Jim Loehr Flashcards
Full Engagement
In order to increase performance, we need to focus on managing our energy rather than our time.
Many of us race through life without ever taking a break: we return home exhausted from a long day’s work, feeling overwhelmed with both work and our private life. And no matter how hard we try, there’s never enough time to get everything done.
But energy, not time, is the fundamental source of efficiency and high performance. Unfortunately, it’s too easy for us to forget this. Since we’re limited to 24 hours per day, we naturally focus on optimizing our time.
But time alone won’t help us achieve our goals. We also need energy – without it, we can’t perform at our potential, no matter how much time we allow ourselves to do what we want!
So rather than optimizing our schedules, we should focus on optimizing the quantity and quality of our available energy.
One way to efficiently manage energy and get more accomplished is in fact to work less and take more breaks.
When we concentrate on managing our time, many of us tend to work for hours on end without pause. But this takes a toll on our energy levels, and consequently makes us less productive.
Think about it: How do you feel after working for four hours straight? Chipper and ready for more? You probably feel totally drained, and no matter how many espressos you drink, you’re still unable to keep your concentration and maintain productivity.
Instead, try maximizing your energy (and therefore your productivity) by working less and taking lots of breaks. These breaks give you a chance to recharge your energy levels, thus allowing you to stay productive for more time.
By focusing on managing our energy level rather than trying to cram 48 hours into a single day, we not only become more efficient, but also have energy left for our private lives.
We can reach full engagement by maximizing all four of our energy levels.
