Topic 6.3: Managing your energy not your time

Living our values, pursuing a vocation and being adaptable (ideally, all in the context of PERMA) requires focus. And that’s a challenge when we live in a time when there are infinite distractions and constant attempts to hijack our attention. One of the challenges we all face is how to balance the many competing interests for our time, attention and energy. And since no one has found a way to invent more time, we need to learn to manage the time we have in best ways. Part of that quest, of course, is to direct our time, energy and effort as much as possible towards the things that are of most value to us – but it’s a quest that is frequently compromised, as Arianna Huffington reminded us.

This Schwartz and McCarthy reading offers an interesting perspective that shifts the focus from time management to energy management. See what you think…

What Schwartz and McCarthy are introducing is the concept of how we balance our lives appropriately given the range of responsibilities and interests that make up our lives.

With so much talk about “resilience” in the workplace we have to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that we all just need to “toughen up”. The reality of life, including work, is that it presents much volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity (VUCA) and distress at times. And that takes a toll on us, our physical, mental and emotional energy. And it does the same to those we work and live with.

Dr Adam Fraser’s article captures this perspective well.

The Government’s Health Direct website has some practical insights into understanding and developing resilience.