Manage your energy, not your time

As I write this, the countdown to Christmas and New Year is just weeks away. Of course, as leaders and business owners, it can be a frantic and stressful time for us, as we look for one final push from ourselves and our people to ensure we hit our annual targets and generally close the year on a high.

 

And it doesn’t help that all this happens over a period where there’s a lot of natural disruption – people fitting in their final holidays of the year, team and supplier lunches, as well as an understandable human desire to slow down.

 

In fact, I’m beginning to feel a little stressed just writing these last two paragraphs.

 

Which makes it a good time to share an article that caught my eye several years ago. As well as articulating my personal values and approach to life and business, it also gave me a methodology to unleash potential in our people, enhance our team’s happiness and deliver enhanced customer experience. The message was simple: ‘Manage your energy, not your time’. Light bulb!

 

I see this approach as an eco-system, with each component supporting the others:

 

1. Physical Energy

Make sure you’re aware of what you’re putting in your body to support your blood sugar, sleep and energy. Create healthy habits around taking breaks and getting moving … and stick to them. After all, moving is medicine.

 

2. Emotional Energy

Emotions create behaviours, so think about how you feel at various times of the day and focus on positive energy. Take a few minutes a day to do some deep breathing and express your appreciation of your colleague’s support and work (which helps their energy too).

 

3. Mind Energy

It’s a tricky one to master in today’s world but try to maintain a focus for your energy. Essentially, we need to set aside the time we need to complete tasks and projects. The beauty of doing this successfully is that each time you tick that action on your to-do list you’re rewarded with a lovely boost of dopamine, the happy hormone.

 

4. Human Spirit

Never lose clarity on your purpose. Gain insight on your passion, what you want to do, want to be known for and where you want to make a difference. As leaders, this also helps us understand our colleagues, so strengthening team collaboration.