In the latest blog post I mentioned some tips on Energy Management.
Most important is to make sure you fill up your personal energy “battery” to the 100% level every couple of days.
Knowing how we all seem to be time pressured now-a-days, this may mean you have to plan to charge your battery. If you know your preferred “charging” method, it may take even less time than you think.
There are two more points that can help you, that I promised I would elaborate on:
1. Let go of Matters you cannot Control: Circles of Influence
How much easier would it be, if you could just let go of everything you cannot control or have no influence on anyway? All elements you cannot control you should regard as Facts. And there are only two things you can do with facts, for you to decide how that will help you most:
1. Accept them and you get Peace of Mind.
2. Not Accept them (and you do not want to influence them either) and you will get Stressed and Frustrated.
A tool I use to determine around a topic how to use my energy, is the Circles of Influence.
I will use as an example one of my own issues in the past: “I do not feel happy about working in France where I live”
The Outer Circle, the “Facts”.
Elements that I placed in the outer circle, the elements I decided I do not have any influence on and see as facts: French economic situation, tax system, lack of international companies in a circle of 60 kilometers, lack of language skills of the French people…….
The Middle Circle, Zone of Influence. Be aware that here you do have influence, but never a guarantee of the desired outcome. In this zone you depend on the reaction and action of others.
Elements I decided that where in my influence zone: type of companies I want to work with, how do I organise work, where I want to work, availability of French language skills, ideas of my husband on topic, knowing the alternative countries and systems, reactions of social network….
The Inner Circel, 100% control over your actions, thoughts, feelings. This is YOU!
Elements I decided where fully under my control: Take French classes, feeling unhappy, take decisions to change situation, search for alternatives work and country, setting priorities…..
The result is known. I accepted that the conditions in France where too limited for what is important to me and I did take action on the elements under control and in my influence zone. When everything started to become clear on my priorities, I had all the elements that enabled me to decide to move to another country, closer to the work I love and the market that has more opportunities. I moved to Luxembourg and kept France as holiday location.
Analysing your questions or issues via the Circles of Influence, provides some distance and some structure in your thoughts. You can start to put all your energy in the elements of the Zones of Influence and you can start making things happen.
2. “Musturbation”, a habit to loose (No, it’s not a spelling mistake)
Have you ever counted how many times a day you use the word “must”? Try it one day and find out. There is an issue with using this word too much.
The word “must” has this feeling of pressure attached to it. Outside pressure. A lot of things you feel you “must” do, will make you feel stressed.
If you feel stressed, this is what you can do:
- Make a List of all your “To Do’s” for that day (period of time)
- On each item on the list, Ask the Question: Do I Want to do this or Must I do this? If you “Want” to do the activity, the pressure is gone, as there is a willingness. Wanting to do something makes you feel better. Your list will become lighter and the feeling of pressure starts to lift a little.
- On the list of things that remain under the heading Must, question yourself four times on each item:
- Do “I” really have to do this? Should you be the one doing this, or could somebody else also do this?
- Do I “really” have to do this? How urgent is it truly? Could it wait for another moment
- Do I really “have” to do this? How necessary is it to be done?
- Do I really have to “do” this? Is your action and time required or could giving instructions to somebody else be enough?
You can than prioritise easier and better and your feeling of pressure and stress will reduce. Your energy management has become more effective.
What kind of methods do you use to manage your energy during the day? Let us learn from your rich knowledge and wisdom and share via the comments your ideas.
If you like to learn more of the different tools and methodes I use myself and help others with, subscribe to the blog-post and be updated automatically on a two-weekly basis.
Esther Celosse
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