Strategic planning can allow you to activate your vision and experiments can help to hone your strategy, but there is another factor that impacts growth: personal energy.
You may worry about not having enough money and struggle to find the hours to execute your strategy. Some founders substitute time for money, performing the roles of many people and not spending as much. Other founders have sufficient funding, engaging more resources to move faster.
While we may think time or money is the most precious resource, energy distills innovation into value even when the others are scarce.
“Energy is our most precious resource,
for it is the means by which we transform
our creative potential into meaningful action.”
– Tarthang Tulku
Regulate your energy levels to be the most impactful in your projects, schedule, and commitments to realize your vision. Here's how.
Focus Your Energy
Both a fireball and laser require immense energy, but the laser can focus for exact precision and constructive impact, so concentrate your energy. Here are some practical steps.
Pick Your Battles. You may lament and dwell on things you can't control, such as competitors growing faster or investors who passed on your funding pitch.
Instead, apply your energy to areas you can control, like planning and collaborating with your team, mentors, and peers. Some irritating situations may require your energy, but most of the time, you will feel more rewarded channeling energy into something productive.
Pursuits. There are multiple ways to purposefully grow your company that match your strengths. Know what energizes you and then pursue energizing activities.
For instance, extroverts may be pumped talking with clients and partners, while introverts may get excited about developing products. With many ways to grow a business, find the paths that match your strengths.
Rhythm. Your energy may ebb and flow based on the time of day. Know when the best times are to plan, meet, and dive into projects, and then set your calendar accordingly.
For example, if you get groggy after lunch, use afternoons for activities requiring less thought, such as responding to the morning's emails. Designate times for deep projects and complicated tasks based on your energy levels.
Breaks. Leadership can require complex and exhaustive thinking. Give yourself a break.
Like muscles, the mind needs recovery periods. For instance, if your energy starts to wane after an hour, do something different (like walking during a client call or cleaning your office while listening to a business podcast) to rejuvenate your brain while remaining productive.
Routine. Maximize your mind by supporting brain activity. Exercise, diet, sleep, and relationships all impact brain function.
Try experiments such as eating various healthy foods at different times of the day to see what combinations maximize your alertness.
Pay attention. Avoid the many ways your attention is stolen. Limit social media, news platforms, messaging apps, emails, etc. during work time.
Set blocks of time for deep strategy work during which you are inaccessible. You can set times for keeping up with current events and industry happenings, but be deliberate, so you aren’t constantly being bombarded with information and distracted from your priorities.
Data. I'm a fan of learning, and that requires collecting information. Record when you make the most progress, noting the timing, collaborators, and setting.
Measure your progress and also seek others' feedback.
Key Takeaway: Optimizing personal energy is incredibly valuable in leadership. Discover the best methods for recognizing and regulating your energy levels to be the most productive.
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Photo by Merlin Lightpainting who can be found here.
𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲: 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗸 includes over 130 independent articles across 500 pages including leadership, growth, sales, marketing, operations, finance, and teams. In five minutes, gain invaluable insights into the best methods and practical options to activate your dreams.
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