Keeping our energy levels high throughout the day can be extremely hard. Being motivated and disciplined throughout the day and the week takes a skillset in its own right, and it takes practice. The good news is, just like everything that takes practice, you can learn from others.

Jurgen Cautreels is an internet marketer who is known for his record-breaking marketing prowess. He has been in the game a long time and has picked up many tips and tricks along the way. I asked Jurgen Cautreels to sit down with me for an interview where we could talk about a typical day in his marketing life and how he keeps his energy up.

What is the first thing you do in the morning before you start working on one of your marketing projects?

I always make a list. First of all, I always plan out my projects which involves creating a lot of lists. However, at the beginning of each week, I also make a list of things to do that week. Many times I’ll break that list down by the day.

So the first thing I do every day is checking my weekly list to see what I should work on that day, and then I make another list for what order I’ll be doing my work. I think lists are the absolute king of productivity, and they make everything so much easier. If I have no direction at all, I can be productive, but I always find myself getting lost eventually.

When you plan a project, how detailed are your lists for that project?

If you spend too long planning every single detail of a project, you’ll end up never starting that project. I’ve learned this through experience and feel that I’ve found a nice middle ground for myself. I think everyone should find their own middle ground.

You should plan out a project enough that you’re never guessing what to do next, but not too much that you get so hung up on the micros that you forget the macros. Remember, you have to start and finish the project in a specific time period.

So after you have your list and start working, do you follow any techniques for productivity?

I love the Pomodoro technique. You can find a nice website online, but pretty much it involves working for 30 minutes at a time, with smaller 5-minute breaks in between. After four 30-minute work stretches, you take a longer break. How long your work stretches and your breaks will depend on you personally, but I absolutely love the concept, and it has worked for me.

Do you usually spend any time learning during your work day?

Oh absolutely. I won’t lie to you and say that I dedicated hours to studying every single day. I admire those that can and applaud them, but I’m exhausted mentally and physically after my work.

However, I do listen to marketing podcasts every single day. I try to make it a goal to learn something new and keep up with modern strategies as much as possible while managing my projects.

Finally, after a hard week’s work, how do you spend your weekends?

You have to relax! People don’t realize that it’s not good to be turned on 24/7. This depletes mental resources. You need to take the weekend to relax as much as possible so you can get back to learning and productivity during the week.