“We grow the aspects of our lives that we feed-with energy and engagement-and choke off those we deprive of fuel. Your life is what you agree to attend to.”
~Jim Loehr
Mark,* a high level CPA with a Fortune 100 Company, bounded into our coaching meeting, out of breath and clearly wired. As he caught his breath and calmed down, I asked him what was up. This was the second meeting in a row where he showed up at wits end, clearly having difficulty staying focused and managing the pace of his role. He was in overload.
And to catch up and save time, Mark did what he thought was the obvious: He skipped his lunch, ate candy bars in the afternoon for bursts of energy and rarely got any exercise. Making matters worse, he averaged about 4 hours a night of sleep.
But Mark was misguided. Rather than saving time, these behaviors were actually undermining his overall effectiveness.
Can you relate to Mark? Are you just about out of gas? You’re not alone.
When the seemingly relentless demands at work and burdens of a busy life take their toll on work performance, we tend to think that managing our time better will improve the situation. If we can just work faster, multitask more efficiently, things will be better, we think, as we skip another meal or pass up on that extra hour of sleep.
However, as Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, authors of The Power of Full Engagement, explain, it is the skillful management of energy, not time, that most significantly affects high performance. Too often, we squander this valuable resource through energy-taxing habits.
Take a look at this list of physical, emotional or mental habits and assess how you are managing your energy:
1. I rely on sugary or carbohydrate-rich snacks for bursts of energy when I need an energetic pick-me-up
2. I believe that life is an endless marathon to be endured; you just have to keep on running.
3. I tend to do what feels immediately pressing and easier to accomplish rather than make intentional choices about how I spend my time and what matters most.
4. I hate routines; they’re too much like being stuck in a rut. I prefer to be loose and spontaneous.
5. I’m so busy I rarely have time to reflect on what I value most deeply.
6. I seem to be stuck in overdrive; I feel like I’ve lost the ability to shift to any other gear.
7. I work out (cardiovascular and weight training) irregularly, if at all.
8. I regularly get less than six hours of sleep.
9. I rarely take breaks; that way, I can get more done.
10. When I take the time to notice, my breathing seems shallow; I seem to go a long time without taking a deep breath.
11. Anxiety, frustration and overwhelm seem ever-present for me.
12. When I’m under pressure, I easily become harsh or defensive with others.
13. Personal relationships are not something I devote a lot of energy to. If they don’t work, I move on.
14. I smoke and/or drink; to be honest, doing so really helps lower my anxiety level.
15. I believe that downtime is wasted time.
Hint: If you answered “true” to more than just a few of these statements, you’re probably not performing—or feeling—as well as you could be. Taking more effective charge of your energy can keep you moving strong with a full tank of gas. You’ve got too much to do to ignore the facts surrounding high performance.
Is it time to fill up your gas tank? What practices and behaviors have you found that give you the energy to work and live at your very best?
To your success,
Mary
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