Practices for Increasing Your Productivity, Resilience, Focus, and Endurance
Performance, health and happiness are grounded in the skillful management of energy.
Jim Loehr
But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
I (Nelson) have a colleague in New York who loves to run the New York City Marathon. Each year he spends months training for that November day when he gets up before dawn to run twenty-six miles. One of his goals is to keep a consistent pace throughout. He doesn’t want to run a few miles, then walk a few miles, then run again, then walk the last five, like so many marathoners do. He likes the challenge of trying to maintain the same speed the entire race. “Life is a marathon,” he has told me on more than one occasion. “Doing this helps me push through every day of my regular life without slowing down.” While I respect my friend, I completely disagree with his outlook.
Life Is Not a Marathon
Life is not a marathon, and it shouldn’t be looked at as one. Life is better viewed as a series of short sprints with periods of rest in between. Think about the way most professional athletes train. They expend a huge amount of energy for a season, and then they have the off-season to rest and recover. They repeat that cycle over and over for as long as they play their game. If they tried to forge ahead without the rest period, they wouldn’t have very long careers.
These high-level athletes know and apply a principle that most people never think much about. We like to call it the stress-and-release cycle. Our bodies, minds, and emotions all work best when we stretch (or stress) them for a period of time and then release the pressure. When we push ourselves for a while and then allow ourselves to take a break, we have the chance to recover. That recovery period is when growth happens. Our bodies’ systems go to work integrating everything we experienced and learned during the push period (childbirth would be a great analogy here, but we will spare the male readers), making us more prepared for the next go-around. But when we treat life like a marathon, we never get the opportunity to recharge. Instead, we slowly become run down because we aren’t operating within the structure of how we function best.
God is the one behind this concept. He put it into practice when he created the world. He worked diligently for six days and then rested for a day. We are designed to do the same—to work, then rest; to sprint, then recover. When we approach life this way, we are more resilient, have more clarity, and have an easier time controlling our energy in a positive way.
You probably know something about time management, but maybe you have never thought about the idea of energy management. Managing your energy well is just as important, if not more important, as managing your time well. More energy equals more productivity. More energy means more resilience so you can get back up again when something knocks you down. More energy means having more of your best to give to the people around you, having more enthusiasm to engage with God’s purposes, and being able to finish each day feeling good.
On the flip side, low energy has dangerous effects for every area of our well-being—but that is where most of us live. We walk around half human, half zombie, in search of our next cup of coffee or a few minutes of rest. Living on low energy means we handle the situations in our lives less effectively and with less grace than we’d like. It means we don’t have the stamina to do the things that are good for us, such as practicing disciplines that lead to health. Low energy makes us irritable and less fun to be around. It puts us in the mind-set of counting the minutes until bedtime instead of making the minutes count. Can you relate?
Energy Equations
The Latin derivative for the word emotion literally means “energy in motion.” So emotion equals energy in motion. That is why discovering how to manage your energy well will give you the emotional (and physical) get-up-and-go it takes to become the new you. When you have more energy, you will approach life more proactively. You will want to get out and move your body. You will put more emphasis on getting good rest so you don’t lose your enthusiasm. You will be able to invest happily in activities and relationships that may have seemed like a chore to you before. More energy equals more productivity, resilience, focus, and endurance.
The way to manage your energy over the long haul is to begin viewing your life as a series of short sprints with recovery periods in between. Here are some simple tips for maximizing your energy that you can layer on top of that foundation. Some of these points are covered at length in other chapters, so we will just mention them briefly here.
More Alignment = More Energy
When you are walking in the center of what God has planned for you, you experience excitement and peace that go beyond understanding. That sense of alignment produces energy. The opposite is also true: misalignment leads to low energy. Take time to align yourself with the calling God has placed on your life each and every day. And note the inherent effect here: as more alignment gives you more energy, that energy in turn helps you engage in the daily practices that lead to more alignment—practices such as morning devotions, focused prayer time, and serving others.
More Cooperation = More Energy
God created you with certain rhythms and tendencies that are unique to your makeup. Paying attention to what those are and learning to cooperate with them will help you have more energy every day. For example, you are likely either a morning person or a night owl. Whichever way you have been wired, work with it; don’t fight against it. In the same way, you naturally go through energy peaks and valleys throughout the day that are different from those of the people around you. Recognize when the peaks are for you and plan your highest-energy tasks during those times. The alternative only leads to frustration. Figure out what works best for the way you have been designed and then operate within those boundaries.
More Awareness = More Energy
This one works in conjunction with the previous one. Thanks to the way God wired you, certain activities energize you and others drain you. These are different for everyone. For example, I (Nelson) am not good at counseling people. It absolutely zaps me. But a guy I work with loves counseling others; he walks out of counseling sessions energized. God created the two of us very differently in that area, and we are happiest and most effective when we work in light of that reality. To have more energy, become aware of the things that fill you up and do those things. Look at your to-do list from yesterday and put a plus sign next to the items that energized you and a minus sign next to the ones that drained you. With intentional awareness over time, you can learn to focus on what you are wired for and shift away from what you aren’t.
A Regular Rest Day = More Energy
Your rest day, or your Sabbath, is your recovery period after the sprint of a busy week. This is simply a twenty-four-hour period when you unplug and spend time focusing on your family and on God. For one full day, you relinquish control of the universe back to its rightful owner. Choosing to step away from your business-as-usual schedule, no matter how busy you are or what is going on, proves your trust in God’s control. You need to take a rest day for your own well-being. If you don’t, you will begin to feel the wear on your body, your spirit, your mind, and your emotions pretty quickly. A day of rest renews your energy, your focus, and your commitment to keep doing all that God has called you to do.
Regular Exercise = More Energy
As we have already discussed, walking is one of the best forms of exercise. And it just so happens that walking will give you an incredible boost of energy. Every minute you spend walking will be returned to you in productivity later in the day. To read more about the benefits of regular walking and other exercise, turn back to chapter 8.
More Hydration = More Energy
Again, staying well hydrated keeps the energy level in your body where it should be. The amount of water you take in needs to match or exceed the amount of water you lose in a day—which is more than you think. Even mild dehydration can zap your energy level, your mood, and your ability to think clearly. For a refresher on the importance of drinking enough water, turn back to chapter 7.
More Health = More Energy
Of course, being physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally healthy will increase your energy. But for this specific point, we are referring to avoiding the common illnesses constantly floating around us. Have you ever put a kid in preschool only to have said kid pick up every illness going around and pass it along to the rest of the family? When each of my (Jennifer’s) two girls started preschool, they became sick with everything imaginable . . . and they weren’t stingy about sharing with Brian and me. But over time, as their immune systems strengthened, they stopped contracting everything that walked through the doors of their school. While getting sick is sometimes unavoidable, you can take certain steps to keep your immunity up and ward off those pesky germs. The following steps will look familiar:
Plus one more big one: wash your hands. Washing your hands often with soap and warm water is the single best way you can keep yourself from getting sick. Wash long enough to sing “Happy Birthday” or the ABC song under your breath twice.
Less Weight = More Energy
Obviously, the heavier you are, the harder your body has to work to get through the day. Losing just 10 percent of your body weight can result in a significant increase in energy. Did you need another reason to shed those pounds?
Less Clutter = More Energy
Not only is clutter a distraction but it can also become an emotional stumbling block and drain your energy. A recent study asked participants to perform a task in a neatly organized room and a highly disorganized room. Across the board, the participants were less successful in the cluttered room. Not surprising, is it? A home or an office that is clean and organized rather than in chaos makes us feel better. Clutter makes us feel as if things are out of control, which is emotionally and mentally draining. To have more energy, have enough self-control to keep clutter at bay.
More Praise = More Energy
Focusing on the goodness of God will always renew your energy. Take David’s words to heart: “I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises” (Ps. 34:1). Let praise be the golden thread weaving through every activity of your day. This simple practice will bring you into better alignment with God, draw you deeper into his presence, and create enthusiasm in all you do. When you choose to focus your attention on the source of all the good things in your life, your energy tank will be continually refilled.