Holiday Survivor: It’s an Energy Thing

Mid-December is a great time to revisit my favorite energy book, The Power of Full Engagement. Those who have been reading Reflections for awhile will remember authors Jim Loehr, Tony Schwartz, and their concept of oscillation.

According to Loehr and Schwartz, humans have an internal energy cycle that turns over every 90-120 minutes or so. They recommend that we design our time with a cycle of effort and recovery that taps into the natural cycles. If we oscillate between energy output and energy intake, we will be more effective in sustaining productivity over the long haul.

It is so easy this time of year to run on overload. We act on the illusion that we will get more done if we rise early, push hard, and go to bed late. We skip our workouts, go shopping during lunch hour, and move from daytime work into evening commitments without a break. Is it surprising that fatigue and poor health often flow from such a schedule?

What would it take to manage a holiday schedule that incorporates both periods of exertion and periods of recovery?

Look at the week ahead. Pick a day or two that present a particular challenge to your energy. Apply creative purpose to the challenge of designing that day with oscillation. After baking or writing cards for an hour or so, sit down and read the paper for 15 minutes. At work, schedule a 15-minute walk with a friend after focusing on a single project for 90 minutes. Commit to leaving early for the Christmas concert, so you can find parking and a seat and still have 20 minutes to stare into space before the music begins.

Oscillation counters the impulse to work on everything at once, or to skip from task to task in units of minutes rather than hours. The discipline of alternating exertion with recovery is useful any time of year. It is especially helpful now.

Until the next time, go well.

Pam