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It is not unusual for entrepreneurs to execute in energy, and I am not an exception. I have a bone pulling a week of 60 to 70 hours for decades, and I would like to think that I am not worse for wear. But, like many business leaders, I have also seen that energy levels collapse after intensive projects. After being a complete inclination during the week in preparation for our IPO, for example, I really surprised how worn I felt and how much inactivity time I needed to recover.
That moment changed the way I think of productivity. Entrepreneurs love to talk about time management, optimize schedules to squeeze more hours of the day, but what I learned is that time is not the real construction. The energy is. You can meticulously plan your calendar, but if you don’t have the energy to execute, none of that matters.
Arianna Huffington learned this in the difficult way when she collapsed from exhaustion, breaking her cheekbone in the process. Innumerable founders have run to the ground, thinking that working harder was the answer, until they hit a wall. And with the exhaustion of the workplace, we are in what some have called a human energy crisis.
The good news? Energy management is a learned ability, and when it dominates it, not only avoids depletion: you unlock higher levels of productivity, creativity and resilience.
Here are four approaches that I reach to maintain its high energy levels and business.
Related: How to put aside unnecessary tasks and focus on what matters
1. Identify your energy vampires (and reinforcements)
It is no secret that low energy can impose a great frequent productivity. Fatigue costs employers an estimated $ 136 billion annually. But leaders who understand how to handle yours, and take advantage of the energy of their teams, can significantly increase their ability to do things.
The power management of the hand with the management of time, but it is not the same. Maintaining your high energy also requires understanding exactly what drains it and what it replenishes. If you are not sure, an excellent place to start is to track your daily activities.
For me, the greatest drain is not busynes or overrated, it is conflict in labor relations. The stress that causes me literally keeps me awake at night, in part how a bad relationship can balance in a massive energy vampire. On the other hand, good relationships can be great energy reinforcements, and studies have shown that leaders who prioritize relationships have teams that are more productive, enthusiastic and loyal.
2. claim energy from the tasks and people who drain
You may not be able to avoid everything that drains it, but you can find ways to manage problematic areas. For me, that means investing in improving the situation. I have seen many entrepreneurs cut and run when things get difficult, but I think it is worth the effort to do something well.
There is an example here: when a relationship with a team member is going very well, I hurry to assume the best intentions. But if it is not going well, or I will assume the sausage. Changing this requires that you go back and process your communication again imagining how it would react if it were another person. It is an easy trick to change my perspective to a more positive frame, and helps me clarify my prejudices and repair the relationship.
Frankly, we all need to own our part instead of applying labels such as ‘Energy Vampire’ that blame the other person. If appearing as the best does not work, then it may be time to end the relationship.
Do what you do, don’t expect a catastrophic moment to take action. Consider compensating energy drains with things that replenish it. For me, time is taling for the basics: lifestyle habits such as sleep, nutrition, exercise and family time, and the creation of an optimized work environment for a flow state. I have realized that minimizing interruptions and chicken ruptures is essential to maintain my energy levels through work, and I think many people could also benefit from this.
Related: Do not allow these 8 common commercial expenses to drain their profits
3. If you cannot optimize energy drainage, find an alternative solution (it could only be acceptance)
We all have to do things that we do not enjoy work, sometimes there is no way to avoid it. It is possible that I have the temptation to cut the task completely, but consider this: if I could optimize the situation, could it become an energy reinforcement?
I discovered, for example, that I can make the conferences networks more pleasant (and less drain for an introvert) if I concentrate on creating quality connections with two or three people, instead of striving to shake like many. Possible.
Small optimizations can go a long way to Townard Turnard a negative in positive, but I think it also helps accept the fact that not all tasks will be an energy reinforcement, and that’s fine.
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4. Lead with energy: Establish expectations and maintain high impulse
In its role as team leader, you can model healthy energy management, but you can also establish clear objectives and expectations that eliminate energy start arguments. That means being clear about who is making a decision and when, maintaining the time for the debate to a reasonable minimum, documenting the decision and ensuring that after it is taken, it does not become a reitivation. Failing in any of these points can be a massive energy drainage for your equipment.
Being crystalline in the general panorama helps to keep the high spirits when the days are long. In addition, identifying an end point and celebration markers can have a great impact on maintaining motivation and morals (and can lead to greater success). He witnesses all the years that our Black Friday sales campaign, when each department meets to support success and see our board reach its objectives.
If you eliminate one thing, that this is: managing your energy is not a luxury, it is a necessity. The most productive entrepreneurs are not just teachers of their calendars, they are teachers of their resistance and their equipment. Before packing another hour in the day already complete, ask yourself: am I managing my time or am I administering my energy?
