Jim Cathart is a friend and a great speaker. To manage your energy, Jim feels you need to find the pace at which you perform best. This is the "zone" at which you are most creative, unstressed, happy, and productive. He defines the "zones" as follows:
- Above The Zone: First you experience stress and frustration, then anxiety, and finally burnout. At this level you are overwhelming yourself with too many things to accomplish at one time. Lighten up a bit to get back on track.
- In The Zone: You are at your best. Not stressed, going with the flow of work naturally, productive and self assured, challenged but not overwhelmed, motivated and able to roll with problems.
- Below The Zone: First you experience boredom, then apathy, and finally depression. You feel useless and artificial; self-esteem suffers. Bite off more and take greated challenges to get back on track.
Finally, protecting and replensihing your emotional energy is critical for every leader. Mira Kirshenbaum, in her book The Emotional Energy Factor, offers a refreshing, down-to-earth approach:
First you plug the leaks: learn to recognize what drains your energy...life situations, toxic people, or habits such as worry, indecision, or guilt. Second, you identify what fills your tank - pleasure, solitude, anticipation, or fun - and give yourself more.
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