Boosting Productivity Through Energy Management

Jul 20

It's the season for mid-year reviews, both for business performance and for your teams. But have you considered reviewing your goals too? Twice a year, I make a point to pause, reassess my priorities, and adjust my calendar in an ongoing quest for balance. This habit allows me to stay focused, live consciously, and still leave room for life's surprises.

To kick off this exercise, I focus on two key factors – values and energy. Concentrating on these aspects keeps what's important at the forefront. I have discussed setting values and priorities in previous newsletters, such as leading authentically and goal setting. This newsletter, however, shines a light on the significance of energy management, which is fundamental despite the abundance of time management productivity hacks out there.

Understanding and planning around your personal energy cycles optimizes each moment, helping you accomplish more in less time. In this discussion, we'll delve into:

Your personal energy cycle
Prioritizing projects and tasks
Setting boundaries
Identifying energy drains
Implementing these tips with your team

Your Personal Energy Cycle

I've had many clients who, driven by ambition, strive to rise at 4:30am like the world's top CEOs. They manage it, but often at the cost of feeling tired and unfocused for the rest of the day. Not everyone is cut out to be a 'morning person.' The truth is, we each have our rhythm: specific times of the day when we're alert, energetic, and creatively productive. Recognizing this rhythm is what really counts.

For a week, monitor and note down your energy levels at five different points during the day: early morning (5-9am), morning (9-noon), afternoon (noon-4pm), early evening (4-8pm), and late night (8-midnight). Reflect on the following:

When do you feel most 'awake,' energized, and enthusiastic?
When are you most present, attuned, and thoughtful in your interactions?
When do you tend to get irritable or impatient?
When do you reach for stimulants like coffee?
When do you feel the most and the least productive?

You can also seek insights from peers, partners, or friends who may have observed your patterns. Once you have identified the periods when you feel at your best, move onto the next step.

Prioritizing Projects and Tasks

Many executives let their calendars dictate their day. I suggest an alternative: begin each week with a priority list, both professional and personal, and schedule these items FIRST. Ideally, make these recurring events to protect the time on your calendar.

Tackle high-demand tasks - significant projects, challenging conversations, or deep focus work - during your peak energy periods. Too often, executives spend their high-energy periods on minor, speedy tasks like emails, and save the tougher projects for lower-energy times, which often leads to delays or unfinished work due to constant interruptions. Doesn't it make sense for your most impactful work - the kind that propels your team, gets you promoted, or solves a complex problem - to get your full attention?

For instance, as a 'morning person,' I dedicate the first hour of my day to contemplation and deep focus. By the time I sit at my desk, I know exactly what my key priorities are. The next hour or so is for intensive work that requires my undivided attention. It always amazes me how much I can achieve in this time. I reserve mid-morning to early afternoon, my secondary peak, for meetings, and prioritize the rest of the day, when my energy is waning, for non-urgent or quick tasks. I also remind myself to take short breaks throughout the day. Organizing my day around my energy levels has significantly boosted my productivity and ensured coverage of high-priority tasks.

Setting Boundaries

The above strategies may sound straightforward, but what happens when your boss schedules an unavoidable meeting? Or an urgent matter arises? These situations will occur, but it's crucial to reserve exceptions for tasks that are both urgent AND important. Take a moment to discern: can you really tell the difference? In a world where every ping seems urgent, it's critical to pause before deciding to respond or accept a meeting invitation.

Your calendar can be a handy tool here. By blocking off time for high-priority tasks, you limit availability for sporadic meetings. You might be surprised at how your team, and even your leaders, accommodate your limited availability. It's not about blocking every minute, but about thoughtfully preserving time for the tasks that maintain your energy, focus, and creative space.

Moreover, blocking your calendar allows for thoughtful action and reflection on each meeting you accept. If something overlaps, where does that high-priority block go? This quick check can help determine if the new request is worth disrupting your carefully planned schedule.

Identifying Energy Drains

We've all turned to an extra cup of coffee when energy lags, but boosting energy isn't always about caffeine. Even a good night's sleep won't always suffice when you're exceptionally busy. That's because there are four types of energy – physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental.

Physical: Good sleep, hydration, exercise, and nutrition all fuel this energy type. Even a 10-minute walk can rejuvenate your mind and problem-solving skills.
Emotional: It's essential to acknowledge and address the feelings stirred by life's ups and downs. A challenging work situation or a difficult personal conversation could be sapping your energy.
Spiritual: This isn't necessarily religious. Are you living in harmony with your values, and being true to yourself and others? The disparity between your aspirations and your actions could be causing stress.
Mental: My personal favorite here is meditation. How do you give your mind a break? Allowing yourself to daydream for 10 minutes can boost innovation and patience at work. Detoxing from your phone or social media, particularly in the evenings, can help reset your mind for the day ahead.

Chances are, you've heard most of these tips before. But have you ever paused to see how they interconnect? You could be experiencing energy drains in several areas simultaneously. By evaluating these elements and working to improve them, you'll find that pairing energy optimization with best-hour utilization will greatly enhance your engagement, energy, and execution.

Implementing Tips with Your Team

Beyond setting an example, here are a few ways to encourage your team to identify and understand their energy cycles:

No meeting days
Quiet rooms
Inquire about their wellbeing during 1:1 meetings
Encourage renewal activities during joint calendar reviews
Set times when everyone is out of the office

Just as you navigate daily stresses from work and home, so does your team. Allowing them space to recharge is crucial for maintaining focus, momentum, and creativity. Plus, it fosters loyalty as they recognize your concern for their wellbeing.

Conclusion

At my last few speaking engagements, I was met with surprise when discussing energy management as a tactic to improve well-being and productivity. With so many time management hacks available, it is important to consider this as part of the formula. Leveraging your natural energy cycles as a start, then leaning into the 4 kinds of energy will continuously renew and expand your energy capacity.

As always, most best practices start with understanding yourself first and then being open that your team may have a different approach. Having open dialogue about preferences, workload and how we reenergize can at least be an input for planning and development.

If you’re interested in having a deeper conversation about how to learn your own preferences or how to integrate these practices within your team, feel free to reach out for a complimentary consultation using the link below. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about this topic, see links to references.

https://calendly.com/promoteleaders/introduction