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Brain Circuits
5 ways to manage your energy budget
The flow of your energy is like a budget: What comes in (rechargers) and what goes out (drainers) needs to be balanced. Here’s how to ensure your levels remain stable.
1. Assess the fixed costs
What are your fixed costs? What are the drainers in your life that can’t be changed in the short term? It’s no use complaining about them – instead, identify them clearly. Fixed costs vary from individual to individual and could include:
- Ineffective weekly meetings
- The daily commute
- Chronic health issues
- Issues affecting your nearest and dearest
2. Maintain awareness of the drainers
Even if you find you can’t cut your fixed costs, simply being aware of them can help reduce associated stress and tension. Make sure to write them down – it may help to sort them into five categories:
- Physical
- Mental
- Emotional
- Spiritual
- Social
3. Reduce your expenses
Identify small steps you can take to reduce the drainers. You may notice that four video calls in a row can leave you so depleted that strategic reflections or focused tasks are impossible afterward. Small savings add up, so try the following:
- Build in a minimum five-minute buffer between calls and meetings
- Identify calls when others can deputize for you (especially at antisocial hours)
- Delegate non-time-critical tasks to others
4. Maintain your basic rechargers
The more crowded your agenda, the harder it is to build in downtime – but this is not sustainable and will soon start to degrade your performance and well-being. Instead, make sure never to skip these basic rechargers:
- Eating away from your desk
- Putting your mobile away when not on a call
- Scheduling a minimum of 10 minutes between meetings
- Going for a short walk after lunch
5. Put new rechargers in place
Think about what activities nourish your spirit – for example, spending time in nature, having a hobby, or meeting friends, and build them into your diary. They will add joy to your life and give you more energy to tackle the drainers.
Key learning
We get so used to the drainers in our lives that we cease to notice them, and being too busy to think seems normal. It isn’t, so make sure to balance the books by reducing your drainers to the minimum necessary, maintaining your basic rechargers, and putting some new ones in place to increase your performance and well-being.
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