The other day, we were in bed, and TK heard this weird noise that woke her up. It took her a few seconds to realise what it was.
In this video, I want to talk not only about time management, but as importantly, about energy management.
TK woke up at about 5:45 AM hearing a strange breathing sound next to her. She turned round to see her hubby doing some weird noise with his mouse, breathing in slowly through the nose and exhaling deeply through the mouth. I had just read an amazing book called Breathe about the importance of breathing well, and decided to start a brand new morning routine right then and there! I tried to be quiet about my reaction, but it was not that quiet.
While doing noisy breathing exercises in bed next to your partner at 5:45 AM might require a bit of timing adjustments, it brought up a crucial topic. I have the pleasure of working with many leaders, and we focus heavily on organising their time. But one thing I always discuss with them is energy management. Leaders often start the morning with a lot of energy, but by 4:00 PM or 5:00 PM, their energy really goes down. Trying to do deep thinking or tackle “Big Rocks” at that time rarely works.
To solve this, I suggest taking a short “breathing time” break every hour to hour and a half. Step away from the work: For five minutes (maximum ten), completely disconnect from your tasks.
- Change your physical space: Go for a short walk to reset.
- Do a few stretches and execrcise
or
- Use the 3-4-5 technique: Breathe in through your nose for a count of 3, hold your breath for 4, and breathe out through your mouth for 5.
If you want to push it further, extend your exhale to a count of 10 or 15. Doing this simple five-minute practice during your workday completely re-energises you.
As I write this, TK and I are in the Canadian Rockies at Sunshine Mountain with Fleur and Tello. Fleur is spending two years living in Whistler, so we came to visit her. Today is Father’s Day, and being surrounded by this spectacular scenery—on the lookout for bears and taking in the fresh mountain air—is a wonderful reminder of how vital it is to bring energy back into your life.
This is this week’s Work Smarter, Live Better tip.
You have a lovely day, and Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads.
À bientôt,
Cyril
