One of the things that I've found in sem-retirement is that I have to create structures for activity and engagement. That is, in my current work life I don't have a regular schedule that requires me to shower :) or get organized. 

This is not so different from any other entrepreneur or innovator, except that in retirement I know that I really don't have to get involved in anything unless I want to. There's not the pressure of the workaday world. That's a good thing, right? Hmm... 

Sometimes fatigue sets in. It can be a kind of paralyzing stasis in which I'm not sure what I really need to be doing. In response, I've learned that I need to employ certain regular techniques and structures:

1)  Hydrate. It sounds simple but it's really important. There have been many days when my lethargy was preventing me from getting going, until I realized that I was simply dehydrated. 

2)  Disco trampoline. Here I could have said "exercise," but the truth is that so much exercise is, for me, drudgery. I can show up at the gym, and I do have certain patterns to workouts, but generally there's nothing like dancing on my mini-tramp that gets my heart rate going to at least 115 bpm, which is the baseline for a 20-minute workout, which is what my trainer said was the minimum. Oh, and did I say outdoors?! Nature + exercise is the best formula. 

3)  Checklists and calendars. Again, obvious for some, but for me - a natural daydreamer and poet, MBTI ENFP, artist, I need to set some advance structure and then deliver on the tasks that I've identified. . 

Years ago there was a book entitled The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. It influenced me at the time, and now it's come back to mind as I realize that, especially in this time of my life, managing my energy is of central importance to happiness and productivity.