To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self-interest.

To perform at your best, you need to optimize your energy, not time.

Just as you can build your physical muscles, emotional, mental, and spiritual muscles can and should also be trained. Sustaining your pain builds your muscles. Another key to full engagement is to <a href="https://www.ysamphy.com/how-to-rest/">take regular breaks</a>. The book recommends taking a break every 90-120 minutes.

Training and recovery are key to maintaining your energy.

There are three things that affect your physical energy: exercise, food, and sleep.

Another key to full engagement is to take regular breaks. The book recommends taking a break every 90-120 minutes. 

You must do what you need to do, but never neglect to make time for what you love doing too. And remember that relationship matters, so make time for your loved ones!

You can maintain emotional energy by doing what you love and being active.

Specific things you can do to boost mental energy include learning something new, solving a puzzle or a Rubik’s cube, and meditation.

To maintain positive mental energy, you need to maintain appropriate focus and realistic optimism.

Personal values and purpose beyond self-interest are the driving force for spiritual energy. Passion, commitment, integrity, and honesty are crucial to building your spiritual muscles.

Spiritual energy is the source of motivation.

The book suggests a training system that contains three steps for full engagement: <ol><li>defining your purpose, </li><li>accepting your own limitations, and </li><li>building positive rituals.</li></ol>

Three Steps towards Full Engagement

<ul><li>Exercise regularly</li><li>Eat healthy</li><li>Get enough sleep</li><li>Take regular breaks </li><li>Work less, but more deeply </li></ul>

Actionable Advice from the Power of Full Engagement

Managing your energy, not time, is key to high performance and personal renewal!

This is a book summary of The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not time, Is Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

The Power of Full Engagement Book Summary

Keep two to-do lists:<ol><li>For everything on your plate.</li><li> For the 10 or fewer things that you’re currently working on.</li></ol> Fill up the 10 slots on the second list with items from the first, then set to work. The rule is not to move any further items from the first list onto the second until you’ve freed up a slot by finishing one of the 10 items.You can also set a pre-established time boundary for certain types of daily work — for example, to resolve to write from 8AM to 11AM — and to make sure you stop when time’s up.

1. Adopt a “fixed volume” approach to productivity

Focus only on one big project at a time. It might seem alluring to get everything off your plate quickly. But multitasking rarely works well — and you’ll soon find that serializing helps you to complete more projects anyway, thereby helping relieve your anxiety.

2. Serialize

You’ll inevitably underachieve at something, simply because your time and energy are finite. But strategic underachievement — nominating in advance the areas of your life in which you won’t expect excellence — helps you focus your time and energy more effectively.For example, you might decide in advance that it is fine to keep the keep the living toom untidy until you finish the novel, or to do the bare minimum on a particular work project so you can spend more time with your children.

3. Decide in advance what to fail at

It’s easy to grow hopeless and feel ashamed when you can’t get through your whole to-do list. One counter-strategy is to keep a “done list,” which starts empty first thing in the morning, but which you can gradually fill in throughout the day as you get things done. It reminds you that you could have spent the day doing nothing, yet, you didn't.

4. Focus on what you’ve already completed, not just what’s left to do

Social media is a giant machine for getting you to spend your time caring about the wrong things — and too many of them at once.Consciously choose to care about charity, activism, and politics — and devote your spare time only to those specific causes. Focus your capacity for care, so you don’t burn out.

5. Consolidate your caring

Combat distractions by making your devices as boring as possible, removing social media apps and, if you dare, email. It’s also helpful to choose devices with only one purpose, such as the Kindle reader or a DSLR camera. Otherwise, temptations will be only a swipe away, and you would always feel the urge to do irrelevant things.

6. Embrace boring and single-purpose technology

Time seems to speed up as we age, likely because our brains encode the passage of years based on how much information we process in any given interval.The standard advice is to combat this by cramming more novel experiences into your life. It's not always practical.Try going on unplanned walks to see where they lead you, taking up drawing or wash your car with music on — whatever draws your attention into the moment more fully.

7. Seek out novelty in the mundane

When faced with a challenging or boring moment in a relationship, try being curious about the person you’re with, rather than controlling. Curiosity is a stance well-suited to the inherent unpredictability of life with others, because it can be satisfied by their behaving in ways you like or dislike. However, if you demand people to behave in a certain way, you would be disappointed.

8. Be a researcher in relationships

Whenever a generous impulse arises in your mind, give in to it right away rather than putting it off. Don’t pause to think if the recipient deserves your generosity or if you really have the time to be generous right now (with all of the work you have left to do!). Just do it. The rewards are immediate, too, because generous action reliably makes you feel much <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/5_ways_giving_is_good_for_you">happier</a>.

9. Cultivate instantaneous generosity

Doing nothing means fighting the urge to change your experience, people, or things in the world around you, and to let things be as they are. Try the "do-nothing" meditation by setting a timer for 5-10 minutes, and then try doing nothing. If you catch yourself doing something — thinking, say, or even just focusing on your breath — gently let go of doing it.

10. Practice doing nothing

A mix of intuitive and counter-intuitive ways to help you live life in a meaningful way.

The average human lifespan is absurdly, terrifyingly finite. If you’re lucky and you live to 80, you will have lived about 4,000 weeks. Here's some advice to help you learn how to use that time well, from writer Oliver Burkeman.

habits

Habits

10 ways to get the most out of your time on this planet

High performing people are highly focused, and that leads to success. That success produces options and opportunities.
But if you are not careful, it can undermine the things that led to success in the first place. You fall into the undisciplined quest for more. Now you’re doing too many things, and while they may all be good things, it’s just too many different things. So you start to plateau in your progress or fail.

The busyness trap

Just because someone is busier than you doesn't mean that they are more important. Instead, only do what's essential. Ask yourself what your mission is? What did you come to do? Once you've identified what's essential, you won't fear FOMO. You'll start enjoying JOMO.

Being busy isn't an achievement

Take the time to explore and figure out the contribution you can make. Then go big in it. If you don't know what you're good at, use inversion. List all the things you don't like to do. Ask what you're passionate about or what you'd be interested in learning how to do.For example, if you want to be a writer, your first article doesn't have to be great. Just start by publishing it and then receive feedback. You can always go back and improve your article.

Consider what you're good at

List all your tasks of importance on a scale from 0-100. Then question or eliminate anything that's under a 90. When you do tasks below 90, you inevitably have to make a trade-off.

Find what you should be doing

You have to ignore internal and external voices that want you to prioritise the nonessential. Not every goal is necessarily worthwhile.  However, serving others is a great and essential task. When we step out to serve somebody else, the non-essential stuff will disappear.

Protect your ability to prioritise

Admit mistakes. It can be difficult to admit to yourself that you were wrong, but it is an important first step.Discipline leads to success. You don't become successful, and then you become disciplined. When you become disciplined, success will follow. Take a 10-minute nap every day. Most people are sleep deprived. The brain goes down and, as a result, can't figure out the important from the unimportant.

Life advice

What was important yesterday, may not be important today. Always ask:<ul><li>Who am I?</li><li>Why am I here?</li></ul> Without asking those questions, the stuff on your to-do list could be entirely wrong.

Write a to-do list every day

Greg McKeown is a public speaker, leadership & business strategist and New York Times Bestselling Author. Do you feel busy but not productive? Like you're overworked but under-utilised? Do you struggle with information overload? Success breeds options & opportunities, which often undermines the things that lead to success in the first place. Today Greg teaches us the art of Essentialism; how not to fall into the undisciplined pursuit of more, how to avoid the trivial many and instead focus our attention onto the vital few. This podcast could change your life, don't miss it. Sponsor: Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (Enter promo code MODERNWISDOM for 85% off and 3 Months Free)  Extra Stuff: Buy Essentialism - https://amzn.to/3bSd8jy Check out Greg's Website - https://gregmckeown.com/ Subscribe to Greg's Podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/zXR5Fdfq  Take a break from alcohol and upgrade your life - https://6monthssober.com/podcast Check out everything I recommend from books to products - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact

podcasts

Podcasts

Greg McKeown is a public speaker, leadership & business strategist and New York Times Bestselling Author. Do you feel busy but not productive? Like you're overworked but under-utilised? Do you struggle with information overload? Success breeds options & opportunities, which often undermines the things that lead to success in the first place. Today Greg teaches us the art of Essentialism; how not to fall into the undisciplined pursuit of more, how to avoid the trivial many and instead focus our attention onto the vital few. This podcast could change your life, don't miss it. Sponsor: Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/MODERNWISDOM (Enter promo code MODERNWISDOM for 85% off and 3 Months Free) Extra Stuff: Buy Essentialism - https://amzn.to/3bSd8jy Check out Greg's Website - https://gregmckeown.com/ Subscribe to Greg's Podcast - https://link.chtbl.com/zXR5Fdfq  Take a break from alcohol and upgrade your life - https://6monthssober.com/podcast Check out everything I recommend from books to products - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/modernwisdom - Get in touch. Join the discussion with me and other like minded listeners in the episode comments on the MW YouTube Channel or message me... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ModernWisdomPodcast Email: https://www.chriswillx.com/contact Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life lessons from the greatest thinkers on the planet with Chris Williamson. Including guests like David Goggins, Dr Jordan Peterson, Jocko Willink, Dr Andrew Huberman, Dr Julie Smith, Steven Bartlett, Ryan Holiday, James Clear, Robert Greene, Balaji Srinivasan, Steven Pinker, Alex Hormozi, Douglas Murray, Chris Bumstead, James Smith, Dr David Sinclair, Mark Manson and more. Understanding the world is hard. This podcast will help.

Modern Wisdom

#175 - Greg McKeown - Essentialism Explained: How To Focus On What Matters In Life

How To Focus On What Matters In Life

Meetings which require group thinking and discussion to make decisions and are going to be really mentally-challenging, those meetings are known as High-IQ meetings.Meetings are all about teams and collaboration and if you want your group to be at their best, you need to find a time where everyone can have optimal chance to be fully wake up and get the blood flowing.

'High-IQ Meetings'

"I like to do my high-IQ meetings before lunch, Anything that's going to be really mentally challenging--that's a 10 o'clock meeting. Because by 5 p.m., I'm like, 'I can't think about that today. Let's try this again tomorrow at 10.'"

<ul><li>Get enough sleep</li><li>Feed your soul</li><li>Identify your priorities</li></ul>

3 ways to make High-IQ meetings count

<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy-sleep/sleep-science/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep">Research indicates that good sleep is vital for "brain plasticity,"</a> the brain's ability to learn and adapt.A good night's sleep also helps you concentrate better when you're awake, while reducing unforced errors and irritability. So, view getting enough sleep as a sound investment.

Get Enough Sleep

Before starting your work, take out some time for yourself, figure out what would help you, your body, and your mind. <ul><li>Is it a workout? </li><li>Some time to reflect and meditate? </li><li>Or, a good breakfast with your loved ones?</li></ul>By feeding your soul first, you'll be prepared to do great work.

Feed your soul

Sometimes we confuse feeling productive with being productive. You might jump into your workday and knock out a bunch of small tasks.Completing this type of work isn't wrong; it's often necessary. But these are tasks that can often be completed quickly, later in the day.This gives you time to focus your prime thinking time on the more important decisions.The more responsibility you have, the more important focus becomes. So, identify your most important decisions for today, and make those your priority.

Identify your priorities

In a recent interview, Bezos shared some tips on how to make "high-IQ" meetings count.

health

Health

timemanagement

Time Management

Jeff Bezos Schedules His Most Important Meetings at 10 a.m. Here's Why You Should Too

Zoho notebook comes with 5GB of free storage and that’s what most people would need. However, there are paid plans if you want some more space. But in terms of its features, Zoho Notebook is all free.

1. Free with Premium Options

You can easily import photos into your notes to create beautiful Photo Cards. A maximum of 30 photos can be stored in one note. You can also edit your photos inside these Cards.Moreover, you can also import pdf documents and read them.

2. Capture Photos and Scan Documents

All types of text formatting options are available. You can Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, and Highlight your text. Furthermore, you can also quote your text.You can also make numbered and bulleted lists.

3. Text Formatting Options


Whenever you share a web link to Zoho Notebook, the app automatically creates a smart card of that link which shows the main image of that article with its’s heading. You can even read that link inside the app without needing a browser.I usually save all my articles in Zoho Notebook to read them later. It also serves as my ‘bookmarks manager’ where I save important links.

4. Save Web Articles For Later

What’s best about Zoho Notebook for me is the feature of creating checklists and to-do lists with ease.So won’t need separate habit-building and to-do apps.

5. Create Check Lists

Read full features of this app at:<a href="https://medium.com/@maaz.zulf/the-only-note-taking-app-that-you-need-10942f8ccca2">https://medium.com/@maaz.zulf/the-only-note-taking-app-that-you-need-10942f8ccca2</a>

Remaining Features

If you are a ‘note-taking nerd’ like me and are always typing ‘Best note-taking apps’ in your search bar, then do read this article till the end. Gone are the days when you had to carry a pen and a…

writing

Reading & Writing

problemsolving

Problem Solving

The Only Note-Taking App That You Need

Columns, Table, Calendar, Gantt, Form, and List—you get to decide which view you want to use and when. Seamlessly switch between different views within the same folder, or create a new view every time you open up a new tab in Infinity.

Affordable Project Management 

All attributes are completely customizable, which means that you can use them as many times as you like, in a way that works best for your projects

Create and Combine Attributes Within Your Items

I just have to say, Infinity is INVALUABLE in helping me manage 50-75 projects at any given time at different stages of the sales process. I would be lost without it and so glad I purchased it!!!

Been a critical tool for me in project management.$150 https://startinfinity.com/?ref=jesseschaa

Lifetime Membership 

Been an amazing tool for me. Lifetime membership. $150 

Organize tasks, spreadsheets, calendar and files all in one place.

product

Product & Design

leadershipandmanagement

Leadership & Management

🚀 Infinity | Customizable Work Management Platform

The four-day workweek is a 32-hour workweek with no loss in productivity, pay, or benefits.  Studies show that productivity decreases as the hours worked increase. Making 32 hours the norm instead of 40 can lead to improved well-being without losing work productivity.  Many companies worldwide have adopted a four-day workweek. Japan's government has recommended a four-day week as a national policy.

The four-day workweek has potential benefits

Ford Motor Co. and the industrial revolution made it possible to work five days instead of six. It began as an experiment at some plants in July 1926 and became company policy two months later. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Ac (FLSA) mandated a minimum wage of 25 cents per hour, a 44-hour workweek, and overtime pay of 1.5 times a worker's regular pay. In 1939, the act provided for a 42-hour workweek and in 1940 a 40-hour workweek. Since the 1990s, experiments with a four-day workweek took place in the US. More job openings offered a four-day workweek in 2018 and 2019 than in 2017.

The origins of working less

Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that the average annual hours worked by employed people in 2020 were<ul><li>25.6 per week in Germany</li><li>34 per week for Americans</li><li>32 per week for Canadians</li><li>26 per week in the UK</li><li>30 hours per week for Spaniards and </li><li>31 hours per week for the Japanese.</li></ul> These numbers show that the average American already work equivalent to a four-day workweek. However, US data includes high-school and college-age workers who work less than 40 hours per week.

How many hours we are really working

Workers' quality of life can improve with a four-day workweek. People will have more time for<ul><li>Quality time with family, friends, and pets</li><li>Caregiving</li><li>Healthcare appointments</li><li>Personal development</li><li>Education</li><li>Travel</li><li>Hobbies</li><li>Home maintenance</li><li>Household management</li></ul> For employers, benefits of a four-day workweek include:<ul><li>Increased sales</li><li>Reduced employee burnout and improved employee retention</li><li>Larger applicant pool for open positions</li></ul>

Goal of a four-day  workweek

<ul><li>Some organisations use a four-day week to save costs by not maintaining pay and benefits.</li><li>A 32-hour work week may lead to a lack of work ethic.</li><li>A four-day week of 10-hour days can be incompatible with wage regulations or be too much for employees.</li><li>It may not be possible to increase productivity enough in service or logistics jobs to achieve the same results in fewer hours. There's a limit to how many delivery locations a UPS driver can make in a day.</li></ul>

4-Day workweek challenges

<ul><li>Iceland ran a pilot four-day workweek program from 2015 to 2019. The results published in 2021 showed that workers were less burnt out while having more time for family.</li><li>Several trials are done on the four-day workweek in Spain.</li><li>Unilever in New Zealand ran a year-long four-day workweek program that ended in 2021.</li><li>The UK is launching a four-day workweek trial from June to December 2022.</li><li>US-based Kickstarter will also do a four-day workweek trial in 2022.</li><li>The social media software company Buffer implemented a four-day workweek in 2020.</li></ul>

Recent developments to the 4-day week

<ul><li>Prioritize and reevaluate tasks</li><li>Minimize interruptions and distractions</li><li>Increase automation</li><li>Focus on human creativity</li><li>Reduce work-based social events</li><li>Reduce and shorten meetings</li><li>Spend less time on email and messaging apps</li><li>Define clear goals that are achievable within a shorter workweek</li><li>Measure outcomes, not hours</li><li>Implement asynchronous work</li><li>Maintain employee pay</li><li>Trust workers</li><li>Request regular employee feedback</li><li>Learn from experimentation and mistakes</li></ul>

Strategies to succeed with a 4-day workweek

A four-day workweek could improve workers’ lives without sacrificing business productivity. Learn the benefits, challenges, successes, and failures.

Discover the world of business and economics.

economics

Economics

career

Career

business

Business

The Impact of Working a 4-Day Week

You may need to <a href="https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/articles/self-promotion-spread-the-word-about-you/the-keys-to-effective-self-promotion">prepare a few success statements to use</a>, depending on your audience. Think about the senior leadership you might have an opportunity to talk to, and what sort of results they would consider the most compelling.Create your statements to match their interests.

Demonstrate Your Ability To Obtain Results

<ul><li>Do they focus on the bottom line? Talk about revenue lines or margins you’ve increased, or operational costs you and your team have helped to reduce.</li><li>Are they tuned in to the workforce at your organization? Highlight your people management skills, team dynamic, improved interdepartmental relations, or increased employee retention.</li><li>Know a certain process is a pain point for one executive? Mention the ways you’ve worked toward streamlining or reducing havoc in that area of the business.</li></ul>

The Checklist Before Preparing Success Statements

You don’t have to be a dynamic extrovert to share a keen ability to communicate. Top leaders are seeking a certain executive presence that demonstrates poise and gravitas—a calm and confident way of landing in the moment with both the ability to listen and the skill and knowledge to make a decision.Highlight your ability to speak clearly and with confidence in any situation. They’re not looking for a know-it-all, they’re looking for a weather-it-all; someone who can wade into chaos and help bring order and reassurance to a team no matter what the turmoil.

Executive-Level Communication Skills

More and more, organizations have realized that great leaders aren’t necessarily the ones who speak the loudest or speak up first unless they are also doing so in service to their team. Great leaders know how to <a href="https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/articles/build-positive-work-relationships/team-building-intrapersonal">support their team, remove barriers, share praise</a>, highlight accomplishments and generally help everyone do the best job possible.The era of big personalities fixated on personal glory and attention is fading into history. If you want to be <a href="https://garfinkleexecutivecoaching.com/articles/get-promoted-at-work/how-to-get-a-promotion">considered for promotions</a> in the modern landscape, you need to cultivate and demonstrate a team mindset.

Demonstrate A Team Mindset

If you have great ideas on how to increase sales or improve efficiency, be sure to create clear and succinct pitches you can use in the moment to share your thoughts with leadership.Executives are looking for ingenious, motivated individuals eager to make a difference. If you know ways the company could achieve more, it’s critical to organize your thoughts so they can be efficiently conveyed. Working and refining may be even more necessary for these types of success statements because you’ll want to be sure your message is clear and easily understood.

Demonstrate Critical Thinking

It can be challenging to dive into talking about yourself, but I hope these suggestions will set you on a solid path to designing and refining your success statements. Remember that self-promotion is key in getting ahead, even when you have the best track record and great advocates speaking for you.Get used to making the most of every opportunity you have to demonstrate your value to your company. It will be key to your next project or promotion.

The Bottom Line

How to demonstrate your value to your boss

The snooze button solves a simple problem: Instead of having to go through a bunch of steps to re-set your alarm when it goes off in the morning, you just give it one touch and you gain a few more precious minutes of sleep.But that's not really why the snooze button exists. Hundreds of millions of people use their snooze button every day because they're sleep-deprived. When their alarms go off, their first thought isn't, "Time to get up." Their first thought is, "I need to sleep longer." The real problem isn't an inconvenience. The real problem is sleep deprivation.

The Snooze Button Isn't a Tool. It's a Warning

No matter how busy you feel, pick a number  (7 hours) and work backward. If you need to get up at 6:30, that means falling asleep by 11:30. Stop drinking caffeine sometime in the afternoon. Stop using your devices about 30 minutes before you need to fall asleep.  Then shut off the lights around 11:15. Relax. Let your mind wander. Don't think about going to sleep. Don't try to go to sleep. Just chill. If it takes you a long time to fall asleep, that's OK. Don't take a nap the next day. Just go to bed at the same time. Because as with most things, consistency is the key. And don't press snooze.

You Need Around 7.5 Hours of Sleep. Plan Accordingly

The snooze button isn't a handy tool. It's a warning sign for physical performance, mental acuity, and long-term health.

Millions of People Hit the Snooze Button Every Morning. Here's Why Science Says That's a Problem

Who hasn't been overwhelmed by the many apps out there that sell themselves as the ultimate all-in-one tool? or Who hasn't been frustrated with the desire of finding a perfect app that will satisfy all the needs.If you are one of those, let me tell you I know how it feels. It is part of the journey, but if you are kinda lost in this messy world, the following apps may help you stay organized.REMINDER:Don't forget that it doesn't matter what app you use, your system needs to have at least these features:<ul><li>Task management and prioritization</li><li>Time Tracking Software</li><li>Schedule events</li></ul>

The best apps to build your productivity and time management sys

A task management app that allows you:<ul><li>To create categories, projects, and subtasks</li><li>To give your tasks a date, hour, and level of priority. So, you know exactly what you need to do each day, and which things can be done later.</li><li>To see statistics about your productivity </li></ul>Plus: It has an integration with Google Calendar so any task you do will appear in your calendar as an event.

Todoist

A time tracking app that will give you some insights into how you are spending your time. Plus: <ul><li>It has an integration with Google Calendar so all the events or activities that are already part of your schedule can sync with Toggl.</li><li>The integration with Todoist allows you to start tracking tasks directly from your to-do list.</li></ul>

Toggl

By far one of the best ways to plan ahead, add events, use time blocking, and see all the things you have been doing.<ul><li>It allows seeing all the activities you have in a day, week, month, and year view.</li><li>Quickly schedule meetings and events</li><li>Get reminders about upcoming activities.</li></ul>

Google Calendar

These are the only apps I am currently using as my productivity system. (Aside from Notion, which I use more as a note-taking app). After been compulsively using app by app trying to find the perfect one, I decide to stay with these 3 apps that for specific functions.

The best apps to build your productivity and time management system

Find 100+ Facts and Tips on Productivity - Curated from inspiring sources like Books, Podcasts & Articles - Genuine Insights from like-minded Users like You!