Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time

Again not library news, but a very timely article.

If you feel like you've already been practicing classic time management techniques (prioritizing, to-do lists, etc) and are looking for something beyond that...give this article a try:

Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time. Tony Schwartz, Harvard Business Review 85 (10), Jan 1, 2007.

Premise = time is very limited

But energy can be intentionally and systematically renewed

Adopt practices and develop rituals in several domains

• physical energy - encourage sleep (set earlier bedtime, etc.), regular breaks from desk to accomodate "ultradian rhythm"
• emotional energy - deep breathing to derail fight/flight, increase positivity through regularly scheduled appreciation, shift self talk away from victim role by using new lenses to interpret situations (in which ways is the other person correct?)
• mental energy-multitasking reduces productivity due to time spent switching back and forth between tasks, while finishing work for the day identify the most challenging task for the following day then the next morning start with that task
• spiritual energy - schedule time regularly for "sweet spot" activities (=feelings of "effectiveness, effortless absorption"), live your core values (treat others as you'd like to be treated)

Making a quick start on my own energy management, I'd like to send a big thanks to the UL Staff Development Committee, especially Sean who has been rocking the devpt activities, for this brown bag session!