We’ve addressed Time Management and
Productivity in The Coach’s Playbook before—and it’s still one of the most
important yet least consistently implemented ways a person can improve their
business and their life. Specifically, we’ve recommended David Allen’s great
book, Getting Things Done, as a simple, practical guide to organizing
our days and our task list. If you haven’t given Allen’s methods a try yet, log
onto Amazon right now and download a copy. We’ve also talked about the Peak
Producers’ approach of working on those Big Rocks First, that is, the
activities that help you build your business for the long term—those calls,
handwritten notes, coffees and, yes, even those “pop-by’s”—while filling in the
pebbles and sand of returning client phone calls, reading emails, and doing the
paperwork that keeps our clients delighted with our service. (You don’t play
CandyCrush, do you?)
Most of these discussions and ideas
for time management and productivity, though, don’t address what’s probably the
most important element of how we handle and process our daily activities, both
business and personal: our energy levels.
First of all, there are five “wells”
of energy from which we draw each day. The five wells are: Spiritual,
Family, Business, Financial, and Personal. It’s a good idea to take
a few minutes and consider whether our tanks are on full, three-quarters, half,
or even on Empty, and how that impacts our attitudes and abilities.
It’s also important to remember that
our energy is a dynamic resource—it wants to move and flow rather than sit idly
in the tank. If we don’t control our energy and its flow, it will go somewhere
anyway! So, give some thought to the following ENERGY DRAINERS, ENERGY GIVERS,
and ENERGY SUSTAINERS:
ENERGY DRAINERS
Fear—False
Evidence Appearing Real! The best counter: have a detailed plan!
Worry—how
do you approach problem solving, both short and long term?
Indecision—does
it take you a long time to reach a decision? Do you overthink things?
Drama—so
much of this is available to us in this business! As Dr. Phil might say: what’s
in it for you?
Personal
Conflict—how is your personal life complementing or interfering with your
business?
Poor
Physical Condition—remember Gino’s M.E.D.S!
Lack
of Direction—do you have written goals—both personal and business—and are they
S.M.A.R.T. goals?
ENERGY GIVERS
Associations—the
folks you hang out with and the things you do have a huge impact on your energy
levels. Choose wisely!
Mental
Intake—the books you read or the games you play
Taking
Care of Yourself—again, remember Gino’s M.E.D.S!
Alignment
of Values—does your life and work reflect your personal values?
Written
Goals—yes, those with written goals are statistically far more successful than
those without them!
ENERGY SUSTAINERS
Tracking
Your Progress—yep, in detail so you know where you are and can celebrate
success or add course corrections
Visual
Anchors—consider a vision board with photos of your BIG WHY—why are you doing
all this? Retirement in five years? Send the kids to Harvard? Tour India and
China or buy a new carbon fiber bike? Put it on your wall and keep it as a
shiny carrot!
Consistency—the
tortoise ALWAYS wins the race. ALWAYS!
Taking
a Break—daily, weekly, annually, take a break to recharge your energy level so
you can knock it out of the park when you’re “on”
Accountability—yep,
again tracking your progress toward those written goals—and that vision
board—and remembering it’s you who is in charge
So how are your energy levels?
Remember, our energy will absolutely go somewhere . . . Make sure YOU choose
where it goes!
David M. Hassler
VP, Professional Development
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