Do your work and lifestyle habits sustain or deplete your energy reserves? After studying some 3,500 corporate executives and employees, Dallas leadership and creativity specialist Ann McGee-Cooper concluded that a lack of abundant energy, rather than a lack of time, skills or desire, is what often limits a person`s productivity, innovative thinking and overall enjoyment of life.
But people who know how to maintain high energy throughout the day can work at peak performance, then return home with energy to spare for family and outside interests.
These questions rate your energy-management skills. Pick just one answer to each question, although more than one answer may be ”energy wise.” To see how you faired, turn inside.
1. You grant yourself a short break:
A. When your energy and concentration are waning.
B. When you feel deadlocked, unable to come up with the right answer.
C. Only after you have finished a large project; otherwise you feel compelled to push yourself, no matter how you feel.
D. After every two to three hours of steady work.
2. Your midmorning break is most often spent:
A. Complaining about problems with a co-worker.
B. Taking care of personal chores, such as balancing your checkbook or writing a complaint letter.
C. Doing some relaxing or fun activity, such as closing your eyes and breathing deeply, reading the comics or writing a funny note to a friend.
D. At your desk; you rarely take breaks because you always feel behind in your work.
3. Your office:
A. Is a nondescript, sterile-looking place that shields employees from distractions.
B. Has a cluttered desk, wall and shelf filled with your personal mementos and art.
C. Has poor ventilation, temperature control and equipment.
D. Is carefully planned and arranged to support your personal work style and needs and to reflect the message you want your guests and co-workers to receive.
4. Times for fun and laughter:
A. Occur primarily on the weekends, when you have enough time for your outside interests.
B. Are deferred until you reach your next career goal.
C. Happen many times a day, at both work and home.
D. Are pretty much a thing of the past, since work and home chores consume your life.
5. Your mornings are spent:
A. In a push to get yourself and the kids out the door.
B. Staying in bed until the last minute, then dressing in a rush and skipping breakfast.
C. Worrying about a demanding task at work.
D. Getting some exercise, having a nutritious breakfast and enjoying some time with your family.
6. When you come home from work feeling tense or exhausted, you usually:
A. Take a brisk walk or enjoy some other aerobic exercise.
B. Lie on the couch all evening watching mindless sitcoms.
C. Force yourself to work more so you`ll have less to do tomorrow.
D. Make youself a stiff drink.
7. You exercise:
A. Once a week, playing an intensely competitive game of tennis, golf or some other sport.
B. Most mornings or evenings.
C. On Saturday mornings with a demanding 50-mile bike ride.
D. Only occasionally because you need to conserve all your energy for your work and house chores.
8. Your lunch usually consists of:
A. A snack and soft drink eaten at your desk.
B. A filling meal of heavy foods, such as a hamburger and fries, lasagna and buttery garlic bread, barbecue.
C. A light meal centering on vegetables, fruits and low-fat meat, fish or seafood.
D. A visit to a soup-and-salad bar or a 10-minute walk in a nearby park.
9. On your commute home from work, your thoughts focus on:
A. The activities you are looking forward to that evening.
B. Everything you did not complete that day.
C. All the things wrong with your job or the problems waiting to pounce on you at home.
D. What you accomplished that day and feel good about.
10. Regarding vacations, you:
A. Haven`t taken a real one in several years.
B. Use business trips and annual conferences as substitutes for vacations.
C. Plan for and enjoy at least one week-or-longer vacation each year.
D. Spend your vacation time fixing up the house each summer.
Here are the answers to the quiz. Check your energy management skills:
– Question 1: A
10, B
10, C
0, D
10
Taking frequent short breaks each day, especially when your creative juices and concentration start to wane, will restore your energy and mental powers before you become exhausted. Working while fatigued is rarely productive and may result in costly errors and poor decisions.
– Question 2: A
0, B
0, C
10, D
0
Energy-reviving breaks involve switching your mind to a relaxing or fun activity, not just shifting to another task. Also, complaining is anxiety-provoking and energy-draining, for both you and your listeners. Working hour after hour without a break puts you at risk for burnout.
– Question 3: A
0, B
10, C
0, D
10
An uncomfortable, unattractive work site can chip away at your energy reserves and motivation. For most people, surrounding themselves with the kind of decor, mementos, colors and materials that they enjoy, even if it means having a desk crowded with supplies and papers, begets energy.
– Question 4: A
0, B
0, C
10, D
0
Laughter, joy, playfulness and imaginative thinking release brain chemicals that increase metabolism and energy. That`s a major reason why children seem to have boundless energy and enthusiasm. Strive for a daily balance of work and play rather than waiting for weekends and holidays to rebuild your vitality and creative juices.
– Question 5: A
0, B
0, C
0, D
10
Coming to work with low energy is equivalent to starting on a long drive with only a quarter of a tank of gas. Going without breakfast or arriving at work harried and tense puts an immediate drain on your energy reserves. An ideal morning routine includes a wakeup imaging session focusing on positive thoughts and plans, 20 to 30 minutes of exercise, a high-carbohydrate/low-fat breakfast and an enjoyable commute to work during which you mentally rehearse the pleasures and challenges ahead.
– Question 6: A
10, B
0, C
0, D
0
Aerobic exercise or relaxation methods such as meditation, biofeedback and progressive muscle relaxation are excellent ways to reduce muscular tension and release stress toxins. And they will give you the extra energy needed for spending meaningful time with your family or pursuing outside interests.
– Question 7: A
0, B
10, C
0, D
0
Studies on fit versus sedentary adults show that your metabolism need not decrease significantly as you age if you do regular aerobic exercise. Twenty or more minutes of moderate exercise on an almost daily basis is more beneficial than exercising to the point of exhaustion once or twice a week. In addition, feeling aggressive and tense while exercising can undo many of the positive effects of exercise.
– Question 8: A
0, B
0, C
10, D
10
Heavy fat- and sugar-laden meals contribute to afternoon fatigue. An energy-wise lunch break means getting a change of scenery and having a light but nutritious lunch. Following up your meal with a brisk walk offers another energy boost.
– Question 9: A
10, B
0, C
0, D
10
The commute home is not the time or place to dwell on stress-producing worries and self-doubts. When you are tired, negatives get exaggerated and can overwhelm. Confine your work-related thoughts to what you did well that day.
– Question 10: A
0, B
0, C
10, D
0
Vacations are critical for ”re-creating” your mind with fresh insights and stimuli, for having a mega-dose of fun, for trying something new, all of which are powerful energy boosters. Going to a professional conference and working on the house most likely won`t provide the type of getaway that will restore your creative juices and amazement at life.
Your score
80-100 points: Congratulations! You have intuitively learned to trust yourself to balance work with renewing fun. No two of us are the same, so learning to trust your own processes and needs is essential to empowering your unique gifts and energy.
60-70 points: You probably are living at less than optimum energy: Giving yourself permission to play and enjoy carefree moments on a regular basis can help far more than a relentless drive to finish an endless schedule of work.
40-50 points: You probably are starved for joy, and you may well have forgotten how to play. Even when you do stop to see a movie or play tennis, you may find yourself on a ”worrying-go-round,” rehearsing work waiting to be done.
Less than 40 points: You are most likely in some stage of burnout. These factors contribute: a lack of sufficient exercise, proper rest, good nutrition, time alone, intimacy and love, play, quality time with family and friends, new interests and hobbies, regular vacations, joy or a strong sense of purpose.
