Manage energy, not just time
Steve Wanner spent 12–14 hour days, slept poorly, and felt perpetually exhausted until he changed rituals for sleep, exercise, and breaks. The Energy Project argues that energy — from the body, emotions, mind, and spirit — can be systematically expanded and renewed by establishing specific, scheduled rituals that become automatic. Harvard Business Review
How Energy Renewal Programs Boosted Productivity at Wachovia
In a pilot program at Wachovia, employees who followed an energy-management curriculum outperformed a control group on key financial metrics (for example, revenues from loans and deposits) and reported improvements in customer relationships, engagement, and personal satisfaction. The program focused on physical energy (sleep, nutrition, exercise), emotional rituals (breathing, appreciation), mental rituals (protected focus periods), and purpose-driven practices. Harvard Business Review
Practical, local tips to increase daily productivity
Finish the important/challenging thing first. Completing significant or challenging work early reduces stress and creates a calm space for the brain to work. myRepublica
Make better use of the Internet. Replace passive social-media time with learning and focused information intake to support productive work. myRepublica
Avoid multitasking. Multitasking reduces productivity by limiting focus, harming working memory and increasing mental fatigue; perform one task at a time for better results. myRepublica
Rituals and micro-behaviours backed by research
- Physical rituals: regular sleep schedules, short meals/snacks to stabilise glucose, and brief exercise can raise sustained energy levels. Harvard Business Review
- Micro-breaks/renewal: ultradian rhythms (~90–120 minutes) mean intermittent renewal breaks (quality over length) restore focus; short, intentional breaks can produce meaningful recovery. Harvard Business Review
- Focus rituals: deliberately protect blocks of time for concentrated work (leave desk/turn off instant messaging) to reduce costly task-switching and switching time. Harvard Business Review
Simple routines you can adopt (excerpted guidance)
- Schedule one high-leverage task first each morning to ensure progress on what matters most. Harvard Business Review
- Check e-mail at set times (example: twice daily) rather than continuously; reserve brief focused sessions for clearing inboxes. Harvard Business Review
- Take short walks or movement breaks (even 5–20 minutes) to boost creativity, reduce stress, and refresh attention. Harvard Business Review
- Prioritise one major challenge per day and protect time to work on it without interruptions. myRepublica
Share Your Thoughts
- Which insight above was most useful for your day-to-day routine?
- Do you already use rituals (sleep, breaks, focused time)? What changed when you did?
- What’s one micro-ritual you could try this week to sustain energy (sleep, 5-minute walk, email windows)?
- How would adopting protected focus blocks affect your work or home life?