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Use your Energy Cycles for More Effective Working and Greater Productivity



We all have times when our energy levels are high. And others when we are feeling dull and slow. These are your energy cycles. And knowing what your energy cycle is can help you to plan and use your time most effectively. Watching this Video is worth 3 Management Courses CPD Points*. (See below for more details) This video is part of course module number 1.6.1 Program 1: Managing Yourself Course 6: Personal Productivity Section 1: Effective Working Relevant videos in the same section as this video include: ============================================== - The Power of Habits: Productivity through Effective Working ... https://youtu.be/kXmz_E8yUGw - Wellbeing: What to do to Increase Your Productivity ... https://youtu.be/dkJEtKSR_Yw - Overcome Overwhelm: Dealing with the Feeling of Being Overwhelmed … https://youtu.be/Gp21qbsesbc - Special Time: and How to Use it to Work Effectively … https://youtu.be/PNN0ybt32TA - Three Types of Procrastination... and Why 2 are Good … https://youtu.be/xOszBq1iqSI - Conquer Procrastination: How to Avoid Putting Things Off … https://youtu.be/YK0u1yXGYlY - The Flow State... and How Flow Can Help You Work Effectively … https://youtu.be/8uBamPRhc4E LESSON NOTES ============= When are you at your best? Whenever it is, the best time to allocate for your biggest, most complex, most demanding task… is then. Understand Your Personal Energy Cycle The peaks and troughs in your day create your own personal energy cycle. What does yours look like? - If you have another good slot - allocate another important task then. - And use those sluggish times, when you’re at your worst, to allocate the small, simple, low-priority tasks that won’t need much concentration. Allocate the big things into your best times of day. Fit the little things into your dips. Boost Your Energy Manage your energy levels to get more done. Raise the peaks and smooth out the dips in your energy: • Take breaks • Keep hydrated • Limit use of caffeine • Healthy snacks • Slow-release carbohydrates • Get up and move around • Deep breaths • Naps • Novelty. • The wonder drug… Chocolate When to Have Meetings If you do have a say in when to schedule your meetings: - If you are an extravert and find being with people energises you, allocate meetings into your energy dips. That way, you get a free boost. - If you are an introvert, and you find being with people takes energy and concentration, allocate meetings to when your energy levels are high. Otherwise you’ll find yourself struggling to contribute well. RECOMMENDED EXERCISE ====================== 1. Draw a chart of your own daily energy cycle, from when you get up to when you go to bed. (1 MC CPD Point) 2. Identify when to do your best work. What changes do you need to make to your habits and your schedule to accommodate this (if any)? (1 MC CPD Point) 3. Rearrange your days for the next week to make the best use of your energy cycles. (5x1 MC CPD Points) 4. If you schedule meetings, do it to make use of your own energy cycle and whether you are an introvert or extrovert. (1 MC CPD Point) 5. At the end of the week, review the impact of any changes you have made. What will you do to make further improvements next week? (2 MC CPD Points) DOWNLOADS =========== Free Resources - CPD Tools - https://gum.co/MC-CPD Paid resources - Management Courses Onboarding Kit - https://gum.co/MC-ObK ($3) RECOMMENDED READING ===================== I'll be as modest as I can. I'm something of an expert on effective working, personal productivity, & time management, with 4 best-selling books by 3 international publishers: - The Time Management Pocketbook ... https://geni.us/gHa4 - How to Manage Your Time ... https://geni.us/Cpvp - Powerhouse: Turbo Boost Your Effectiveness and Start Making a Serious Impact ... https://geni.us/H7GDizc - The Yes/No Book: How to do less... and achieve more ... https://geni.us/yhF90n And here are my picks from the thousands of other books on personal productivity, effective working, & time management: - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People ... https://geni.us/Zulp - The Power of Habit: Why we Do what we Do, and How to Change ... https://geni.us/vNtXd4 - Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less ... https://geni.us/JxTY - Eat that Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating ... https://geni.us/48Y1LlC Management Courses Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Points =========================================================== You can record your Management Courses CPD points on our free, downloadable CPD record log. Download it here: https://gum.co/MC-CPD Each video has two levels of MC CPD points. For this video: - If you simply watched the video, record 3 MC CPD points - If you also carried out all of the recommended exercises, score a total of 13 MC CPD points ___ Note: Links to our book recommendations are affiliated through Amazon #Productivity #EffectiveWorking #EnergyCycles
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Mike Clayton

About Mike Clayton 

Dr Mike Clayton is a (former) Project Manager and now a management educator. Having trained thousands of people at live workshops, seminars, and conferences, he now delivers training mainly via video. He has 14 books with international publishers and runs two successful YouTube channels. He is also the founder of OnlinePMCourses.com

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