“Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance.”

“Performance, health and happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy.”

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, The Power of Full Engagement

There is a constant pressure to always be on, in today’s fast pace, complex, and digital world. Work and life have melded into one. We are drowning in countless meetings and never ending to-do lists. It seems like there is no space for rest and recovery.

We feel like we don’t have enough time to get in all done. Actually, we have all the time in the world. The same 168 hours a week as everyone else. Getting clear on priorities and blocking out time on a schedule is certainly important. But there is still that constant pressure hanging over us and we are totally drained at the end of our working days.

What if we have this all wrong by focusing so much on time management. Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz propose in The Power of Full Engagement that we should be managing our energy, not time.

Let’s think about this for a second… What does that actually mean? 

Focus on energy

The bottom line is that we can plan our time perfectly, but if we don’t have the energy levels to deliver quality work during that time, then what is the point of all that time management?

You’ve had the feeling before where you block out the afternoon to complete that important project. The afternoon comes around but you really just don’t feel like doing the project. You are exhausted. It’s been a long week. So you just scroll through email instead. You take the easy way out as you don’t have a sustainable work strategy.

Rather than blocking out eight hours of a work day for “work”, you should be allocating periods of focus (“sprints”), followed by periods of renewal. 

Most of us have long working lives for 40 years or more. You want those years to be sustainable so that you can avoid burnout.

A new paradigm

Loehr and Schwartz highlight the differences in thinking between the traditional time management and the new energy management:

Old Paradigm	New Paradigm
Manage time Avoid stress Life is a marathon Downtime is wasted time Rewards fuel performance Self-discipline rules The power of positive thinking	Manage energy Seek stress Life is a series of sprints Downtime is productive time Purpose fuels performance Rituals rule The power of full engagement

You can see that this is a totally new way of thinking. Three areas stand out which may be controversial to some people; stress, downtime, and rewards vs purpose.

Seek stress: People are already overwhelmed with stress at work, home and online. The idea of “seeking stress” may sounds crazy. There actually are different types of stress and some stress is actually positive for growth. Not all stress is a crippling fear. 

Think of someone doing weights at the gym. The stress on the muscles is breaking them down, but then they grow back stronger. The stress is good in this case. They key is the following downtime for renewal. This same principle applies to work.

Are you actively seeking out positive stress for growth?

Downtime is productive time: In western culture there is a tendency to glorify working for the sake of work. Always be “hustling” or you will be left behind. Downtime is seen as wasted time, but this is incorrect. Without adequate recovery time you will have less energy, be less creative and could suffer from burn out.

What if all this “working” without adequate downtime is actually making you less productive and producing less results?

Purpose fuels performance (not rewards): People have been conditioned from the industrial age, and as children to expect rewards for their effort. This is a form of extrinsic motivation which is coming from outside. The problem with this is that you need more rewards to keep performing and this may not be realistic or sustainable.

Purpose on the other hand is a form of intrinsic motivation. It comes from within. It is something deep to your core which you can continually draw on. If you have a clear and deep purpose, you don’t need any external rewards to be fulfilled. This is much more sustainable.

How can you tap into the greater purpose behind your work?

The principles of Full Engagement

Loehr and Schwartz call the energy state that best serves performance “Full Engagement”. They outline the four principles of Full Engagement: 

Principle 1: Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

Principle 2: Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.

Principle 3: To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.

Principle 4: Positive energy rituals – highly specific routines for managing energy – are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.

Loehr and Schwartz, The Power of Full Engagement

By incorporating these four principles into your days and managing your energy more effectively, you could find that your performance improves while you also feel more personally renewed.

Some action questions

• Do you feel fully engaged in your work? In this positive state you would be describe feelings like invigorated, confident, challenged, joyful and connected.
  
• Have you designed your daily schedule in a way that rhythmically spends and renews energy? (sustainable)
  
• Do you challenge yourself to push beyond your limits for growth? Like an athlete developing physical capacity, but this also includes your emotional, mental and spiritual capacity.
  
• Have you developed daily positive rituals for managing your energy? Think of these rituals as habits or automatic behaviours which replenish your energy. For example, walking or meditation.

By changing your focus from time to energy you may unlock new levels of performance and higher levels of wellbeing.

Be fully engaged.