Energy Management

We heard about the merits of time management for years. It seems that every self help expert and business coach offers insight into managing our time better. This is the "holy grail" for success. You will be a total success if only you manage your time efficiently.

Time management is a valuable tool. There is no question that it has merits. However, there is one factor that time management misses: energy. This is the one factor which determines the level of success we are to achieve. Mismanage your energy and you are doomed to fail.

Here is an example. Someone who takes the day off work because he or she is physically ill has plenty of time. The 24 hours are at that person's disposal. Nevertheless, nothing gets done on that day other than sleep. Why? Obviously because of the lack of energy. When we are sick, the only thing we concern ourselves with is feeling better. The proverbial to do list takes a back seat.

Time management tells us to handle the most important tasks first. This is a valid concept. The question is why are we doing this? We do this since that is typically the time that our energy level is the highest. Our success rate increases when we attack the activities which are the most difficult when we are strongest.

How many of you have the "afternoon crash"? For most people, this is a common occurrence. It is also an example of how time management fails to solve this situation. After lunch, there are a number of hours still left in the day. If we attended to the difficult tasks earlier, they are out of the way. Nevertheless, there is still business to attend to. Many find they have the time yet not the energy. Physically they feel the crash.

Experts will tell you that life is a marathon. In the general sense, it is. This teaches us to look at the long term perspective while persevering. Yet, when it comes to energy, life is a series of sprints. We are confronted with a situation that requires an exertion of energy like a dash. After that, we need time to recoup. This is how the successful excel. They build in the periods to restore the energy level.

In the next post, we will delve more into the energy/sprint concept.
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The Power of "No"

"No is one of the most effective terms in our language. The word is clear and concise. It also is a vital tool for successful time management.

There is an old saying "you can have anything you want in life, you just cant have everything". The reason is that there are trade-offs we need to make in terms of time. Each minute that you focus upon one thing is a minute that is taken away from something else.

We want to do everything. This is a condition that is natural. Many of us fail to realize where our limitations are. The desire to say "yes" when asked is too much to resist. However, it is this behavior which often puts us in a state of overwhelm. It is crucial that we gain control of our time if we are ever to attain success.

Saying "no" is a powerful tool in preventing this situation. There are always people who are looking for assistance from us. Nevertheless, we need to prioritize our time so that we are spending it most effectively. This starts with turning down those low priority activities. Unfortunately, there are many things that we do which have little impact on our lives. These are the tasks which we need to eliminate. Remember this the next time someone asks you to do something that is not consequential.

People have a tendency to dump on others. This is something that many of us conditioned them to do. Whenever they are in a bind, they come to us. Over the years, we always say "yes" to whatever they need help with. This trains them to turn to us before trying to work things out themselves. We need to reverse the behavior by telling these people "no". It is the only way for you to gain control over your time. You success depends upon acquiring this essential skill.
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7 Lessons From A Bad Manager

1. Do not micromanage people: Micromanaging completely kills an individual's morale. This individual had to be involved in everything. There was no detail too small for him to concern himself with. The overriding belief was that he could not trust anyone to handle the most basic of activities. In reality, it was his own fears and lack of confidence that led to his behavior.

2. Take time when increasing expenses: Upper level management hates nothing more than to see expenses increasing as soon as someone else is brought in. This is especially true when one is hired in a sales management position. Do all you can to increase revenues first. If some expenses are necessary, try to spread them out over a period of time. This will lessen the negative impact on the profit/loss statement.

3. Take care of your “stars”: If there is someone who is a high producer, consider this person when making your decisions. Making changes that affect this person's work situation could really come back to harm you. Losing this individual's production makes it extremely difficult to increase revenues. Often, it becomes the fatal blow to the manager.

4. Be teachable: This is especially true if you are new to the industry. Even if you have experience in that field, realize that every company operates differently. Your present knowledge may not be sufficient to succeed in the other culture. Also, the people that you are leading tend to without their expertise when they are dealing with someone who comes across as a know-it-all. Accept that you do not have all the answers.

5. Focus on the things that make a major difference: There is a tendency to get caught up in making changes to areas that are irrelevant to productivity yet have a negative impact on the staff. Let the little things go while attending to the major shortcomings of the enterprise. Long-term employees typically resist change. Easing the pain with the process by altering the big things nets greater dividends.

6. Be sure to understand the 'hierarchy': Many companies have a written chain-of-command. However, these same organizations also can have an informal hierarchy that is even more powerful. Although you might have the authority, the power might reside with others. Long time employees tend to have relationships with upper management. These people often have the ability to circumvent you. If the situation is bad enough, they can turn your supervisors against you.

7. Earn the respect of the people you are leading: People will not follow those they have no respect for. This is earned by being an example to all those who are around. Be willing to do whatever you ask someone else to do. Make sure that you learning is continual so that other's understand that you know what you are talking about. And be consistent with the decisions made so that they are based upon merit, not personalities. This leads everyone to feel that they are treated fairly.
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Have A Plan For The Day

It always amazes me how people will take the time out to plan a trip yet refuse to spent even a few minutes planning their lives. As we all know, having a plan when traveling helps to prevent getting lost. It also keeps one on the proper path to make sure that time lines are maintained. Not surprisingly, planning our lives has the same effect. Setting forth the direction that we are heading and the time periods for accomplishing different things increases the chances that we will not get lost.

Many write about the importance of setting goals. It is true that short-term and long-term goals give us insight into what our lives will look like. Creating a longer perspective spanning a few decades enables one to develop a fulfilling life. The shorter goals provide the stepping stones to these achievements. Goals in writing offer the incentive to overcome those obstacles as they arise. They are our roadmap on our trip of life.

As important as having a life plan is, it is incomplete without breaking it down to the shortest time period possible. As much as we tend to focus on the months and years of our lives, this is not where we live. Like they say in twelve step programs, we live 'one day at a time'. Upon awakening, each of us faces 12-18 hours before we retire in bed again. How we utilize this time is what separates the quality of life among different people. Of course, the way to make this most time most effective is to plan it out.

Many have a daily planner that they use. This is especially true in their business. All the appointments for the day are entered. Deadlines are noted along with plans for achievement. However, this is an incomplete 'plan'. To neglect one's personal affairs is what often leaves people feeling a bit unfulfilled.

The same twelve step programs mentioned above contain the aspect of daily plan. Part of their curriculum is to look at the day ahead to prepare for those situations where moments of weakness might arise. The temptation to fall back into the addictive behavior is reduced if one anticipates a troublesome area. Also, by concentrating on how one will attempt to respond in those circumstances, the perils are lessened.

If this concept is effective in combating addiction, how much impact would it have on the life of a non-addict? The answer is that it can take one's life from a 'lost journey' to one that has purpose. By knowing where one is headed on a daily basis, the tendency to get lost is eliminated. We move from activity-to-activity seamlessly. Tasks that do not fit into our plan are not considered. A focused mind has a tremendous amount of power. A daily plan concentrates the mind on what is important.

Marc Victor Hansen, author of The Chicken Soup For The Soul series, claims to get up at 4:00 am each morning to set down his daily plan. He writes out his day in detail. It includes who he is going to see, what he is going to do, what he hopes to accomplish, and what he looks to give to each situation. Is it any wonder that he has sold over 100 million books? With a habit like this, nothing is left to chance. In effect, he 'lives' his day in his mind before he actually experiences. The chances that circumstances will go as he desires are increased since he already 'lived' the situation that morning. With his script for the day complete, he only need to follow it much in the same way an actor performs a scene. There is a certain amount of ad libbing involved. However, the basic essence of the scene comes off as it was written.

The time spent planning your day will be dwarfed when you see the results that it produces. One quickly realizes that a few minutes of planning saves an equal, if not greater, amount of time. Time wasters are eliminated since an itinerary for the day is set. Those unexpected surprises can be dealt with in a more powerful fashion since the overall 'essence' of the day is in place. Give yourself this wonderful gift by planning your day in advance.

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