There are 168 hours in a week and, however busy you think you are, some of those hours have to be spent sleeping.
That doesn’t allow a whole lot of time to get through the to-do list. Indeed, when Denni Francisco asked during a Network Central event last week just how many women in the room had ever reached the bottom of such a list, she was greeted with laughter.
The CEO and director of the Australian arm of Tony Schwartz’s The Energy Project believes this desperate bid for more time is a result of an energy crisis – and she’s not referring to the one that’s affecting the climate.
This particular crisis is one that is often masqueraded as being a time management problem.
“Time is finite. The idea of time management is somewhat defunct now,” she said. “But there’s another resource we can call on, one that gives us a greater opportunity to show up more powerfully in the world we do.”
That resource is energy which comes in four different forms — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Unlike time, it’s a resource that can be renewed.
Francisco said it’s the emotional energy component that requires the most work, and outlined four zones on a map that can explain our level of emotional energy at any one point.
These four zone include survival — where one might feel impatient, anxious and fearful – and burnout, which can leave you feeling helpless, depressed, sad and empty.
On the more positive side, there is the renewal zone – where one is tranquil, serene and mellow — and performance, meaning upbeat invigorated, optimistic and confident.
“Once we recognise where we are [on the map] we can make an intentional choice about moving into the high performance zone.”
Doing that may mean intentionally spending time in the renewal zone, something that may seem a little foreign to anyone who believes high performance comes with hard work alone.
“But the renewal zone is not where you slack off, it’s where you go to fill up your tank so you can show up in a powerful way,” explained Francisco.
The Energy Project aims to present a better way of working, helping people and companies to get more energized, engaged, focused and productive.
Francisco pointed to PwC research to highlight the productivity benefits of employers supporting the energy levels of their employees. “For every organisation that invests one dollar on wellbeing, they get a return of $2.30,” she said.
While organisations would be wise to catch on to the benefit of helping to renew the energy levels of employees, Francisco also noted that it’s ultimately up to individuals to put in the renewal work required.
Exactly how you do that depends on what works for you, although getting enough sleep is always necessary. Other forms of ‘renewable energy’ may include exercise, breathing exercises, spending time with loved ones, reading, writing, and getting involved in projects you’re passionate about.
What matters is managing your energy levels and acknowledging that every so often, such levels need to be renewed.
How do you renew your energy?