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You go into work early and get home late. Armed with more reports to get through over dinner, you are like a visiting tourist in your own home. Even the dog has forgotten who you are and glares menacingly at you. Your mobile is always switched on and you check your emails before breakfast (really – are you THAT important?) and last thing at night. Sound familiar? According to authors of ‘The Power of Full Engagement', Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz….you're not alone. Over working is regarded by many as a badge of honour. Staff can be hesitant to leave the office too early in case they are seen as disloyal or lazy. Great for the organization, but beware, overworking can be deadly. In Japan it's called, ‘karoshi' – death by overwork.
In the USA where medical internees are expected to work shifts as long as 36 consecutive hours and for 120 hours in a week (how's that for madness!) you could expect trouble. Indeed, deaths in hospitals have been caused by overworked staff. So the next time you go into a hospital check for baggy eyes and the tendency for staff to snore! If so, find the exit fast.
One very busy and successful American executive boasted that because of advances in technology there was no need for downtime. “Anyone can find me anywhere, anytime,” she claimed. Sadly, ten years later, she died of cancer at the age of 52. Was her lifestyle to blame? Who knows, but her profile was not significantly different from many of the Japanese victims of karoshi.
But, back to here, today and you. Running a bit thin on time? Shoving too much into a day? No space between appointments? Eating crap for breakfast or lunch, if at all? Feeling tired by 3.00pm? Hmmm, where are you headed? Not planning on leaving us I hope!
So what to do? Loehr and Schwartz contend that you can't manage time (you knew that already huh!) but you can manage energy . That's what their work is all about. For 30 years these guys have worked with world-class athletes and have taken their knowledge back into the corporate world. The situations are similar. High demands, enormous competition and massive pressure. The trick is how you manage your recovery or downtime.
Their work is based around stretching yourself in 4 key areas (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual). This means going beyond your comfort zone and then allowing time to recover. This is a key point and is well illustrated throughout the book.
The case histories are very revealing and relevant and they explore each of the 4 areas in some depth and discuss ways of stretching and recovery. Here are some instant physical things you can do
1. Drink more water (Yes, you've heard that before. So why do you think people
keep saying it then!?)
2. Exercise every day
3. Clean out your diet – stock your shelves with real food.
Are you thinking, 'So what? Nothing new here!' ? Well there is - but you have to go below the surface - which is the whole point of their book. If you want a free taste of their work, go to www.poweroffullengagement.com and take their free evaluation test. Then get a coach!
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