Picture this:
It’s 4pm and you have about 80-90% of your workday under your belt. Yet, that last 10-20% is eluding you.
Maybe you’ve had 6 cups of coffee, a nice walk in the afternoon, or any number of things to keep your energy levels up, but try as you might, 4pm-5pm is just not productive.
Sound familiar? Speaking from experience that window of 4-5pm is usually when the afterburners kick in and productivity is starting to REALLY decline. The reality is, no matter who you are, or how proficient you are at your job, there will always be points in your day that are not as productive or even worst, wasted.
We know that problem exists for us all, so the question is, how do we inoculate against it?
Here are three ideas based on my experience;
1) Fuel
Much like a car, our energy is capped until we load up on fuel (e.g sleep, food, coffee, etc.). And much like the quality of fuel going into the car determines performance, the same goes for us as humans. This may seem simple – but nevertheless it is critical. Making sure you’re eating healthy food that will give you energy, drinking water, and maximizing sleep when possible may sound like cop-out answers but also might make a material improvement on your following day.
Who knows, that little extra bit of enthusiasm or charisma might land you a close that wasn’t possible before. More importantly, you’ll feel more comfortable and in control at work.
2) Performance
Also like a car, the engine releases small timed explosion to move forward – you should aim to do the same. (Especially if you’re in sales role like myself). Try to be hyper productive in a 45-minute period and take small breaks in between, so that when you have to be ‘on’, you’re consistently ‘on’ throughout that entire period.
I promise you, monotonously making sales calls over a three-hour period is not doing favors for you or your prospects. Diminishing returns will become evident, very quickly.
3) Targets
Priorities, priorities, priorities! If your energy is capped, so is the time in your day. 8 hours seems like a long time, but it flies by! Map out the night before 3 things you must get done today, and 3 things you can push for tomorrow. You’ll aim to get all of them done, of course, but if you cannot, make sure your top 3 are your highest priority.
Remember that these three points work in tandem. If you set yourself up to be productive for tomorrow, you can prioritize your most critical tasks when you are most effective.
Personally, I find mornings to be most productive (9am-11am) and afternoons from (1:30pm-3:30pm).
Wrap-up:
Keeping that structure in mind, always find ways to be adapting and improving. Figure out some key moments and analyze what is stopping diminishing returns; How many cups of coffee make you productive? Is your lunch giving you energy or making you lethargic? When are you most productive in the day? Etcetera.
Like all of you, I’m learning and adapting these points, so I would be happy to hear what you think.
What is your game plan for maximizing energy in a day?
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by Marius Royal
Sales Development - In The Funnel