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The Benefits of Energy Management Over Time Management

For most people, the ideal way to cope with and respond to increasing work pressure is by investing more time into it and by increasing the number of hours involved. However, the notion that improved time management is the key to enhancing productivity, might not hold true in all scenarios. Working round the clock may not only leave you exhausted and burned out but may also interfere with the desired output by hindering and affecting the quality of work. It is in this very context that the beneficial idea of energy management comes into play.

What is energy management?

Staying focused for long stretches of time might be difficult for most and thereby, ends up affecting productivity. Despite creating a dedicated schedule with specific time slots, a single diversion in the course of the day can derail all of it. Therefore, rather than fulfilling hour-driven goals, the key should be, instead, to split tasks into shorter flexible segments so as to manage energy and maintain focus, simultaneously. This will ensure that no matter what comes up during the whole day, you will be completely present at the moment. Whether it is concentrating on a crucial task, coming up with creative ideas or, being fully engaged in an important conversation, adopting the technique of energy management will make it all seem easier, manageable, and a lot more fulfilling.

Benefits of energy management

Here are the benefits that come with embracing energy management and the steps that you can incorporate in order to reap its benefits;

1. Enhances productivity

A study by The Draugiem Group in 2014 revealed that the best-performing employees in organizations did not actually have the longest working hours. Rather, the essence of their productive output lay in the fact that they re-energized themselves with a short break after every productive 52 minutes of work. Organizations, too, should remodel their work culture and policies in the same way so as to help employees meditate or go for walks in between alternating spans of work and thereby, help them feel re-energized and more focused when they come back to work.

2. Combats distraction

There is no denying that the less distracted you are, the better your work will turn out to be. Effective energy management can indeed lessen the amount of distractions that you may face with an important task at hand. For the very same purpose, it is essential to develop the habit of deep working. Deep working dictates that you utilize little moments throughout the day at which you are most effective so as to get a lot done in a reduced time by ensuring that your concentration remains undiverted. Another credible approach for effective energy management is not merely to construct a to-do list but rather to break it down to the most minute details possible.

This is important because meticulous planning makes sure that you are taking into account all plausible distractions that might come forth in the course of the day. Not only will this end up making sure that you remain focused during specific activities but the room for improvisation will also prevent you from getting demotivated if something goes off the track. A third and final approach is to adopt monotasking so as to enable your focus and energy to be aligned with a specific task for the time being before you move on to another one. Equipped with a fairly realistic approach as this one, it will be easier for you to prioritize and thereby, to perform better, consequently.

3. Sustains output

It is necessary to understand that working well consistently and delivering the desired output is only possible if you do not burn yourself out right at the onset. This is where energy management plays a crucial role so as to ensure that you are able to sustain your performance in the long run. Among the variety of approaches that you can opt for, one is to break down your objective into smaller, attainable goals, achieving each of which will bring with it a sense of satisfaction and will enable you to be re-energized before you start off with the next one.

The second way is to ensure that your mental energy is aligned with your physical energy. This can only be achieved by developing healthy habits and by maintaining a balance in terms of work and your personal life, all of which will ensure that you succeed in putting your best foot forward, every time you are given a task. The final and most vital step is to embrace your true self instead of imitating or blindly following habits that might work for others. The key is to identify what suits your personal energy the best and how to use it as your strength. This is bound to bring forth better performance as you will feel far more at ease and thereby, will be able to perform to your fullest potential.

Summary

While time management might come across as the most feasible solution every time you face incessant work pressure, it is necessary to understand that time is no more than a finite source. Rather, in order to effectively rejuvenate workers, it is crucial for individuals, organizations and enterprises to shift to an approach based on energy management. Not only will this bring forth the best in employees by modifying patterns of energy-depleting behaviors but will also ensure that they remain motivated and driven, even in the long run.

Read: How to Achieve Goals Through Time Management for Senior Executives

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