A number of years ago I found myself in the doctor’s office complaining of chest pain. Due to increasing demands at work, I felt that I needed to put in extra time, sometimes working 12- to 14- hour days. I was exhausted and emotionally depleted. I had no time to exercise and had little time to prepare healthy meals.
My stress test came back fine but it was a wake-up call that significant changes were needed. The question was how and what changes needed to be made. Did I need to manage my time more effectively? Sometime later, I read The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz.
I found Tony’s ideas to be practical and effective. A self-assessment is contained in his book to help determine if you are headed for a personal energy crisis. It focuses on four areas: Body, Emotions, Mind and Spirit
Body
The body’s energy needs to be renewed daily. We all know that if we get inadequate sleep or exercise it affects not only our energy but also our state of mind. We also need proper nutrition and rest to function effectively. I found that I needed to set goals and establish new habits in each of these areas. I also found that there was an inverse relationship between the number of hours I worked without a break and my level of productivity.
Emotions
The first key in Tony’s book is an awareness of how you feel at various times during the day and during various interactions. What tends to drain you and energize you?
It’s important to recognize the situations that trigger negative emotions. In some situations we need to re-wire thought patterns so we don’t allow external circumstances to control our emotional reactions. This will help us with our team members and with family members and friends.
Mind
Unlike any other time in history, we are constantly bombarded with interruptions. Phone calls, text messages, e-mails and tweets distract us from our work at hand. I learned that I needed to develop routines to reduce the interruptions I received daily so that I could concentrate on the important work I needed to accomplish. Think of ways you can disengage from technology during blocks of time when you need to focus.
Spirit
When work has meaning and purpose it taps into an extra energy reservoir. People tend to have more energy, focus and perseverance when they are doing work they value and enjoy. This also needs to be coupled with flexibility to spend time in areas of life that are most important, such as family and community service projects. To learn more read my blog: Keys that Drive Meaning at Work.
Share Your Thoughts: What things have you done to tap into your energy reservoir?