Tony Schwartz is the author of books such as The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy Not Time is the Key to Performance, Health and Happiness. Together with Catherine McCarthy, in the Harvard Business Review book, On Managing Yourself, he offers a number of tips on managing energy. Here are a few:
- "Physical energy — Take brief but regular breaks away from your desk, at 90- to 120-minute intervals throughout the day.
- Emotional energy — Look at upsetting situations through a new lens....Employ a wide lens to ask, ‘How can I grow and learn from this situation.’
- Mental energy — Every night, identify the most important challenge for the next day. Then make it your first priority when you arrive at work the next morning.
- Spiritual energy — Identify your ‘sweet spot’ activities — those that give you feelings of effectiveness, effortless absorption, and fulfillment. Find ways to use more of these."
In the book, Developing People, Sally Cartwright believes that one energy drainer for early childhood practitioners is the fact that "working with children will sometimes stir emotions from the caregiver’s own childhood." Cartwright believes that "a truly fine caregiver will have searched and brought to light salient unconscious factors in herself." She explains that "caregivers may help each other toward self-awareness through constructive criticism with mutual trust and respect. Quiet reflection and professional counseling may help as well."
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