Shifting your approach to time…

As a business owner/CEO we become victims of habit and lose sight of the fact that our time is certainly money.  I find that after very little review to the calendar of a CEO and evaluating their reasoning for every meeting or activity, they then realize that much of what is scheduled is NOT contributing to overall strategy or profitability of their company.

It’s time to shift your approach to time…

While increasing our productivity and adding more to our to-do list is certainly a commendable goal, that method is actually inclined to damage your productivity.

We’ve all be tricked into thinking we just need to work harder and be more productive.

While in reality without real renewal and revitalization throughout the day, we tend to hold ourselves back because we’re worried about managing our energy to make it throughout the day.

Forcing yourself to continue working during times of low energy, you risk continued fatigue and low performance.  It’s important that we respond to our body’s natural rhythms and align our cycles of work and relaxation with them to work in a maintainable beneficial manner…

Here are three worthy practices for energy management:

• 90 minute block work sessions: Top performers routinely take part in uninterrupted sessions that last no more than 90 minutes.  Our brain can only focus for 90 to 120 minutes tops before it needs a break.  It is found that the 90-minute pattern in our sleep also is the same during our days, as we move from higher to lower alertness known as the ultradian rhythm.
• 15 minute breaks: According to Tony Schwartz, author of Be Excellent at Anything.  Breaking up work periods into 90 minute stints with the understanding that there will be a 15 minute break at the end is a great practice to get started with equalizing energy and recovery throughout the day.  The 90 minute work period can be handled without having to worry about pacing or burnout: a planned break is forthcoming.
• Napping: Taking a short 15-20 minute nap is an easy way to maintain your level of energy, and to boost alertness.  Naps improve performance level and self-confidence of task operation.  If you are really pressed for time, even as little as 6 minutes of sleep is sufficient to promote acute memory performance.

Keep in mind that multi-tasking can be a dangerous habit, it can seriously deplete your productivity and energy levels.  Energy not time is the prevailing factor of high performance.

Remember as our demands increase and our resources decrease we want to get extra tasks done in less time, so we need to do more than just “manage our time”.

When you learn how to “manage your energy”, in addition to your time, your productivity hit the roof!

 

Do you practice energy management?

[themecolor]Dave Baney is the founder and CEO of 55 Questions, LLC.  We work with successful top executives with a driving ambition to crush their competition.  We help CEOs and Entrepreneurs improve alignment, communication and accountability throughout their organization.[/themecolor] www.55Questions.com

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