Huber can give you even more time saving tips on how to make enough time in your life for cooking nutritious meals from scratch, including the idea of planning on the weekend what you will eat for every meal the coming week.

And, if you haven’t taken the time before to watch the fantastic cooking videos from natural-cooking diva, Luci Lock, then make a habit out of doing so right now!  Her videos are a regular feature in this newsletter, with priceless tips on how to improve your health through cooking with all natural ingredients, and spicing things up with quick and easy new recipes.


Related Articles:

Did you find this article interesting?  Interesting Not Useful
Community Comments ( 10 )
Comment on this Article
  
  
Phantom O' Banjo
[ Joined on 09/06 ] [ Posted on October 17, 2007 ]
13 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
7 is a hard one.  Trying to help those you care about but they don't respect the help offered.  They continue to make poor choices and watching them spin in place.
 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Russ Bianchi
[ Joined on 09/06 ]  [ Posted on October 17, 2007]
4 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Persistence is eventually rewarded.
Mercola
  
Phantom O' Banjo
[ Joined on 09/06 ]  [ Posted on October 18, 2007]
-1 Points        
   
Savvy User
  Mercola
Ah you would shake your head if I spilled the details on just how dopey the things they do.  Then they turn to me to complain about the health problems. Talk about stomping all over my aorta. lol
  
  
Patty D
[ Joined on 06/07 ] [ Posted on October 17, 2007 ]
8 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
Ahh I've fallen into #6 (information addiction) big time since I found mercola and the multiple other alternative sites I now frequent.  It does cause stress in that it fosters paranoia and fear, ie knowing there are changes that ideally I should be making but for various reasons, usually financial, can't.  This is a great article with some good advice.
 [ Reply ]
  
  
Birdlady
[ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on November 1, 2007 ]
4 Points        
   
 
Apprentice User

My family is my HUGE energy sucker.  I have cut all ties with my grandmother which has helped my life in more ways than I can even list here.  My Dad and Mom both got ear fulls a few months ago and they have been more respectful to me as a human.  They used to walk all over me or think that I was on call 24/7. I finally put that crap to an end and it really has made me feel better.  I bet there are others here who have to answer to their families 24/7. That is NOT normal!

#6 is the big culprit for me now.

I check out these boards, the Ron Paul forums, the WoW forums, Infowars, prisonplanet, and then the regular propaganda news. LOL

Yeah information overload. My brain wants to learn more everyday and keep up with business related information.

 [ Reply ]
  
  
Blackberry_Briar
[ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on November 1, 2007 ]
3 Points        
   
 
Novice User

I have a friend that I just met about three years ago who has MS.  Right off the bat I could see that I would have to draw the line in the future.  She thought nothing of calling me on the phone and trekking down tangent after tanget when she had initially called just to tell me she had some plants for me to dig up and that she was planning out a part of her garden.  She would initially do this for FOUR HOURS at a time (she lives less than 3 miles from also).  After I hung up the phone I looked at the amount of time (4+ hours) and called her right back and told her that last call was four hours.  She said that, well, she gets a little side-tracked!?!!?!?  I told her she would have to do that on her own time and that if she called and I said 'just give me the facts, I have to go', that I would remind her one time and then say 'ok, I have to go, goodbye'.  

She still needs reeling in from time to time but I have never spent anywhere near 4 hours (or even an hour) on the phone with her since.  I also make sure that if I am going to come pick stuff up at her house, drop things off or get her shopping list, that it is done before I get there...otherwise I would be waiting for over 2 hours (or more!).

You just have to draw up the perameters, decide the amount of leeway you will give (if any) and present it as being the law.  You can't feel bad about it if it is negatively affecting your life and your family.

Heidi

 [ Reply ]
Mercola
  
Birdlady
[ Joined on 06/06 ]  [ Posted on November 2, 2007]
       
   
Apprentice User
  Mercola

When I was in high school I had a friend that would do that stuff. She would call and want to talk non-stop. If I didn't answer the phone she would call over and over until someone would.

Well I had to tell her to leave me the hell alone and completely stopped all ties with her.  Looking back at it, that was THE best thing I ever did. I was able to have other healthy friendships and get my homework done which was important to me at the time.

It would be hours of non-stop complaining about everything in the world, "I'm fat, I'm ugly, I'm stupid, I don't know what to wear, I want a boyfriend, I blah blah blah".  

Phew. Some people don't realize how annoying they are and how their low self-esteem and hate for themselves can bring EVERYONE around them down too.

  
  
seg
[ Joined on 11/06 ] [ Posted on October 18, 2007 ]
3 Points        
   
 
Savvy User
These are great articles and you never really realize your shortcomings until you read articles like these, disorganised, trying to live your life to impress or please others. Over the years i have gotten better and i don't really care now what other people think as i used to, or try to live my life to please others. I simply  try to do the very  best with whatever little i have and take care of me and my own, i realized you can't please everyone so you gotta please yourself first and foremost and if that's good for others then that's an extra perk. As someone said to me many years ago " think less of others and you'd have more time to think of yourself,  quite true i must say...
 [ Reply ]
  
  
mmc88121
[ Joined on 11/06 ] [ Posted on October 17, 2007 ]
2 Points        
   
 
Moderator User
Number 7 is the most important yet the hardest to do.  Sometimes being a good example is the best advice you can give.

Mary
 [ Reply ]
  
  
Blackberry_Briar
[ Joined on 06/06 ] [ Posted on November 1, 2007 ]
       
   
 
Novice User

When I was a child and young adult the biggest problem in my getting work done in a library was the library itself.  If I had to look something up - that was the end of it.  I would read the dictionary cover to cover, the entire encyclopaedia that my research topic was found in and heaven forbid I walked past the fiction section.  

I stayed out of libraries for many years after I left college in an effort to get back some of my time.  It has worked I can walk through the library now and only come out with books for my kids in the span of one hour (I have 3 girls under 7 and a 12 yr old boy), and only have a mild case of withdrawal.

Heidi

 [ Reply ]

 
Truste
 
Mercola