subject: How To Manage Your Managerial Energy Effectively For Peak Performance Results [print this page] When you are confronted with a looming deadline or a project which requires you to step up your game to a higher level, what do you do? Instinctively, the majority of managers will allocate more time to the challenge, in the fallacious expectation that by working longer hours, they are somehow working harder and are therefore more likely to achieve the desired results.
The reality is that while working longer hours can lead to a short term improvement in productivity; this is not something which can be achieved over the long term. More importantly, by working consistently long hours, but in a disengaged state, you are not properly prepared to meet emerging challenges which can spring out upon you at any time.
The simple fact is that you must learn to manage your energy far better than you manage your time. By ensuring you are able to be engaged with your work, which means taking adequate time off to recharge, you are able to be more effective during the hours you devote to being engaged with your work.
This means moving away from simply being present at work to being completely engaged and focused. But what do we mean by 'energy' in the business context? Energy is derived from four main domains in our lives - mental energy, physical energy, emotional strength and spiritual well-being. We must accept where our energy comes from and attend to all four dimensions of our lives from which our energy is drawn from.
Energy is also managed most effectively when there are periods of stress and recovery. This is the basis of any effective physical training program, where your muscles are alternately placed under stress and then allowed a period of inactivity to aid recovery. This allows you to return to your work refreshed and fully focused on the challenges in front of you rather than trying to work through fatigue and leaving you prone to distraction and disengagement.
The analogy to physical training and exercise is not yet complete, as managing our energy also involves going beyond our comfort zone and pushing our upper limits. This means building up or emotional and mental energy reserves as well as exercising our spiritual and physical boundaries. It is only when we try to push ourselves beyond our limits that we truly discover just what our limits are in fact.
Finally, we must ensure that we enjoy periods of low stress and relaxation. This implies removing yourself from the work environment, and not just your office but disengaging from work entirely. This will promote recuperation and re-energizing yourself so you are ready for the next round of working challenges.
The key to achieving peak performance is not to manage time but to manage your energy. By managing business energy effectively, you are able to wield focus and engagement at will, and achieve far more effective results than simply working long hours for diminishing returns.
