#1 – Eudamonia, Sugar Police, and Prioritising Big Tasks

Welcome to the first episode of the PEP Talk newsletter where each week I share three simple tips to help you keep Purpose, Energy and Productivity at the front of your mind. If we are going to consistently perform at our best, we need to develop and maximise our effectiveness in these three key areas of our life.

In this episode: Eudamonia, Sugar Police, and Prioritising Big Tasks 

Purpose

What is the ultimate purpose of life?

If you ask the ancient Greeks, especially Aristotle, he would tell you it is to achieve Eudaimonia.

Aristotle says that the eudaimonic life is one of “virtuous activity in accordance with reason”. This means spending time doing things that are of value that you are uniquely positioned to do. This doesn’t mean you will always be happy (as anyone pursuing their goals will tell you) but that you will find incredible satisfaction living a life that is in alignment with your values and beliefs. 

Two questions to ask yourself to see if your life is on purpose:

  • What would you dare to do if you knew you would not fail?
  • What would you dare to do if you knew you would fail, but you would do it anyway?

If you aren’t spending time doing the things that you identified with these questions, then maybe it is time to re-evaluate the major guiding principles of your life.

Energy

Ok, so I’m going to use Issue #1 as an opportunity to explain my perspective on sugar.

At home, I am known as the “sugar police” due to my reluctance to allow refined sugar into the diet of my 4-year-old daughter. But that doesn’t mean I don’t consume sugar. I just try to be smart about when I do so.

Key principles.

  • Sugar is quickly absorbed into the body. If there is no space in the muscles or liver, the additional calories will be stored as fat. Therefore, timing of sugar is better during or after exercise when there is space for the carbs to be stored in the body as designed, not as fat.
  • Sugar is digested quickly. Quick digestion means you will be hungry again sooner. This means that high-sugar foods will likely need to be followed by more sustainable meals, increasing the chances of over-eating and weight gain. It isn’t the sugar that causes the weight gain, it is the lack of satiation of appetite that we cannot control.
  • Sugar has a big impact on hormones. Too much sugar in your diet may disrupt the hormone insulin and increase the risk of insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes. But it is also closely connected to your estrogen, testosterone, and other hormonal levels.

In general, try to avoid foods that contain refined or added sugars. Try replacing added sugar with sugar-free options (I am a huge fan of Skinny Food Co coffee syrups for example). Or at least have sugar around the time of a high-protein meal so you don’t feel hungry immediately.

Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate and sweet treats maybe even more than you do. But I am also aware of the impact this has on my body and energy, so try and make smarter decisions when it comes to the powdery white stuff!

Productivity

I am a big fan of to-do lists. Writing things down helps clear your mind and makes life seem more manageable when it is all down on paper instead of whirling around in your mind as you try to remember everything.

However, making a list is only part of the process. The other, more important part, is to figure out what goes on top of that list i.e. what you should be doing first. 

It is easy to prioritise simple tasks, and you can quickly check off a lot of things if you start small. This can feel good in the moment, but if you look back at your day, you may find that you didn’t accomplish much of any value.

Instead, think about starting with your biggest task first.  Chances are, you have been procrastinating on this task as well, so it will feel good to finally get it off your plate and free up some much needed head space.

So, once you have your list, ask yourself this question:

  • What one thing, if I do this today, will make the biggest impact on my results moving forward?

So, go put the kettle on, refill your morning coffee, and get stuck into that big, meaningful task before you do anything else.

I hope these idea have given you something to think about and reminded you of what is most important to focus on for the rest of the week.