Managing Energy, Not Time 

 

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz wrote an excellent book: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal. Although it was written in 2003, the concepts are still valid today - maybe even more so.

The central thesis is that performance, health and happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy. The authors remind us that managing time efficiently is no guarantee that we will bring sufficient energy to whatever it is we are doing.

To be fully engaged - and to have spirit at work - we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest.

We know that energy diminishes with overuse. Too much energy expenditure and insufficient recovery leads to burnout and breakdown. The authors remind us that, "It is not the intensity of energy expenditure that produces burnout, impaired performance and physical breakdown, but rather the duration of expenditure without recovery." We need to balance our energy expenditure with recovery time.

Everything we do - thinking, interacting with others, making decisions - requires energy. It is time to rethink how we manage our energy and not just our time. Balancing our energy expenditure and energy recovery is key to our wellbeing and spirit at work.

 

What are the things you do to manage your energy? If you changed one thing, what would it be?

Tips for Managing Your Energy

 

Physical energy

 

1.      Take a recovery break every 90 to 120 minutes.

2.      Enhance your sleep by going to bed early and waking up early.

3.      Notice signs of energy flagging: restlessness, yawning, hunger and difficulty focusing and concentrating.

 

Emotional energy  

1.     Use deep abdominal breathing to diffuse negative emotions such as impatience, anxiety, frustration, and irritability.

2.      Express appreciation and gratitude to yourself and others on a regular basis.

3.      Access pleasant and positive emotions such as enjoyment, adventure and opportunity. 

Mental energy   

1. Perform high-concentration tasks away from the phone and email and respond to emails and phone messages at designated times during the day.
2. Incorporate visualization and positive self-talk into your daily living.
3. Give your concious thinking mind a rest.

Spiritual energy       

1.      Reconnect to your sense of purpose and live your deeper values.

2.      Find ways to do more of what you are passionate about and brings you intrinsic reward.

3.      See your work as an act of service. Remind yourself that work is not about you, but about the people you are serving.

 

Managing Energy by Disengaging

 

Research shows that far too many of us are disengaged from our work, which is not good for our spirit. At the same time, I am suggesting that we become disengaged in order to manage our energy and refill our cup. Sounds confusing, doesn't it?

 

Doesn't becoming engaged in our work lead to spirit at work? Yes, but there is a difference between being engaged and being "always on." While being engaged is intrinsically rewarding and helps to refill our cups, being "on" all the time is draining and and depletes our cups. There's a negative impact to not taking breaks and holidays, even if we have spirit at work. The impact is greater when we struggle with work.Two ways of disengaging are to drop a few plates and to unplug.   

Drop a Few Plates

 

(From Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters)

 

In order to best manage our energy, I find that we need to drop a few plates. Let go of the things that really don't matter. How? Ask yourself, "How important will this be in a week, a month, a year, ten years?" Will you say on your deathbed, "I wish I had done more housework, worked longer hours, written a better report or had a nicer yard?" Let it go. In these areas, strive for eighty or ninety percent. Let unnecessary matters go completely.

 

This is difficult, especially for those of us taught to do our best at all costs. Perfectionism can be our enemy and it is something I struggle with continually. Yet, we cannot take on ever more responsibility without letting something go.

 

Each time we say yes to something new, we must ensure we consciously let something else go. Being intentional is key. Many of us live such full lives that there is no room to take on something else. So to manage, we often unconsciously let things go or just never get to the new responsibility. Perhaps this is how you have been managing. Do you then feel guilty about not meeting deadlines or fulfilling commitments? Be intentional about where you place your time and energy. Drop a few plates.

Unplug

 

(From Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters)

 

Another way to manage our energy is to unplug. Most of us have a difficult time turning off our cell phones, email and BlackBerries when we are not at work. We are so used to working that we no longer know how to unplug. We put in an extra hour after dinner or after we put the kids to bed. We check our emails before we go to bed or during the weekend. Many of us wear our BlackBerries 24/7 - as if they were an appendage. Is this what the job demands? Or do we just want to stay connected? Maybe we fear our employers will overlook us or regard us as uncommitted. Maybe we are addicted.

 

Whatever the reason, being continuously plugged in is taking its toll. A federal government deputy minister recently issued a "BlackBerry Blackout" directive that asked employees to turn off their BlackBerries between seven at night and seven in the morning. He requested that they not answer them during meetings and turn them off on weekends and holidays. He named work/life quality as a priority because he said achieving it benefited employees and the organization. When we can balance work and personal responsibilities, we perform more effectively as a team, and we do better at attracting and retaining employees, he emphasized.

 

Fifty-seven percent of people work by email and phone while on holidays, according to a job-search website survey.This has become such an issue that The Fairmont Hotel and Resorts recently launched an "electronic rehab getaway" at four of its high-end resorts in the Canadian Rockies. As part of the "digital detox," clients hand over their cell phones, BlackBerries, iPhones and other mobile devices, which staff then lock up in the hotel safe. After guests sign a waiver agreeing to go off-line for the duration of their stay, they are treated to such options as a massage, a hike, fresh fruit, herbal teas, fitness classes, etc. Packages start at around $500 a night.

 

Not all of us will get a memo from our bosses telling us to unplug. Few of us will ever get an opportunity to detox in the glorious Rocky Mountains. But it's still sage advice we can follow on our own. So let's go ahead and unplug. And during our free time, plan our own digital detox weekend.

Featured Book: New Release

 

Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters

 

So many of us are looking for meaning and fulfillment in our work. To know that our work matters and what we do each day is making a contribution. To experience spirit at work.

 

At the same time, forward thinking leaders are looking to create spirit at work. They know that not only will workplace happiness increase, so too will engagement, productivity and retention.

 

Rethinking Your Work: Getting to the Heart of What Matters provides the tools for employees and employers to solve the pressing issue of job satisfaction and fulfillment by creating spirit at work. Val shares findings from a decade of results-based research. She relates inspiring real-life stories of "employees with passion" and provides field-tested exercises that will help you get to "the heart of what matters."

 

Spirit at work is available to everyone. It can and should be fostered.
 

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