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Managing Your Energy

Managing Your Energy. Jason Sackett, LCSW USC Center for Work and Family Life. Energy over time. Short-term. Long-Term. Energy must be sustainable over time. Generating energy. Physical energy Exercise . Works for you, enjoyable, meaningful Sustainable Focus on efforts, not outcomes.

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Managing Your Energy

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  1. Managing Your Energy Jason Sackett, LCSW USC Center for Work and Family Life

  2. Energy over time Short-term Long-Term Energy must be sustainable over time

  3. Generating energy

  4. Physical energyExercise • Works for you, enjoyable, meaningful • Sustainable • Focus on efforts, not outcomes

  5. Physical energy Sleep/ rest • Sleep • At least 7 hours • Rest • Recovery time • “1 minute break”

  6. Physical energy Nutrition • Supply • Portions • Knowledge • Ban list • Restaurants • Emotional eating

  7. Physical energy exercise • Let your eyes wander • Let your body settle (slump) • Inhale 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds • Sense heartbeat

  8. Change in perspective Optimism* Expression—better out than in Generating positive emotion Generating emotional energy

  9. Relationships drive emotional energy Set relationship standards Appreciated Respected Validated Valued No deal-killers Emotional energy through relationships

  10. Gratitude = Emotional energy • Praise at least one person each day • End each day by acknowledging what you are grateful for • Write it down in highly specific terms • Exercise 1: Write down one point of praise for a colleague present today • Exercise 2: Start a “compliment log”—document every compliment you receive

  11. Mental energy • Interest • Flow focus, concentration, engagement zone of challenge, between anxiety and boredom

  12. Mental energy exercise • Think about an activity • Visualize yourself performing that activity • Imagine yourself doing it successfully • Hold that image

  13. Idealism, purpose Start with “Why” Explore your primary motivations, ideals Practice what’s good for the soul Connecting with others Giving Music, art Spiritual energy

  14. What drains your energy? Energy leeches • People • Unwanted tasks • Low self-care • Confusion/ chaos • Over-thinking

  15. Low self-care • Too much… • Work/ responsibility • Alcohol, caffeine, other substances • Negative appraisal, self-criticism • Bottling of emotions • Not enough… • Exercise • Sleep • Good nutrition • Social interaction/ fun

  16. Activities at work that consume energy • Project deadlines • Documentation • Organizing files, documents, info • Brainstorming • Planning • Supervising • Meetings • Phone calls • Checking emails

  17. Conserve energy through “scarcity” To build scarcity, value, and influence… • Create perception of being in high demand, but also a team player • Reserve time for high-value activities, avoid low-value • Anticipate requests and offer assistance (reciprocity) • Be willing to help, but after your tasks are complete • Appear busy, while actually slowing your pace of work • 3 D’s: Delay, Delegate, Do away with Exercise: write down at least one way you can decrease availability for low-value tasks

  18. Conserve energy by “getting out of your head” • Here and now • Preparation vs. anticipation • Don’t bring the pain early • Don’t “do others’ jobs for them”

  19. Exercise to get out of your head Ask yourself the following questions: • What is going on, right here and right now? • Is there anything bothersome happening right at this moment? 2a. If yes, is there anything I can do about it? • What would be a productive thought or activity on which to focus my energy right now?

  20. Putting it all together • Clear your mind (of the energy leeches) • Breathe—inhale 4 seconds, exhale 4 seconds • Focus—on the moment • Sense your heartbeat and breathe • Visualize—and hold the thought • Compliment you received • Gratitude for a relationship • An enjoyable activity or accomplishment

  21. Part II:Building Optimism

  22. Optimism • Tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions • Tendency to expect the most favorable outcome • Belief that good will prevail • Positive thinking

  23. Are you an optimist? • Optimism is not… • Reckless • Fantasy-based • Unrealistic • Limited to certain people

  24. Why optimism? • Inoculates against depression • Improves overall health • Improves recovery from illness • Combines with talent and desire to enable achievement • It influences people to like you • It generates positive energy, causing good things to happen • It beats pessimism

  25. Why not pessimism? • More illness • Lowers immune function • “Straight line to depression” • Lowers resilience • Lowers success • Almost no advantages

  26. How do you build optimism? • Explanatory styles • Role models • Staying in the present • Overcoming pessimism • ABC’s

  27. Explanatory styles • Way we explain events, good or bad • Permanence • Pervasiveness • Personalization • Defining events

  28. Explanatory styles—Permanence Extent to which causes of events are permanent • High bad permanence = causes of bad events are permanent • Contributes to lengthy feelings of helplessness, or excessive helplessness from small setbacks • Low bad permanence = causes of bad events are temporary • Helps a person bounce back • High good permanence = good events have permanent causes • People try harder after they succeed • Low good permanence = good events have temporary causes • People give up even when they succeed, see success as a fluke

  29. Explanatory styles—Pervasiveness Refers to the causes of good/ bad events, universal vs. specific • High bad pervasiveness = bad events have universal causes • Low bad pervasiveness = bad events have specific causes • High good pervasiveness = good events have universal c’s • Low good pervasiveness = good events have specific c’s Exercise: Choose the statement that best describes you. • When one area of your life suffers, you can store it away and attend to other important areas of your life • When one thread of your life snaps, the whole fabric unravels

  30. Explanatory styles—The stuff of hope SOH = permanence (time) + pervasiveness (cause) • Finding temporary and specific causes for misfortune, and permanent/ universal causes for positive events, leads to greater hopefulness • Finding permanent and universal causes for misfortune, and temporary/ specific causes for positive events, decreases hope

  31. Explanatory styles—Personalization The perceived locus of responsibility, internal vs. external When bad things happen, we can blame ourselves (internalize) or we can blame others or circumstances (externalize) • Internalization • Of bad events (blaming ourselves)  lower self-esteem • Of good events (crediting ourselves)  higher self-esteem • Externalization • Of bad events (blaming circumstances) preserves self-esteem • Of good events (crediting others) lowers self-esteem

  32. Explanatory styles—Re-defining, changing perspectives • Maybe a bad event is actually good? • Failure leads to greater resolve • Loss breeds opportunity • Only time will tell if this event is good or bad • Law of averages • I’m due for a break • Pay attention only to what’s right with a situation

  33. Optimism role models "I keep thinking, day to day, that something good is just about to happen... I don't know how to think otherwise." –Pete Carroll • Assistant Coach for 17 years • Hired as Head Coach of NY Jets, fired after one year • Hired by New England Patriots, lost Super Bowl • Did not make Top 3 in USC’s search for Head Coach

  34. Optimism role models Common denominators • Successful • Talented • Hard-working • Passionate • Idealistic • Persistent • Past experiences of adversity did not limit optimistic beliefs, efforts, or future success

  35. Action in the present • What am I doing right now? • Focus exclusively on actions, not their outcomes • Number of steps • Time invested • Overall effort • Strategies • Connections  Creates the basis for realistic optimism

  36. ABC’s • Adversity • Belief • Consequence (feeling)

  37. Overcoming pessimism • Step 1: Recognize pessimistic thoughts • Step 2: Distract or dispute • Dispute! • Successfully disputed beliefs are less likely to recur when the same situation presents itself again.

  38. Disputing • Using perspective • Is my belief reasonable, or out of proportion? • Distancing—if someone else judged me as critically as I am judging myself, would I accept their conclusion? • Examining evidence • Find alternative explanations • Challenging implications • Discarding beliefs that are not useful or destructive

  39. ABCD Your new formula for replacing pessimism with optimism • Adversity __________________________ • Belief __________________________ • Consequence __________________________ • Disputation __________________________

  40. Resources/ References Cialdini, R.B. (2007). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Seligman, M.E. (1998). Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life.

  41. Keep in touch USC Center for Work and Family Life (213) 821-0800 www.usc.edu/worklife jsackett@usc.edu • UPC –University Village (UVI), 3375 S. Hoover, Suite E-206 • HSC –Soto Building, 2001 N. Soto Street Room SSB 112 Confidential Free Serving USC faculty and staff since 1980

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