Manage Energy, Not Time - Atlanta Women's Network

Renewing Personal Energy
Recommendations from HBR Authors Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy

Physical Energy	Enhance sleep by going to bed earlier and reducing alcohol intake Reduce stress through exercise Eat small meals and light snacks every three hours Learn to notice signs of flagging energy Take brief but regular breaks at 90- to 120-minute intervals
Emotional Energy	Use deep abdominal breathing to defuse negative emotions Express appreciation to others to fuel positive emotions in yourself
Mental Energy	Reduce interruptions by getting away from phones and email for performing high-concentration tasks Respond to voicemails and emails at designated times throughout the day Identify the most important challenge for the next day each night – make it the first priority in the morning
Spiritual Energy	Identify favorite activities (those that fuel feelings of fulfillment and effectiveness) – then find ways to do more of them Allocate both time and energy to what you consider most important Live your core values

Comments from Luncheon Attendees

What do you do that you love? What lifts your energy? What inspires you?

I try to spend as much time as possible doing the things I love -- family, friends, music; life is too short
Getting back to nature
Relationships; family & friends; pets; connections to others
Physical exercise; dancing
Enjoying simple things in life
Realizing what is really important vs. material things and jobs
Helping others, both personally and with business services
Sleeping
Reading
Massages; yoga
Other people inspire us
Love to challenge myself
Give the gift of making people feel good about themselves
Find your own personal strengths - do what you love and you're good at

How do you know when you’re “out of balance?” What do you do in the moment to correct it, acknowledge it or get past it?

Out of balance clues:

Recognize internal frenzy
Feel down
Get forgetful
Let the house go
Wheels stop turning - we stop moving forward
Don't feel like talking - even to best friend
Become inwardly focused - "all about me"
Don't care about the things I usually care about (eating right, interacting with people)
Don't want to get out of bed

Steps to take:

Stop and breathe
Journal: write down emotions and how you deal with things that are out of balance
Make lists to assist in getting control
Women experience ups and downs - understand it and expect it instead of feeling weaker for it
Split the things to be done into this grid: I want to | I don't want to ||| I have to | I don't have to
Be thankful for blessings
Make conscious choice to be happy
Accept that you can only control your own response, not anyone else's
Don't let roadblocks stop you from loving life
Sleep helps
You get what you give
I can change my ___ -- remember that you have a choice
Left brain, right brain exercises

What is one thing you already do, or can add easily, to “feed” each energy body: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual?