Turning energy drains into energy gains
Tue 13 October 2009
, Alberta Opoku, LEAP
Fun and inspiring as a top job may be, sometimes it can literally leave you drained and empty at the end of the day. What are the most notorious energy drains and what you can do about them?
Energy drain #1: E-mails and phone calls.
They almost always interrupt what you’re doing. Especially unreturned e-mails, phone calls and letters can cause stress and anxiety. So instead of saving you time, they end up not only costing tons of your precious time, but also massively draining your energy.
From drain to gain:
Communicate as much as you can via e-mail. Don’t respond to phone calls and mails right away, but set specific times during the day at which you answer them.
Energy drain #2: Meetings.
Being in meetings all day may appear to make your job look important. But it doesn’t really help you get anything done that you couldn’t have achieved with e-mail.
From drain to gain:
Get out of meetings as much as you possibly can in order to get things done.
Energy drain #3: Negative co-workers.
Just like negative people in your personal life, negative co-workers cut down your energy supply. They irritate and frustrate you, and can get you in a negative cycle.
From drain to gain:
It’s not possible to completely cut toxic people out of your working life. But if you can avoid having to deal with them, do so by all means.
Energy drain #4: Unfinished business.
If you have a very long things-to-do list and unfinished business with anyone, you’re losing energy.
From drain to gain:
Take a close look at the list and determine which tasks can be eliminated. Repeat this a couple of times until you end up with a short list of really important things. Then choose a couple to do each day and put the rest on a ‘someday’ or ‘maybe’ list.
Energy drain #5: A disorganized work environment.
According to a survey that was held some five years ago, Americans spend nine million hours every day looking for misplaced items. A disorganised office or a messy desk depletes your energy account beyond imagination.
From drain to gain:
Get structured. Create a method that works for you, and stick to it. Always finish a project with a small cleanup. You’ll be surprised at how easy it becomes to simply throw things away.
Print
