Do You Wish You Had More Time? A new perspective on time management
Do you ever feel like you are so busy, you don’t have any time left for a life? Todays fast-paced, always “on” world is continuously requiring us to do more and more faster and faster. We hear a lot about work/life balance and time management. What if there’s another approach?
I’m fascinated by the work of Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz! In their book, The Power of Full Engagement, they shift the paradigm by saying it’s not our TIME we should focus on, but our ENERGY. This concept is gaining a lot of attention. Here’s a couple of examples that really hit home for me. We know it’s important to take time to be with our families, but if our energy has been totally zapped by our work, is it truly QUALITY time? Or we may feel guilty it we take extra time during our work day to go for a walk or chat with a friend, but what if that recharges our battery so we get more done? In their book, the authors point out,
“The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not.”
What can we do to get more energy?
The first step is to be sure we are taking care of the basics; getting enough sleep (7-8hrs), eating regular, healthy meals, and exercising.
Data suggests every 90 -120 minutes we should take a break to recharge. This could be standing up and stretching, taking several deep breaths, taking a quick walk around the hallways, stepping outside, or talking to a friend.
Our energy level is also dependent on our mindset. We will be more energized if we do more of what we do best AND what we enjoy. We can have a talk with our boss about past projects we’ve liked and possible ways to delegate some tasks that drain our energy. We can get involved with special committees or projects we find interesting.
We also need to be sure to schedule time for our families and for ourselves. These should be fun and/or relaxing hours WITHOUT digital connections to work.
Finally, my favorite is we need to stop wasting energy dwelling on things outside of our control, whether they are past frustrations or future worries. Just imagine what we could achieve if we took the energy we spent on things we cannot change and invested it in things we can!
Which of these areas need a little attention in your life?
Tina Hallis, Ph.D., is founder and owner of The Positive Edge, a company dedicated to helping individuals and organizations increase their positivity to improve the quality of people’s work lives and the quality of company cultures.
