Success Made Easy through Smart Energy Management & AI Apps
Introduction
Unlock peak performance and well-being through smart energy management. Inspired by "The Power of Full Engagement," this approach helps you optimize physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy. Discover how integrating AI tools, ergonomic setups, and organized workflows can help you thrive, adapting to your body's rhythm for sustained success in the AI era.
Smart Energy Management as Your New Essential Skill in Work
"The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz presents a revolutionary approach to sustaining high performance, health, happiness, and life balance by managing energy rather than time. Their core insight is based not on the hours in a day which are fixed, but on the quantity and quality of available human energy. This framework, was drawn by the authors from 25 years of work with successful athletes. They suggest that when able to manage energy well, working professionals can do well to "perform in the storm" and build the human energy needed to sustain high performance amidst increasing demands.
Demands can increase during critical times. And since critical times are also a time of danger and opportunity (cf. crisis definition in Chinese), then the capacity to sustain high performance will help any professional worker avoid or rise above any danger and meet the opportunity with smart energy management. If we add the use of AI technology, which has doubled according to a 2024 Microsoft and LinkedIn report, high performance is possible. And when high performance is sustainable, then all knowledge work automation driven by AI could generate an economic impact of $5.2 to $6.7 trillion by 2030 (OneForce 2024) [1][2][3].
Building up energy through fitness training
How to build energy? This blog suggests two workouts that applies more to Filipino culture. Like all Asian cultures, Filipino culture generally thrives in flexibility. Strictness with time is generally a Western professional work principle Filipinos have learned from corporate setups.
The two workouts to build energy:
- Walk-run intervals [4]
- and/or Swedish Fartlek running [5]
Both workouts are based not strictly on time but in the energy levels of one's body. With these training methods, you have a goal-driven discipline and you still move forward. You listen to the body's energy level and adapt to it (not forcing output like a machine). This is building energy and managing it according to one's specific strength levels in the duration of the workout. You move with purpose — but not on a rigid, machine-like schedule in running. You adjust your pace based on your current energy, your terrain's varied elevation, and your breathing.
Man is not a machine. He is made to flex, recover, and surge at the right time his body's energy rises. The flexibility of walk-run intervals and Swedish Fartlek training allows you to alternate between fast runs, recovery jogs, or walks. You listen to your strength level, adjust your pace based on your heart's rhythm, and understand what the body needs to handle the work of the day. You workout optimally by applying a targetted range of time where the needed level of energy is built. And since you walk and run outdoors, this is known to add a very positive effect on health and the total energy capacity of humans (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) [6].
Recharge: Cultivating Your Energy as an On-the-Go Polyworker
Managing your energy in professional work means respecting this natural rhythm, so you can stay healthy, productive, and financially stable over time. Think of your energy for work, or any polywork on-the-go, like an athlete's training:
- you don't "sprint" at your work all the time,
- but rather alternate between intensive effort and recovery
- this is a concept formed by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz known as oscillation [7].
This goal-driven discipline allows you to push when you're high-energy and slow down to recover when tired, preserving your strength for the long run.
To apply the concept of "oscillation" in work
- Implement ergonomic and dynamic workspaces that balance sitting and standing postures to prevent soreness and improve circulation.
- You can achieve this resourcefully, perhaps by using bookshelves or light, movable wood cabinets as standing desks to keep your laptop screen at eye-level height without buying new desks
- Incorporate strategic micro-breaks, such as short 5-15 minutes "save-your-eyes" breaks from the screen, stretching arms/legs, gently rotating neck, or moving around a bit to release tension. A light snack if needed is a great energy-builder.
- Be aware of your resilient and goal-oriented mindset and view any distraction not as threats, but as opportunities for growth. This mindset is crucial for generating the necessary energy and strength to succeed at any project.
GEN AI image of #4 professionals incorporating strategic micro-breaks with stretching exercise
Integrate smart energy management into 3 pillars of AI work
The concept of "Full Engagement" according to Loehr and Schwartz does not only imply physical energy capacity. They actually delineate four separate but related sources of energy for every human body: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
- Physical capacity is defined by quantity of energy
- Emotional capacity is defined by quality of energy
- Mental capacity is defined by focus of energy
- Spiritual capacity is defined by force of energy [8]
If these 4 related sources of energy are managed well, then it can be applied to generally three interconnected pillars of work in the AI and technology industry.
Pillar 1: Leveraging AI-Powered Tools [9]
- Mental Energy: AI tools, which are reported in a SEA Open Research report that automates 20-30% of repetitive cognitive tasks in 2024, enhance one's focus of energy. They free up human cognitive resources, allowing individuals to direct their mental energy towards higher-level activities like strategic decision-making, creative problem-solving, and innovation. AI tools help workers avoid being "overtrained" and maintain their mental agility by reducing cognitive overload.
- Emotional Energy: Without the burden of routine tasks, overall efficiency is improved and a more positive emotional state is attained.
- Spiritual Energy: As mundane tasks are automated, individuals can allocate more energy to work that aligns with their deeper purpose and values, contributing to a sense of fulfillment and meaning.
Pillar 2: Implementing Ergonomic Workspace Designs & Smart Gear Choices
- Physical Energy: Ergonomic workspace designs can balance sitting and standing postures to prevent physical strain and improve circulation, promoting comfort and reducing soreness. Choose smart, money-saving gear that is light-weight.
- Mental Energy: A comfortable and organized physical workspace, achieved through ergonomic choices, minimizes physical distractions and discomfort, allowing for better mental focus.
- Emotional Energy: Reduced physical discomfort and stress from an optimized work environment contributes to a more positive mood and overall emotional well-being, enabling greater resilience.
Pillar 3: Organized Workflows (Ivy Lee Time Management Technique & 5-S Method)
- Mental Energy: The Ivy Lee Time Management Technique directs the focus of energy by requiring prioritization of a limited number of critical tasks and adherence to completing one task before moving to the next. This method avoids "split attention" that can lead to reduced quality of work. Also, the 5-S Method for systematic organization of both physical (e.g., on-the-go backpack) and digital work environments aims to reduce clutter that contributes to mental clarity and efficiency.
- Emotional Energy: By providing clear structure and prioritization, these methods reduce feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed, leading to a greater sense of control and accomplishment, boosting emotional well-being and makes achieving goals easier.
- Spiritual Energy: By maximizing productivity and minimizing wasted effort on less important tasks, individuals can direct their conserved energy towards activities that truly matter and align with their overall goals and values.
Focus on smart energy management in the AI era
To thrive in the AI era, focus on smart energy management, not just time. Utilize AI apps to automate tasks, design ergonomic workspaces for comfort, and adopt organized workflows for clarity. This holistic approach builds energy for sustained high performance and well-being.
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