It’s been more than 18 months of disruption. Throughout, there’s been some promise of an eventual return to normalcy. Maybe it’s a false promise, as things are unlikely to be exactly as they were “pre-COVID,” but we’re seeing more and more announcements of companies reopening their doors.
As with the beginning of the pandemic, this will represent a shift for many of us. One we may or may not want to make. While at the beginning of the change, there was a high percentage of folks that wanted to get back in the office, now many want to stay home.
Disparities that may have existed pre-pandemic have become even more visible. The benefits of remote work have (mostly) been embraced. What the future looks like is still anyone’s guess, but it’s likely to include a lot of adjustment. Extending the feeling of disruption we’ve been experiencing.
Personally, I’ll be going through a lot of personal and professional change over the next few months.
I’m excited to start a new job. Yet I know that means a lot of learning, meeting new people, establishing new routines and norms. It will also likely be a hybrid arrangement, with some number of days in-person.
At the same time, I’ll be helping my son transition into high school. He’s going back in-person 5x a week after 2 years of questionable academic performance. The teen years are pretty angsty anyway…Freshman year, new faces, and the start of driver’s ed.
Fun times ahead.
No matter our particular challenges and disruptions, what can we do to have some semblance of control? We can manage our energy.
The risk of managing our time
I’m a project manager by trade, so project plans have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. The irony is not lost on me that I’ve gotten away from time as a measure.
Yes, I still have a calendar that keeps me on track (mostly) for meetings and appointments. If I only use that, however, I will quickly find myself exhausted and dragging at the end of the day.
The week is usually focused on work and homework, and then add in the interpersonal connections for me and the kiddo…It’s any wonder we get to Friday in one piece. The weekends become time for catching up on home things, are rarely refreshing, and then it starts all over again on Monday.
Yes, we have 24 hours in a day. We can time block, prioritize, and otherwise work ourselves down to the minute to fit it all in.
And have nothing left of ourselves as we look back on each day, week, or month.
The summer of doing nothing
I spent most of the summer in sabbatical, following a few decades of working. At the beginning of the summer, I remember talking to one of my mentees. She commented “I bet your version of relaxing is more scheduled and structured than most people who are working full time.”
I resembled that remark.
Two months in, she didn’t realize how right she was. What’s ironic, however, is that I did my best to schedule less as time progressed. And it still didn’t feel restful.
My energy became more important than my time over the summer. Even with more time on my hands, I found myself drained more than once.
Looking back, it’s not what was on my calendar that did it. Maybe I only had one meeting, class, or other commitment. Instead, I found it was what I was doing, and a bit of what I wasn’t.
I started paying close attention to those things that took energy away, and those that replenished it. For every draining activity, how much time was I spending doing things that energized me? What was my energy ratio?
Managing energy, what drains and refuels it, has replaced project plans as my tool of choice.
Energy is the fuel for our life and priorities
During a recent coaching conversation, my client and I were discussing her life’s purpose and how she wants to accomplish it.
As a PM by trade, it was awesome to hear her plan. She had an audacious goal, a few focus areas to help her achieve it, and had already started to take action in one of those focus areas.
Her goal is centered around helping others, which warms my heart as someone with a similar mission. But I had one question for her. “There is a lot of effort being expended in your plan before you start to see your goals realized. How will you refuel?”
She had not yet considered her energy as a resource. Time and money, yes. Energy was not yet on the radar.
Following that question, she shared what brings her joy, and how she might be able to adjust her timeline to intersperse those activities. Ways she could periodically refuel so she wasn’t just spending energy to the point of potential burnout.
No matter what our purpose and priorities, we can consider our energy as a finite resource to be managed. Our mind, body, and spirit all need fuel. Whether it’s sleep, food, exercise…and creative or other pursuits that reenergize us.
Making time for reenergizing
A few roles ago, the entire company blocked every Friday, from the CEO down. It was a spillover day, that we could use for anything that doesn’t get done the rest of the week.
After that, I kept the practice in new roles. It became the day I’d invest in myself and others.
It can be difficult to “fit in” things we say are important, but take a backseat to deadlines and to-dos. If we want to prioritize reenergizing activities, creating time blocks is a great practice.
Friday was the one day I knew I could schedule time with someone who asked for advice or attend an employee resource group activity. Those activities gave me fuel for the rest of my job, making it easier to show up as the kind of employee and leader I wanted. They also made me a better mother, giving me positive energy for evenings and weekends with my son.
Whether we schedule something uplifting and reenergizing at the end of a day or week, finding ways to refuel are critical. If everything on our calendar “takes” energy and we don’t prioritize anything that “gives” energy, it can be a quick path to burnout.
Back in the saddle
No matter what the next few months look like, it’s unlikely to be without bumps. Whether we have an angsty teen going into High School, or a hybrid work arrangement to navigate, change is on the horizon.
With things opening back up, family and friends we haven’t seen, and pent up demand on a laundry list of activities, we can quickly find ourselves overcommitted and underfueled.
Consider taking a look at commitments and whether they add energy or drain it. Are there options to convert a draining activity into a fueling one? To add in something refueling mid-week when it might otherwise be a slog to get to Friday?
Rather than only consider our time, our energy is even more critical. We could have few items on our schedule and be drained. Or have it jam packed and be highly energized. If we optimize for our energy level, instead of minutes managed.
Do you manage your energy level? What techniques have you used to stay energized and refuel? Please share your experience in the comments to help others on their journey.
