Part 2 – Fatigue Prescription – Renew-O-Meter

Share Button

Continued from Part 1 of this article…..

By Dr. Linda Hawes Clever

friendsTHE RENEW-O-METER
Your answers to these questions (one answer per question) will help you measure how deftly you juggle your commitments and how much you could benefit from renewing.

ONE: HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU REALLY LAUGH YESTERDAY?
0 (0 points)
1–2 (1 point)
3–4 (2 points)
5–6 (3 points)
7+ (4 points)

TWO: HOW OFTEN DO YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW?
Haven’t learned a new subject in the last year (0 points)
I’m focused exclusively on my field (1 point)
I read or search widely beyond my field (2 points)
I take courses outside my field (3 points)
I teach others (4 points)

THREE: HOW MANY TIMES IN THE PAST THREE DAYS DO YOU (OR OTHERS) THINK YOU OVERREACTED, LET A LITTLE THING GET TO YOU IN A BIG WAY?
0 (4 points)
1–2 (3 points)
3–4 (2 points)
5–6 (1 point)
7+ (0 points)

FOUR: HOW OFTEN IN THE PAST MONTH DID YOU FEEL TRAPPED, A PRISONER OF CIRCUMSTANCES?
Never (4 points)
Once or twice (3 points)
Three or four times (2 points)
Five or six times (1 point)
More than seven times (0 points)

FIVE: HOW OFTEN DO YOU TYPICALLY HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS OUTSIDE OF YOUR PROFESSION?
Every day or two (4 points)
Once a week (3 points)
Every other week (2 points)
Once a month (1 point)
A few times a year (0 points)

womantwistingSIX: WHEN DID YOU LAST FEEL BOLD ENOUGH TO TAKE A RISK?
Within the past week (4 points)
1–2 weeks ago (3 points)
3–8 weeks ago (2 points)
3–6 months ago (1 point)
Can’t remember (0 points)

SEVEN: HOW MANY SIT-DOWN DINNERS DID YOU HAVE WITH YOUR FAMILY OR FRIENDS IN THE PAST WEEK?
0 (0 points)
1–2 (1 point)
3–4 (2 points)
5–6 (3 points)
7+ (4 points)

EIGHT: HOW MANY TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK DID YOU SPEND MORE THAN ONE HOUR REFRESHING YOUR BODY OR SPIRIT (NOT COUNTING EATING OR SLEEPING)?
6+ (4 points)
4–5 (3 points)
2–3 (2 points)
1 (1 point)
None (0 points)

NINE: HOW OFTEN DO CONSIDER YOUR OWN ASPIRATIONS WHEN YOU MAKE DECISIONS?
My what? (0 points)
Rarely (1 point)
Sometimes (2 points)
Frequently (3 points)
Always (4 points)

TEN: WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU ENCOURAGED SOMEONE?
Today (4 points)
This week (3 points)
This month (2 points)
Two or three months ago (1 point)
Six months ago or more (0 points)

YOUR SCORE =

SCORE & DIAGNOSIS

31 – 40
Superstar juggler. You’re doing great. Keep renewing yourself and others.

25 – 30
All-star juggler. You have plenty of balls in the air, but you’re paying a price. What will you do to renew?

20 – 24
Two-star juggler. You’re probably worried about how you will keep all those balls in the air. This is a splendid time to reflect and renew.

0 – 19
No-star juggler. You seem to have too many balls in the air, or you could be discouraged or overwhelmed. Think about making a quick U-turn toward renewing!

– Linda Hawes Clever, MD, attended Stanford University, where she earned her medical degree. Linda is known for “firsts,” which include: first woman Governor in the American College of Physicians; and first woman editor of the Western Journal of Medicine. She is a member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF. In 1998, she founded RENEW, a non-profit organization that aims to help busy, devoted people regain—or maintain—their effectiveness and creativity. Linda has chaired the board of KQED Public Radio and served on the Stanford University Board of Trustees for fourteen years. She is the author of The Fatigue Prescription: Four Steps to Renewing Your Energy, Health and Life from Viva Editions.