How to Structure Your Day for Maximal Output

Success isn’t a matter of who has the greatest ideas and plans; success lies in action. The person who can get the most done, and at the higher quality, will be more successful than the one who can’t.

The greatest people in history have been known to have a unique abundance of energy. When others slept, they worked. When their peers were on breaks, they hustled. Energy is a necessity, a commodity as important as time, and far more important than money.

Learn how to structure your day so you can have more energy, get more work done, and live a more successful life.

Energy Begins with the Breakfast 

The majority of the people on the planet consume some form of carbohydrates for breakfast; but they shouldn’t. Carbohydrates – especially high glycemic carbs like white breads, sugars, and most fruits – raise your insulin levels and blood sugar rapidly.

As your blood sugar rises you get a brief boost in energy; the key word here is brief. A crash follows that brief spike, and an hour or so after you’ve consumed your toast, or sugar-filled coffee, you’ll find yourself lethargic and often yawning.

Rather than spiking your blood sugar, you want to allow them to rise slowly. In doing this you’ll see your energy levels build throughout the day, rather than have them filled with the ebbs and flows that normally occur.

Have meat and healthy fats for breakfast. Meat slows the rise of blood sugar, giving your energy levels a steady increase. Healthy fats, like animal fats and omega-3 fatty acids, increase your insulin sensitivity; that is, your body’s ability to use carbohydrates as fuel rather than storing them as fat. They also improve brain function, and give you more energy.

Try this breakfast:

2-4 slices of Ham

2-4 whole eggs (the yolks are filled with healthy omega-3’s, and testosterone-boosting cholesterol).*

1/2 cup of assorted berries (keep them dark – blackberries, blueberries, raspberries – to avoid a spike in insulin).

Assorted vegetables.

Have a cup of coffee as well, but make sure to keep it sugar-free and black.

*Eggs have been given a bad name because of their fat and cholesterol content. However, eggs have been shown not to increase your bad cholesterol levels, and actually help your body produce less of it when they’re consumed.

Start Your Day off With Activity

Aside from the fact that getting in great shape, alone, will help you have more energy; exercising to start your day will result in the release of powerful endorphins that positively effect mood, energy, and productivity.

Try this workout to start your day:

[youtube id=”uHcHBJv61bk” width=”620″ height=”360″]

Make Your Second Workout Break An Active One

As the day progresses and you begin to hit a wall, take an active break. Head to the gym, or go outside for a run. Too many head to the TV to take a break, but come out of their “time off” feeling more lethargic and less ambitious.

A short 30-minute workout will give you the boost you need to finish your work day off strong.

Fall Asleep By Having Carbs?

One of the greatest nutrition myths in existence, is that having carbohydrates late at night will stop you from sleeping. Actually, they have the opposite effect.

We already talked about how spiking your blood sugar results in an energy crash, not a prolonged boost. Well that crash, when it occurs late at night will actually help you fall asleep faster, getting the sleep you need to be as productive as you can be tomorrow.

How to Structure Your Day to Have Optimal Energy Levels 

1. Meat + good fats and no carbohydrates for breakfast.
2. Start your day with activity.
3. Keep your carbohydrates low on the glycemic index:
   a. Whole grains
   b. Dark berries
   c. Quinoa
   d. Sweet potato and yams

• Make your first real work break an active one.

Make sure you fall asleep by consuming carbohydrates with your dinner.

I hope this maximum energy plan gives you everything you need to reach your highest of goals.