Energy management

Our lives are made up of stories, stories we tell ourselves, stories we’ve been told, some we have experienced, some we never will. An interesting thing about life is that these stories can be rewritten, as we get new information, process them and apply them.

A story worth considering is “time management” is the key to living effectively or time is our most precious resource. If we think about it, using all the techniques of writing lists and working through it, setting off early so as to arrive on time for appointments etc (we all know them) do we really manage time? Can we really manage / control time? Isn’t the “time” we have pre allocated to us? We all have 24hours in a day so what exactly are we managing? Doesn’t time just tick away?

We get through our “to do list” but how well did we do those things? How impactful was that moment? Is it about how many things we do within an hour or is it about how well we do these things?

Let’s look at it a little deeper. When, we have a long list of things to get through during the day, speed often becomes the focus so that we can have time to do the next thing or have sometime for ourselves. What happens to our body when we have a list especially a long one – Pressure- this happens consciously or unconsciously, and this pressure can manifest as anxiousness, worry, irritability or impatience especially if you don’t make it through your list or when something on the list is taking up more time than allocated to it and so it is pushing every other thing back. Sounds familiar? Some people live constantly in this state, I did.

Let’s look at the human body like one company, made up of 4 main units- body, mind, soul and spirit, each of these units affect the bottom line of the company, every day, every month, every year. The stressed energy that is released in the body from the above mental and emotional state is absorbed by the body- our internal organs, our muscles, our bones. Yes, our mental and emotional energy affects our physical body. This will show up as headaches, body ache, joint pain, lower back pain, high blood pressure, obesity and the list can go on.

New paradigm- Energy management is more important than time management.
Let’s think about this, Yes we have allocated time for XYZ tasks however, it’s the energy we bring to that time that determines if it was efficient and effective thus, if “We” were efficient and effective. It’s the energy we bring to that task that determines how well it is done and the resulting results like how we feel and made the impact we made. Yes, we attended an important meeting that was on our list, yes, we spent time with loved ones, we are physically there, but are we mentally, emotionally and spiritually there? Were we fully connected, present and engaged in the moment and process. Did we give that time the best of us that we could have?

This is not to say “the to do list” is wrong, no, the list and the other tools are great, however, our focus should not be on the quantity (time), the it is a small part on the equation, we all have the same hours in the day. What makes our days and lives impactful is what we “BRING” to that time (quality).

This change in focus takes the pressure for “performance” off and helps us focus on the “why”, why do I have to attend that meeting? What do I have to call Kemi? Why do I have to do XYZ. This change in focus will help us focus on the value of the activity and this helps is connect not just physically but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually to the tasks. Energy from all dimensions in us helps us to stay balanced and this brings “excellence” to the tasks.

What if the energy and thoughts we feel towards a task are not good, that will be the time to process why is this? The task may just be taking us outside our comfort zone, we may have just imagined the worst case scenario and might need to take a step back and re evaluate it from a different perspective or do it at a different time ( after some rest or a small meal)

As we go through our to do list this week, let’s focus on; are we emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically connected to the things we are doing so we give it our best so that we can get the most and the best out of that moment and impact our wellbeing positively.

Good energy brings us good results and a great sense of wellbeing, poor / bad energy brings us mediocre results and no sense of wellbeing.
Part of my new story is Energy management is the key to an effective and powerful life…. Lets’ get rid of unnecessary stress, Love your body. info@bodyworksnigeria.com
Oyinkan Talabi is a wellness and human performance coach that focuses on helping individuals and organizations get the best out of themselves and their teams.