Personal Power Outage? Try Managing Your Energy

Summer here in the Midwest is simply wonderful.  After our long and often tedious (may I say downright demoralizing) winters, hot summer weather is a welcome relief.  Yet, like any season, summer has its downsides.  Really hot, humid weather (not to mention mosquitoes) can drive us inside more than we would like to admit.

And then there is the threat of the inevitable strong storms that raise havoc as well.  I happen to have a wooded area behind my house, and typically each summer we lose power because a tree falls on the power lines behind us.  Usually the outage only lasts a few hours, but occasionally many trees fall and cause major damage.  One hot summer we lost power for a week.  That was quite a rude awakening.

If nothing else losing something we take for granted has the advantage of helping us fully appreciate a modern blessing.  Certainly, losing electric power is nothing in comparison to loss of life or home or property that so many experience.  Yet, going for an extended time without power can be very draining in its own way.

But what about our own personal power?  Our personal supply of energy?

I don’t know about you, but the first part of the year has been particularly draining given the COVID-19 pandemic, racial tensions and the general mayhem of national politics during an election year.  Those of us working from home often feel even more stress because of the uncertainty of the future and the loss of daily interactions with our work teams.  I think the temptation is to simply work longer and try to work harder, which can lead to consequences with our health and wellbeing.  Sometimes that can turn into a vicious circle.

How to get our energy back?

A while ago there was a popular phrase going around that we should “work smarter, not harder” and I think that is a good reminder for today.  Often easier said than done, the consequences of not trying to find that work/life balance can be significant.  We only have twenty-four hours a day and to try and cram everything we feel we need to do into that space without paying attention to our personal health and welfare is at the very least counterproductive. When I have spent that last ounce of energy, my work quality as well as quantity drops noticeably.  I just don’t have the reserves to keep pushing, even though my head tells me I have to complete a task.  The center of that conflict is not a good place to be.

So what to do?

Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy published a study in the Harvard Business Review entitled “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” (read it here).  Their study is insightful, but also offers some ideas on ways to manage our own personal energy sources.

One thing they suggest is doing our own “energy audit.”  That is, take an objective look at the current state of our own personal energy.  Not unlike the energy audits the local power companies offer, the idea is to look at and evaluate where our ‘leaks’ are; that is, the state of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy.  This is hard because often when we look at these areas our first reaction is “I don’t have time” and of course that is the point.  Their study includes a sample audit for us to use to evaluate our own situation.

My guess is that most of us will identify weaknesses in each area and will require some work—yes work—to restructure our lives to regain balance and give ourselves the things we need to live well.

They offer some suggestions for improving in these areas:

  1. Physical Energy: No doubt some of this will be obvious.  Exercise, proper diet, adequate sleep and physical rest breaks need to be incorporated into a healthier lifestyle.  Exercise does not have to be back breaking; it could be a daily walk at lunch or basic stretching and balancing exercises to start.  Proper diet is very important and a key driver of energy.  Junk food at our desks does not help this, nor does excessive sugar, caffeine or alcohol.  Take mandatory rest breaks through the day.  Sometimes just a 10-minute distraction away from the desk can work wonders.  Just make sure you get away from your work for a time.  Finally, of course, adequate sleep is critical.  Getting by on just a few hours each night is neither healthy nor conducive to productivity.

 

  1. Emotional Energy: When I am overworked and tired, one thing that can easily happen is that I can ‘snap’ at other people. Obviously finding ways to restore peace of mind helps relationships and our ability to handle stressful situations.  Schwartz and McCarthy suggest learning to take time to breath. That is, take deep, measured breaths to clear our heads.  I know I have found short periods of meditation to be helpful as well.  There are lots of resources to help us restore our emotional energy, from apps to YouTube videos.  The result should be that we reestablish a positive internal image of ourselves so that image relates well to situations around us.

 

  1. Mental Energy: Multi-tasking appears to be a productivity fantasy, and in fact can really cause more of a mental drain than help us work better.  Having too many tasks coming at us at once reduces our ability to focus appropriately on important tasks as we are always being interrupted by non-critical events we feel we can handle all at once. The suggestion is that we try and focus on our primary and important tasks while turning off our reminders, phones, text-message buzzes and beeps, and other distractions for a fixed period.  For example, shut everything off for an hour, focus on the task at hand, and then take a ten- or fifteen-minute break to focus on those other distractions.  Other things to keep in mind would be to keep our minds fresh through putting them to work on other stimulating things such as reading a book, writing in a journal or other mentally stimulating activities which are not work related.

 

  1. Spiritual Energy: No this is not spiritual in the religious sense, although that certainly can be an element of spiritual energy. This relates to doing things that give us a sense of meaning and purpose.  After doing and reviewing limitless monthly reports, chewing statistics, and dealing with a seemingly unending string of emergency emails and texts, it is easy to lose our sense of what is really meaningful in our lives.  Even though those tasks are important, we need to incorporate those things that do reinforce what gives us purpose.  Whether or not it is making sure we place special focus on our kids, volunteering to help in our community, or just doing kind things for those around us can reinforce that we are living for a larger purpose.  These things which improve and maintain our spiritual condition are perhaps even more important that the other three.

 

I find that after a storm has passed, and the damaged repaired, there is often no greater relief that finding out that ‘power has been restored.’  The same can be said for our personal energy.  If you are feeling that personal power outage, time to reconnect and recharge.

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.

image provided by: Pixabay.com

Socializing: The Next Big Thing

The past few months we’ve all experienced quite a few challenges. For many, the next big one will be socializing.  As our world begins to open back up, we will venture out and expand the universe as we have individually known it to be. But what we will be returning to will not be what we left. Are you prepared for that?

A part of our transition back into society will mean more, new rules; wear face masks, limited number of people in a space, directed spacing and movement, etc.  Plus, a lot of waiting!

It has been estimated that we spend 1 -2 years of our lives waiting in lines. These are pre-COVID numbers. What are we in store for now?

Waiting in line generally causes anxiety and irritability. There are rare exceptions. For example, take the masters of the art of waiting in line, Disney. By creating distractions and managing expectations, parents, with kids in tow, will happily wait in line—repeatedly(!)—for an hour or more just for a four-minute ride.  But life is not a Disney theme park ride. We will now be waiting in places we had accessed freely for years.  How will we manage?

Experts recommend several ways to make the time pass quickly (perceived time).  Our smart phones are a great way to pass time: check emails, play a game, read a book, etc. Or how about some good old-fashioned people watching? Especially since much of our new waiting time will take place on a sidewalk. You could even go out on a limb and strike up a conversation with fellow waiters (maintaining proper social distancing of course).

Here’s the thing, we are going to wait more than ever. You can’t control that.  But you can control what you do with that time and how you react once your wait is over.  We need to realize that the employees that we encounter when our wait is over are doing their best in very trying times. Let’s make an extreme effort to treat them with respect, as well as everyone else we encounter.  A friendly smiling face or a kind word can go a long way in making someone’s day better, including our own.

It’s a whole new world out there. Let’s try and make it a better one.

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.

Stressed and Out of Control? “Stop, Drop, Nap”

“Someone asked my wife once, ‘Do you wake up grumpy in the morning?’ ‘No,’ she said, ‘I let him sleep.’”—John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted.

There sure seems to be a lot of focus on sleep these days.  The need for it, and of course the consequences of the lack thereof.  During these times of uncertainty and crisis I hear from people the whole range of sleep related issues from not enough because of worry and stress, to getting too much because, well, that may be all someone has to do at the moment because of quarantine or self-distancing.

The importance of a good night’s sleep is hard to deny. If we get a good one, we wake up ready to charge into the world full throttle. If we get a fitful rest, tossing and turning, filled with bad dreams, coming awake can feel like waking up in a pool of mud.

The thing is we still don’t really know why we need to sleep.  We do know of course that we need it.  In fact, sleep depravation studies show how people can go through very dramatic changes, including delusions, physical illness and even death.

But why do we need to sleep almost a third of the day away? Some people really need the recommended seven or eight hours; others seem to get by on just a few.  We don’t fully know.  It would seem, though, that to be healthy we need to ‘reboot’ sometime every twenty-four hours, and that re-boot is typically best at night at a regular time with no interruptions.

Dream on, right?

Well the solution may be this: “Stop, drop, nap.”

What a great idea!

I came across this notion (and the above quote) in an article in Domino by Raven Ishak titled “What Happens to Your Body When You Take Naps Every Single Day?” (read it here).

Ok, first a disclosure here:  I am a great fan of “Power Naps.”  That said, I am not a doctor and can only tell you what works for me.  Also, if you are tired all the time and sleeping more than usual it is good advice to check in with your doctor or other medical professional.

Admittedly saying that I like naps sounds like a baby.  But why should babies have all the fun? Just think about all the energy they have when they wake up from a nap!  We should be so lucky.

I first discovered the glory of the Power Nap when our kids were small.  After not much sleep the night before, a Power Nap for just ten or twenty minutes often gave me the gas to power through the rest of the day.  Why my wife could have gone all day without one I don’t know; maybe I am a baby after all!

At all events, Power Naps seem to be an increasingly popular way to relieve stress and recharge during the middle of a busy day.  Akin to meditation, a nap can clear our minds and let go of the stresses that are making us, well, stressed out.

Ishak says that this does not mean sleeping all day is a good thing. Rather anywhere from 20-30 minutes, up to 90 minutes seems optimal.

How to get into a routine for napping?  Well, first you need to find the time, and that is always problematic.  Sometimes the noon hour is optimal because we have a structured time away from our tasks.  Then we need to find a quiet, comfortable place that allows you to nod off for a bit.

Generally, I try to read for a few minutes to get my mind off of my stressors and distract me enough to relax.  A good chair or a couch is perfect for this, and if you are worried about waking up to get back to it, set a reminder on your phone or other device to wake you up when you need to.

What to expect?  If done right, you will probably be thinking about a lot of things right before you nod off.  About 20 or 30 minutes later (longer if you can take the time) you will wake up wondering when you fell asleep. Pretty easy, actually.

I realize by this point in my life I am pretty much a professional at this.  According to Ishak, getting into it right off the bat takes a bit of work.  She says that the first day you should be able to fall asleep pretty much right away.  You should wake up clear headed and refreshed.

However, the next week or so may be a challenge as it takes dedication to carve out the time to take a snooze.  During this time your body may have a hard time adjusting, but you will likely begin to feel the benefits almost right away.  Ishak says you should start to notice better concentration and increased attention span when you wake up. This should feel like it is virtually the start of a new day.

After a month or so you should notice that you are experiencing an increase in your productivity and improvement in your outlook.  After a longer period of time, say six months or so, you may also find physical benefits including a lowering of blood pressure, reduction in your risk of dying from heart disease, and maybe (!) an improvement in your sex life!

Who knew?

Ishak quotes sleep specialist W. Chris Winter, M.D., (The Sleep Solution): “Taking a nap can enhance your sleep cycle, regulate your sympathetic nervous system, help you think and let go of things that are causing you stress, and be used as a circadian marker to help your body understand where you are in the 24-hour cycle. Like meditation, it can be [used] as a quiet time in the middle of a chaotic day.”

So, an alternative to another cup of coffee when you are lagging and stressing out, take a nap!  “Stop, drop, nap”!

A. Alliance Collection Agency, Inc. is a full service, licensed accounts receivable management and debt collection agency providing highly effective, customized one on one management and recovery solutions for our business partners.  Founded in northern Illinois in 2005, we have been proudly improving the bottom-line on behalf of our business partners in and around Chicagoland for over 15 years.