This article is the second part of
The 5 principles – Riding the waves of personal and professional high performance.
It is recommended to read it first here.
In this article, we learn practical tips and suggested exercises. Remember that one action is worth more than a thousand thoughts, so commit to taking one action and start following through!
If you get stuck, read this guide on what to do when you get stuck.
Principal 1: The four energy resources
The first step in any transformation process is becoming aware.
- Start by being aware of your internal energy level: When is it high? When is it low? What causes it to rise or fall?
- Which energy resource are you using now? The Physical, Emotional, Mental or Spiritual?
- Which energy resource gets more easily filled or depleted compared to the others? And how?
- Commit now to getting a journal. Write at the end of your day how your wave of energy looked like. When was it up? When did it plunge? What actions, tasks, types of nutrition or people moved the needle for you? Be a researcher; you would be amazed how quickly you can begin to master the wave of energy throughout your day, week and month.
Principal 2: Use it or lose it; abuse it and lose it
The second principle is all about fully engaging and disengaging.
Use your energy resources, enjoy them, but remember to disengage too to rebuild them.
- Rhythm – Do not overwork yourself without rest. Everyone has their own pace and needs. Find your own rhythm of work and rest. If you are not sure, the rule of thumb is taking at least 15 min break every 90 min, but I encourage you to find your own.
- The good kind of Disengagement – When you need to recharge, disengage. No phones, no work. Just say no, and disconnect completely.
I will only say this once: disengagement only works when you actually disengage.
If you can, go out to nature, run with your dog (get a dog if you don’t have one), or if you can’t, do some indoor stretching, climb a few stairs, move, get your pulse up.
If you would like to rest, try to find a quiet space in the office to meditate or do some breathing exercises. If you can, lay down for a few minutes with your eyes closed. If you can’t, put on music on your headphones to help you disconnect.
Principal 3: Timing is everything
- Be a surfer, feel that wave raising in you and ride it. When you have a difficult or annoying task, take it on when your energy wave is high. When your energy wave is low, do technical tasks that are easy for you. Although we cannot always control our work schedule, we can usually avoid difficult conversations or energy-sucking tasks when we are out of energy. Ignoring our levels of energy for an extended period of time will eventually lead to burnout.
- When the tide is low, don’t try to fight it by taking that sugary snack when you are bored or tired. Take an extra glass of water instead, and always make sure you have healthy snacks next to you. For more tips on what to do when the tide is low, see Mix and Match in the following principle.
Principal 4: United we stand
Remember, any source of energy you work on also strengthens the others.
Always Mix and match: When you are mentally tired, don’t rest your body, it doesn’t need rest, instead engage it, move, run, walk, climb stairs, or dance. Let your mind disengage, and your body engage to get full recovery. Similarly, when you are physically or mentally tired, use the emotional resource: Laugh, talk to—or hug—a friend you love, someone that opens your heart, remind yourself one thing that you are grateful for, breathe.
Principle 5 – Creating balance
Remember: most people abuse the mental and emotional resources yet neglect the physical and spiritual ones.
I found that one of my students’ favorite exercises for creating balance is the “21 days emotional and mental diet”. Here are the steps you need to take:
- Make a note of the date today and clearly mark your calendar 21 days from now.
- Now, every day when a stressful or painful emotion or thought comes up, become aware of it, breathe and tell yourself: “Thank you so much for sharing this thought and emotion”, thank it. Don’t push it away, simply don’t take it in, don’t “eat it”. Remember you are on a diet.
- Continue practicing for 21 days.
- When you are done, celebrate your success, no matter what!
When you start this exercise, it would often take you minutes or hours (or days) to catch yourself fuming or going into drama. Stop. Smile and start again. After a few days, your response time would become much quicker.
Advanced option: In the beginner’s version, you practice 21 days of emotional and mental diet. In the advanced version, you restart the 21 days count every time you catch yourself in a mental or emotional drama for more than a few minutes—or seconds, if you want to achieve full mastery.
(Note: The advanced version of the exercise can take a very long time, sometimes months or years. Remember, it’s a lifelong process).
If you have any questions or need more clarifications, feel free to share them here below.
Also, share: what is your best way to recharge your energy resources?
