Operate at Peak Performance

Four Easy-to-implement Steps to Peak Performance

We all have the capacity to operate at peak performance – but we don’t! The following tips should help you shift your perspective on how you spend your most valuable commodity – your time – so that you are effective and efficient.

- One of the best steps to maximize your performance is to understand your body’s energy levels – knowing when you are at your peak. You know when you require a higher level of energy or can zone out and finish mindless busywork. For example, if you wake up in the morning - fully energized - would you be more inclined to jump right in answer all those crazy emails that flooded in over night, and then work on an article that has to be submitted a bit later in the morning? Is there a possibility that you would be far more effective if you reversed those tasks and worked on that article first?

Case Study: A client in New Zealand recently shared she blocked in two hours for her newsletter at 4:00 pm every Thursday, a chunk of time not distracted by other things. However, when she reached that time, she was emotionally exhausted and couldn’t motivate herself. After discussing her energy level, she discovered that Tuesday mornings seemed to be when she felt more creative, having taken care of all her administrative tasks on Monday. Switching WHEN she completed her newsletter, she was able to save a full hour.

- Another tip is to make a “date with destiny”. This is simply showing how many things we should be doing that don’t seem to make it to our calendar – but should! We calendar appointments with prospective clients and luncheon dates with friends. We may even be disciplined enough to calendar all our commitments to others, but fit our things around that. If you have a goal that you want to achieve – calendar that task so it gets done!

Case Study: A client outsourced her accounting tasks and is scheduled to meet with her support person a certain day of every month. Many times this client chooses to fill that time with some other appointment and skips her financial meeting. At the end of the first quarter – she doesn’t have the figures she really needs to make appropriate financial decisions for the balance of the year. The point here is that some things are so vitally important to your business that you give them priority by calendaring them and honoring that commitment to your success.

- Finally… eliminate distractions! When you know your peak energy, and you understand the priority and value of a certain task, allow yourself the privilege of going into “lockdown” until it is finished. Will the earth will come to a shattering close if you respond to most emails or phone calls an hour or two later? Is it necessary to allow them to be the controlling factor in our lives? Block your day into 45-minute work sessions, responding to phone and email messages for 15 minutes. If you do the math, eight -- fifteen minute intervals a day to attend to emails and phone calls equates to two full hours of outward communication.

Distractions can come from staff members, friends and family members. There is nothing wrong with putting a “red light” symbol outside a closed door to signify that you require an uninterrupted period of time. You are eliminating the need for interruptive discussion, or feeling you are disappointing someone by asking them to go away until you are done with your task. Bottom line, it is when you have the discipline to manage your own time that you are free to have more quality time with those who want to share your life.

Case Study: A long-time director of a county service program had, unfortunately, trained her staff to come to her immediately with any problems they might be having so she could help resolve them. What occurred over the course of many years was that her staff count- and the interruptions - increased. The end result, she was not able to accomplish her work in a timely manner. Not only was she working far more hours than necessary, she was being written up for not managing her work flow appropriately. The change in her course of action was to allow an open window of time each morning between 8 AM and 10 AM for her staff to stop in and quickly resolve their issue. Not only did she reduce her work day, she trained her staff to be more responsible in scheduling their own time and better managing the problems they encountered … and she was praised by her own supervisor for the modifications she was disciplined enough to implement – to achieve a win/win for everyone involved.

These are tips that are easy to implement … if you DO them! Which will you implement today?

Always… encouraging others to engage in positive, life-altering activities that provide long-term, sustainable benefit.

Anna

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