Energy Management (#84)
Prior to any US Army officer serving as a battalion or brigade commander, they attend several weeks of training at Fort Leavenworth to help prepare them for the job. Both times I attended the Pre Command Course, I received a copy of the book The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. I found the book and its ideas fascinating. My copy has been read and underlined several times.
Jim Loehr is a world-renowned performance psychologist and author. He got his start working with tennis players like Jim Courier and Monica Seles. One thing that he noticed about the top ten tennis players in the world is that they used the exact same routine or habit between points. Using the same routine — get the towel, dry the hands, adjust the racket strings, get three balls, pick the two best, bounce the ball six times, and then serve — enabled the elite players to lower their heart rate, recover faster, forget about the last point, and focus on hitting an amazing serve. I am a big fan of habits, even for leaders. If you are too, check out the Mundanity of Excellent Leaders (Post #66) for more ideas on how to habitualize and improve your leadership.
But more importantly than studying elite tennis players, the two argue that managing your energy rather than your time is most important thing for corporate and non-profit leaders. For leaders, one of the most important decisions you will make is how you decide to spend your time. Do you just react to whatever comes up at work or do you structure your day? I have talked about personal time management in Post #44, Personal Operating Rhythm; organizational time management in Post #34, Battle Rhythm; and where to go as a leader in Post #21.
However, part of the decision on where you spend your time is how you mentally recharge during the day, like the tennis players, so you are most effective for your periods of strategic thought, key meetings, and important one-on-ones. The two recommend that you work for 90 minutes and then take a 10 to 15 minute break. Some executives recharge by going to get a cup of coffee, others go circulate with the team, and, if you are like me, you take a ten minute walk outside. Another way to recharge is how you use your workout. When I worked in the Pentagon I worked out in the afternoons — my most productive time was the hour before the workout (due to the time pressure) and the hour afterwards (because I had more energy).
Whatever technique helps you manage your energy and recharges your batteries during the day, go on the offensive in 2021, revamp your schedule, and build in a couple of ten minute breaks each day. You’ll work more effectively and efficiently.