Leadership Longevity: How to Maintain High Energy in High-Pressure Roles
Who else out there lives in the continual illusion of being extendable, infinitely? Another commitment? Sure, got that. More demands at work? Got that too. Well, until there's no more energy left to do anything. How can you make sure you have sustainable energy?
Image: JumpStory
When our energy fizzles out, due to lack of sleep, overcommitment, not enough recovery, and/or myriad other visible and invisible factors, it feels like the whole tenuous structure of life begins crumbling. Body and emotions take a hit. Engagement plummets. Distraction takes over. We stand rabbit-like in the headlights of the breaking point coming at us full speed.
Common advice, which is far from common practice, consists of setting boundaries, finding balance, managing time, and any number of well-being practices that seem impossible in times of overwhelm, when quantity has won out over quality.
I propose we focus just on energy. Energy can be optimized in numerous painless ways, making the rest a whole lot easier.
What Energy Are We Talking About?
Science defines energy is the ability to do work. It comes in many different forms, including heat, light, motion, electricity, chemical, gravitational. These forms of energy can be grouped into potential or stored energy and kinetic or working energy.
For our purposes energy is the vitality that enables us to do anything. We need it. It’s physical. It’s also mental and emotional. We call it vigor, zest, verve, dynamism, gusto, vibrancy, buoyancy, pep, moxie. The list could go on and on.
It’s the opposite of fatigue. And one thing is for sure, if you don’t have energy, you’d don’t care about much else. Energy is what allows you to have that quality of presence enabling you to feel that things matter. With it, we get things done, we do them better and faster and more efficiently. And we have a lot more fun.
Need More Energy?
It’s our natural state to be full of energy. Unlike time, we generate energy all the time. One hundred percent of the time, we are caught up in the first law of thermodynamics—it states that energy is actually neither created nor destroyed but only changed from one form to another. The food we eat contains chemical energy, the body converts and stores this energy to use as kinetic energy for work or play.
Optimizing energy consists of:
Generating energy more efficiently
Improving energy conversion
Reducing energy waste
Releasing untapped energy
The result: You’ll get more out of every day. You’ll live more, literally. Managing energy allows us to get more done in less time, add more value to everything we do, in a more sustainable way. Woohoo!
How to Have More Energy
There’s no magic bullet. You have more energy by managing the basics: breathing, hydration, food, sleep, movement. You have more when you harness your emotions and the power of your mind, connect to your life purpose and values, and it really helps to design your environment to support you. These are non-negotiables and account for upwards of 80% of what make us healthy and full of vitality.
Fancier biohacks exist. None of them really work if you don’t have the basics covered.
Two Steps to Have More Energy
Do less of what drains you.
Apply this in the large sense. Drainers include boredom, distractions, eating the wrong food, over-caffeinating, over exercising, lack of sleep, certain people, the wrong lighting, focus on negative aspects, information overload, lack of emotional release. This list is far from exhaustive.
Do more of what makes you strong.
Energizers include water, movement, shifting your focus often, breathing, high-nutrient foods, practicing core values, devoting energy to what is important to you, proactive social behavior, focus on positive things, learning new things, sunlight, stretching, fresh air, etc.
Ultimately, we're looking for that sweet spot, where we are effective, effortlessly absorbed, inspired, fulfilled. Start by auditing where you are at, cleaning up what's draining you, and establishing rituals that support renewing your energy supplies.
5 Things to Do Right Now to Boost Your Energy
Recharge throughout the day. We ebb and flow on 90 to 120 minutes cycles. Respect them, using the peak times to get things done and the down times for quick recovery. The best way to recover is to "change channels" — do something completely different for a short interval.
Take everything into consideration. High intensity anything—whether it’s from negative states like anxiety or positive states like excitement—takes its toll. Too much of a good thing will drain you just as much as too much of a bad thing.
Use caffeine judiciously. Too much of it actually lowers your overall energy.
Eat for energy. This means nutrient-dense foods at the right times. FYI, lots of carbs generally muddies the energy waters.
Move more. Exercise gets more oxygen to the cells, which means more energy.