TRAINOLOGY: Managing Energy, Not Time

With the rising demands of the workplace, catching up means putting in extra hours; which takes a toll on us mentally, physically and emotionally.

We all know at least one person who over works themselves, pushing 12 to 14-hour days, feeling perpetually exhausted making it difficult to engage with family or friends. These individuals tend to have poor sleep habits, probably make little time for exercise and seldom eat healthy meals, instead grabbing a bite and eating at their desk.

This experience is not uncommon. With the rising demands of the workplace, catching up means putting in extra hours which takes a toll on us mentally, physically and emotionally. The core problem with this scenario is that time is a finite resource.

Energy which is the capacity to work, comes from four major areas in human beings: the body, emotions, spirit and mind. The magical thing about energy is that it can be expanded and renewed simply by teaching people a few easy practiced rituals. The problem is that many people are not fully aware of the energy-depleting behaviors that are damaging themselves.

Energy management training is more important than ever. Organizations need to shift their emphasis from getting more out of people, to investing in them – motivating them to bring out more of themselves to work every day. And managing energy can transform lives; whether it is sitting down with family for breakfast or taking an afternoon stroll, simple establishing rituals like these can lead to striking results.

So where do we start?

Tony Schwartz wrote a great article in Harvard Business Review back in October 2007 where he piloted an energy management program at Wachovia Bank to a group of executives. After the pilot finished not only did the executives outperform on their financial metrics with substantial improvements to turnover, customer relationships and engagement. They achieved this by focusing on the four major areas:

Body – Physical Energy

The program started by focusing on physical energy. Before exploring new behaviors and habits, executives filled out an “energy audit,” identifying what they were doing wrong physically. You can try it out yourself here.

After the audit, executives had to identify a few minor changes they want to tackle following their audit scores. One simple example was introducing taking regular breaks where every 90 to 120 minutes executives had to disengage from work, getting out of their desks. This was to tackle ultradian rhythms, that period when our bodies move away from high-energy states into troughs and we start yawning, feeling hungry or losing concentration. Other rituals included changing sleep habits, exercise, nutrition or listening to music.

Emotions – Quality of Energy

When facing external pressures, taking control of emotions improves the quality of energy. Most people realize that they perform best when they’re feeling positive energy. To promote more positive energy at work the management program taught executives to recognize what events triggered negative emotions to better control them.

One simple ritual was a concept called “buying time.” Through deep abdominal breathing and exhaling slowly, the body naturally relaxes and energy starts to recover. Another ritual for positive emotions is expressing appreciations and executives were taught to set time aside for this ritual.

Mind – Focus of Energy

The energy management pilot taught participants that multitasking is not the answer. In fact, juggling tasks undermines productivity as attention is temporarily shifted from one task to another. Executives were taught that focusing on one task for 90 to 120 minutes and then taking a break is the best approach.

The program made the executives truly struggle by giving them a task and interrupting them every few minutes relentlessly to face daily distractions. Executives learned that turning off daily distractions with simple practices like not bringing their mobile phones into meetings, checking email only twice a day (one in the morning and once in the afternoon) and introducing technology to tackle repetitive jobs helped participants manage their energy.

Human Spirit – Energy & Purpose

People tap into their energy when everyday work is aligned with their personal values and beliefs. Executives learned that when their work truly matters, they felt more positive energy greater focus and productivity. The challenge is that not all work is always aligned with our values.

The energy management program drove the executives to be attentive to the other three areas and discover how they satisfy their own deeper needs. Even by simply asking themselves what really mattered to them both illuminated and energized their work. One of the greatest exercises from the program was making the executives recall at least two experiences in the past several months during the pilot when they found themselves in their “sweet spot,” that effortless, inspired, flow moment. Understanding when and what triggers that sweet spot helped executives schedule their days around their most productive period.

The new way of work needs to promote a healthy workplace where organizations promote rituals that embrace positive energy. Training teams should be aware of energy management programs or workshops that help people support these behaviours. To learn more about energy management, check out Tony Schwatrz's TED Talk below.

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About the Author: Robert Kostecki is an HR & Training Manager passionate about expanding the borders of education in the tourism industry. With his journey in training he never forgets that in hospitality – no two days are ever the same.