Channelize the energy to accomplish more!

After a long day of meetings, I decided to do something funny - I sat down with a paper and pen to reflect on what was one of the most interesting and yet similar statements I heard throughout the day. I realized that the statement were “I wish I had more time”, “Just not been able to cope up with all the things I have in plate – need to re-look at time and priority management”, “There is no time to focus on some of the thing I have to do for myself” etc. But this exercise got me wearing my thinking cap on. What could be done differently? Is it to do with the time or is there something else?

As changes are happening across all industries in such a fast pace, it is also becoming difficult for people to not just focus on work and deliverables, but also coping with learning new aspects, concepts and adapting to the change. “Transformation” is the buzz word and the mind is cluttered with multiple thoughts and ideas as we get exposed to newer and diverse perspectives. In this chaotic and disruptive times, how do we make sure we produce the right outcomes, create value and positive impacts? It is certainly a catch 22 situation – if we do not learn and adapt new approaches and methods, then we lose opportunities, at the same time, if we are to resolve the complexity in this uncertain context, we perhaps do not have the time to invest in learning. This is the point that we find ourselves with “A lot to accomplish in very less time!” – does that resonate with you?

Personally, I have started to ensure that I do a mental relaxation using meditational music – it may be just the sound of breeze or the waves or the leaves hustling or even the chirping of birds. Well, YouTube comes for recue at these times offering a lot of variety of music. 10 minutes of this before I get into a learning activity or even when I feel too stressed or exhausted gives me a lot of positive energy and rejuvenation. I find that I am able to concentrate more and do more. Now that posed a question in my mind as I reflect – am I really managing time or am I managing energy within myself that enables me to do more and achieve more?

How do we accomplish more in 24 hours? My answer would be “channelize the energy!” Here are my experiences and thoughts I share:

• Refresh yourself – I often hear my family and friends telling me, “You need a good night’s sleep and more rest”. I love their concern but often times brushed it aside thinking, “I have no time”. But in less time, I realized that this was not true. I was not being able to pursue what I wanted to complete and it turned into frustration. I decided to take the loving advise that came my way! Getting good rest refreshed me and I was able to wake up, fully refreshed and with a clear mind to absorb more in a peaceful manner. This now has become a practice that when my body gives me the signs that it is not able to take more work or when I feel I am being less productive, I clearly stop and take good rest. This has enabled me to have fresh perspectives and accomplish more with a lot of positive energy. This reminded me of the story, “The Troubled Tree” – it goes like this:

“The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw quit, and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence.

On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

"Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied." I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again."

He paused. "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there ain't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."”

This demonstrate how a good rest or break in between will rejuvenate our energies.

• Focus not on how much you can get done but how you get it done: Focusing on the quality of work gives more satisfaction than the quantity. A work done with high quality earns more delight from the customers and stakeholders. The appreciation and delight seen in them is a very powerful feeling. This again gives you a lot of positive energy and zest to do more. Loving the work we do turns it into a passion. When we are passionate we give in our best and the outcome is “Excellence”. To enable create positive experiences we need to constantly challenge ourselves and think differently. New ways to doing things is to be welcomed with open arms. This again helps in refreshing our minds. “Old is Gold” and “New is Bold” – Finding new ways of getting things done with quality and excellence is where our energies should be!
• Be Fully Present: One of the four principles in the book “Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results” by Stephen C. Lundin highlights to “Be Present” When you have the true focus and give your full attention, it is easier to accomplish tasks twice as fast with more energy. Given all of life‘s distractions, to “Be Present” can be a challenge. Cell phones ringing, e-mails coming in, many people vying for your attention and multi-tasking is what we always see and experience. But, there are many costs when you aren‘t fully present: You‘re likely to miss important moments if you‘re not there for your friends, family, and coworkers. You may be physically present, but if you‘re emotionally absent, relationships start to feel empty and people seem like temporary stops on your way to some other destination. This again will lead to drain of energy and frustration!
• Power Breaks: I am sure we all are familiar with Power Naps - a short sleep taken during the working day in order to restore one's mental alertness. Well, power breaks as I view it is taking a short break of 5 minutes and stepping away from our workspace to a different mental zone. I know of people who keep some paper and crayons handy – when they feel that they cannot think anymore, they set aside the work and try to sketch or color something. Some of us tune on music, some of us take a coffee break or a short walk! Whatever it may be, this brief distraction helps in reviving more positive energy!

So, be it meditation, exercises or any other means of relaxation is truly focused on reducing fatigue, being healthy in mind and spirits – in other words, gaining positive energy within us that enable us to focus better and accomplish more.

Food for thought – “In our current world, do we then work towards managing time or do we work towards channelizing and managing our energies?”