Managing Your Energy Is About Keeping Your Batteries Charged
Over the years as a personal business coach I am convinced that managing energy is the most important component to managing time. I have collaborated with numerous self-employed business owners, entrepreneurs and solo professionals and the one thing all of them must become good at is managing energy.
You may say, wait a minute. Aren’t you really talking about managing time? Yes, indirectly I am. If you manage your energy well you will do a good job of managing your time. Let’s take a look at managing energy.
Managing Time vs. Managing Energy
Whether you are running a small business, starting your own business or working for a company we all start with the same resource. All of us have 24 hours of time in our day. How we choose to manage or, I think more appropriately, spend our time is what can separate us from the crowd.
How we spend our time is dependent on what we have to do and how we have to do it. But, the energy that is consumed in what we do and how we do it determines how well we spend our time.
Paying Attention To Managing Energy
When I look at my calendar and to do list each morning, I pick out the one thing that I have to do that day where I cannot afford to give any less than my best. I make sure that I have the energy to do it with focus and excellence.
As a business performance coach I give speeches. If I have a speech scheduled I make sure that I have at least a couple of hours of uncluttered time before I give my talk. I cannot afford to have something dragging me down or distracting me at the last minute. These two hours also allow me to clear my head and renew my energy.
Pick the things that are most important each day and put yourself in a position to do them with excellence. When you do you are less likely to have more energy drained by coming back and having to redo them.
Managing Energy—The Limit
For each person managing energy will take on a different form. Even the high energy person can be drained. They are not high energy all the time.
The key in managing energy is to understand that, like time, it is a finite resource. Unlike time where the clock is going to tick regardless of what we are doing, we do have choices in managing energy. Energy is finite. Once it is used up that’s it. Make sure you have the energy for what matters most.
Managing Energy—How You Think
There is a saying that “Men are not hurt by what happens but by their opinion of what happens.” The key to good skills in managing energy is to manage your reactions to what is happening in your day. How you think about what is happening to you in your business or your life is the most important component to managing your energy.
Are there going to be days where things pile up and the energy gets drained quickly? Yes! But, the good news is that most of the time if you are aware of how you are thinking when you react to what is going on around you then you can practice managing your energy.
How you think is critical to energy management, time management, small business success, personal growth, happiness and self-fulfillment.
How you think is also about keeping your perspective. When you lose your perspective anxiety, panic or feelings of overwhelm or being rushed can set in. All of these are energy drainers.
Managing Energy—Take Care Of Your Mind
Take care of your mind and your thoughts. When you do, you will be managing energy and the essence of your life, which is time, will be more rewarding.
