Eliminating Energy Drains For Better Work-Life Balance
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Dominick Penny
Mar 19, 2010, 12:12:37 AM3/19/10
to Home Energy
The term "work-life balance" doesn't just refer to structured
alternatives to the conventional "9-to-5" (or 8-to-7, as it's
frequently implemented these days) work day such as job sharing, flex
time, and less than full-time arrangements.
Some of the most powerful ways to build work-life balance into your
next or your current job exist entirely in the realm of self-
management. They are largely up to you.
As a coach to high achievers since 1995, I have observed a range of
strategies that make a felt difference in a person's sense of balance.
Each strategy really stands on its own and can be implemented
independent of any other one. This article addresses one of them.
Eliminating Energy Drains
The strategy that creates the greatest impact is to eliminate energy
drains. These are the challenges and issues that nag at you, drive you
crazy, worry you, or in some other way steal your attention and
distract you from being in the present with whatever or whoever is in
front of you. Many people have a lot of them. The more you have, the
less in control of your life you feel.
Learning to identify and then to eliminate energy drains is a process,
not an instant event. It takes time to develop the habit of
recognizing when your energy is draining out of you and then to
identify what is causing it to do so. It also takes time to develop
skill in addressing the source of the energy drain so that it is
eliminated, whenever possible, and when it's not possible, some other
adjustment is made.
In the workshops and Lunch-&-Learns that I give in organizations,
one of the energy drains that people frequently bring up is clutter in
their home. The solution is EITHER to implement one of the many known
clutter solutions OR to make your peace with there being some clutter
in your home. Period. Either get it handled or stop stressing about
it.
Another one is rush hour traffic. The choice here is EITHER implement
one of the alternatives to commuting in rush hour (move your home or
your job so that your commute is short or against traffic, or change
your work hours so that you're not commuting during the rush) OR make
your peace with rush hour traffic (listen to Books on Tape, learn
Italian, tape-record your first novel).
Another common energy drain is worrying. People worry about all kinds
of things: what does my manager think of me, how will I ever save up
enough money to send my children to college, does my frequent headache
mean I have a brain tumor, what about global warming, does my child
have a learning disability, how will we figure out what to do with
Mother? The solution for worry is straightforward. Ask yourself if
there is some action you need to take. If so, do it, as quickly as
possible. Ask your manager how you're doing, hire a financial planner
to help you plan for college, call your doctor, join the Appalachian
Mountain Club and act on their legislative bulletins, talk to your
child's teacher, meet with your siblings and ask the question. If
there is no action you need to take, then focus your attention
elsewhere when you find yourself worrying about this issue. Say to
yourself: "There is nothing I need to DO about this right now, so
there's no point in focusing on it. I will turn my attention
to . . . ." and turn your attention elsewhere. This is simple but not
necessarily easy, but it gets easier with practice.
I don't mean to trivialize your worries or oversimplify potential
solutions. But the bottom line is you can't afford the luxury of being
bothered by things like this -- they are taxing you, personally, on a
daily basis. Either get them handled, period, or let them go. It's
really a mindset. You will be surprised at how many things you can get
handled when you realize how much they are costing you in lost, wasted
energy.
When you have eliminated some energy drains from your life, you will
find that you have created more breathing room for yourself. You have
created some space in your life. Be very careful not to just let that
space be claimed by new energy drains. Be sure to use that space with
conscious intention. Use it to get home in time for dinner with your
children. Use it to finish work at work and not bring work home. Use
it to have a full day off on the weekend. Use it to get to the gym,
see a friend, take your spouse out for dinner, spend a few hours not
feeling rushed.
Bottom line, your work-life balance depends on how effectively you
allocate your energy and attention. Eliminating leaks are likely to
make a big difference for you. Start by noticing when and where your
energy gets drained. Notice what's causing the loss, and address the
underlying cause. Learning to reduce the energy leaks in your life
will take some time, like learning any new complex skill. Manage your
own expectations so that how well or how poorly you're doing with it
doesn't become just another energy drain!
alternatives to the conventional "9-to-5" (or 8-to-7, as it's
frequently implemented these days) work day such as job sharing, flex
time, and less than full-time arrangements.
Some of the most powerful ways to build work-life balance into your
next or your current job exist entirely in the realm of self-
management. They are largely up to you.
As a coach to high achievers since 1995, I have observed a range of
strategies that make a felt difference in a person's sense of balance.
Each strategy really stands on its own and can be implemented
independent of any other one. This article addresses one of them.
Eliminating Energy Drains
The strategy that creates the greatest impact is to eliminate energy
drains. These are the challenges and issues that nag at you, drive you
crazy, worry you, or in some other way steal your attention and
distract you from being in the present with whatever or whoever is in
front of you. Many people have a lot of them. The more you have, the
less in control of your life you feel.
Learning to identify and then to eliminate energy drains is a process,
not an instant event. It takes time to develop the habit of
recognizing when your energy is draining out of you and then to
identify what is causing it to do so. It also takes time to develop
skill in addressing the source of the energy drain so that it is
eliminated, whenever possible, and when it's not possible, some other
adjustment is made.
In the workshops and Lunch-&-Learns that I give in organizations,
one of the energy drains that people frequently bring up is clutter in
their home. The solution is EITHER to implement one of the many known
clutter solutions OR to make your peace with there being some clutter
in your home. Period. Either get it handled or stop stressing about
it.
Another one is rush hour traffic. The choice here is EITHER implement
one of the alternatives to commuting in rush hour (move your home or
your job so that your commute is short or against traffic, or change
your work hours so that you're not commuting during the rush) OR make
your peace with rush hour traffic (listen to Books on Tape, learn
Italian, tape-record your first novel).
Another common energy drain is worrying. People worry about all kinds
of things: what does my manager think of me, how will I ever save up
enough money to send my children to college, does my frequent headache
mean I have a brain tumor, what about global warming, does my child
have a learning disability, how will we figure out what to do with
Mother? The solution for worry is straightforward. Ask yourself if
there is some action you need to take. If so, do it, as quickly as
possible. Ask your manager how you're doing, hire a financial planner
to help you plan for college, call your doctor, join the Appalachian
Mountain Club and act on their legislative bulletins, talk to your
child's teacher, meet with your siblings and ask the question. If
there is no action you need to take, then focus your attention
elsewhere when you find yourself worrying about this issue. Say to
yourself: "There is nothing I need to DO about this right now, so
there's no point in focusing on it. I will turn my attention
to . . . ." and turn your attention elsewhere. This is simple but not
necessarily easy, but it gets easier with practice.
I don't mean to trivialize your worries or oversimplify potential
solutions. But the bottom line is you can't afford the luxury of being
bothered by things like this -- they are taxing you, personally, on a
daily basis. Either get them handled, period, or let them go. It's
really a mindset. You will be surprised at how many things you can get
handled when you realize how much they are costing you in lost, wasted
energy.
When you have eliminated some energy drains from your life, you will
find that you have created more breathing room for yourself. You have
created some space in your life. Be very careful not to just let that
space be claimed by new energy drains. Be sure to use that space with
conscious intention. Use it to get home in time for dinner with your
children. Use it to finish work at work and not bring work home. Use
it to have a full day off on the weekend. Use it to get to the gym,
see a friend, take your spouse out for dinner, spend a few hours not
feeling rushed.
Bottom line, your work-life balance depends on how effectively you
allocate your energy and attention. Eliminating leaks are likely to
make a big difference for you. Start by noticing when and where your
energy gets drained. Notice what's causing the loss, and address the
underlying cause. Learning to reduce the energy leaks in your life
will take some time, like learning any new complex skill. Manage your
own expectations so that how well or how poorly you're doing with it
doesn't become just another energy drain!
Dominick Penny
Mar 19, 2010, 12:19:01 AM3/19/10
to Home Energy
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