What Do You Need More, Time or Energy?
If you could have more time or more energy, which would you choose?
I’m going to get bold and make the case that many of your challenges would be overcome if you had more energy.
If you’re like me trying to control time, you take things off your schedule only to find other things have filled that briefly open space. As a result of your effort, you still don’t have any extra time. What you’ve got is a new routine.
In this episode I’m laying out why you are better served by finding the best ways to renew your energy, rather than looking for more time.
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How Energy Makes the Difference in Performance
The coaching process I use with my clients is called the Core Energy Coaching process. At its foundation is the science that we are largely made of energy and that our beliefs, thoughts, feelings and actions have an energetic signature that either depletes or restores us.
All day long we are thinking thoughts that are renewing or depleting our energy.
This phenomenon was written about in the book, The Power of Full Engagement, by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz.
The subtitle of this book is “Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.”
Has this ever happened to you? You carved out time to work on a project. When that time came you were too cranky, tired, hungry or restless to focus on the task and get it done.
You had the time, but you did not have the energy.
The reason you couldn’t focus was that your energy was tapped out. You needed to do something to restore your energy before you could take advantage of the time to work on your project.
When you are depleted, you may find yourself reaching for your phone to scroll or watch YouTube videos. Lately I’m into Instagram reels of goldendoodles.
We instinctively do this because we want to find something that will calm us down, let us check out for a while or find a good laugh.
These strategies work in the short term but they are not the best sources of energy. You end up spending precious time and only gain a small amount of energy to make it to the end of the day.
Keep your energy high so when the time presents itself to get something done, you are all-in and ready to go.
How to Renew Your Energy
Rather than constantly responding reactively to low energy try adding in some activities that will renew your energy and prevent your energy from crashing.
Here is a list of things that proactively renew your energy. Obviously, their opposites drain your energy, so keep that in mind.
I’ve broken the activities into categories but be sure blend activities from each category in your day or week.
For Your Physical Energy
- Sleep
- Good Nutrition
- Hydration
- Exercise or movement
- Stretching
- Conscious breathing
Your Mental Energy
- Keeping life simple
- Minimizing decision-making and
- Make decisions in a timely manner
- Consume content that stimulates your mind (TED talks are great for this)
- Have stimulating conversations
- Communicate clearly to prevent confusion and ask that those around you do the same.
For Your Emotional and spiritual energy
- Activities that bring you joy
- Spending time with happy, positive people
- Spending time with animals and being out in nature
- Being of service and acts of kindness
- Taking time for reflection
Would you add anything to this list? Go to the post that accompanies this episode and leave a comment letting us know what you do to keep your energy high.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for listening to the Women Taking the Lead podcast. Not yet subscribed to the podcast? Hit the follow or subscribe button so you don’t miss out on the upcoming episodes. And if you know anyone else who can benefit from this episode, please share it with them.
If you are looking for leadership development opportunities for yourself, your team or your organization, reach out to me. We can customize a program that meets your specific needs. You can reach me at jodi@womentakingthelead.com.
As always, I hope this was of value to you and here’s to your success!
Resources
Leadership Coaching. Let’s chat about what you want to accomplish and discover if my coaching process is a fit.
Apply to be on an “On-Air Coaching” episode. Are you a female leader who has been promoted in the last year? Apply to be on the podcast.
Saboteur Assessment: Find out which Saboteurs are impacting your performance, wellness and relationships, and how they do it.
Leadership Operating System Inventory. Wondering what kind of Leadership traits you have? Take this FREE, FAST self-assessment and find out more about yourself as a Leader.
Accomplished: How to Go from Dreaming to Doing. A simple, step by step system that gives you the foundational structure to take your goals and make them happen.
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