2. Time and energy management

Subject title Time and energy management

Purpose of the activity Introduce participants to time and internal energy resources management tools which would help them to become more effective in their daily lives.

Duration 2 hours.

Location and tools The presentation requires a projector, writing board, paper and writing tools for participants, tables, chairs, sticky notes, adhesive tape for gluing posters in space.

Number of participants Unlimited, but the most effective number – 16–20 participants.

Acquaintance/ team building methods

A method for focus of attention

Participants are invited to pair up, to become acquainted with each other, sit down in front of each other and make eye contact. In the first part of the method, participants are asked to maintain eye contact, but at the same time to think about the tasks of concern, the existing daily worries, the things they need to do. They have one minute for that. In the second part participants are asked to focus completely on the person they are looking at and pay full attention to him/her alone. They have one minute for that as well. In the third part participants are asked to explore what is going on around them without turning their eyes away from their partner. They have one minute for that. Finally, the last fourth minute is dedicated to share experiences in couples. In the next few minutes, the whole group needs to reunite and share their experiences and emotions with everyone in the circle thus changing the focus of attention. The leader asks questions about what was the easiest to focus on and what was the hardest to focus on, thus drawing attention to the topic of the session.

Practical tasks

Task no. 1

Participants are asked to close their eyes and focus on breathing. Monitor inhalations and exhalations, air temperature, continuity and intensity of inhalations and exhalations. At the end of the task participants open their eyes and share their experiences and observations. Task completion time including discussion.

Task no. 2

Dalyvių prašoma užmerkti akis ir sutelkti dėmesį į kvėpavimą. Stebėti įkvėpimus ir iškvėpimus, oro temperatūrą, įkvėpimų ir iškvėpimų tęstinumą, intensyvumą. Pasibaigus užduočiai, dalyviai atmerkia akis ir dalijasi patyrimais, pastebėjimais. Time to complete the task: 3 minutes; discussion: 3 minutes.

Task no. 3

Participants need to divide their sheet of paper into two parts: write a plus sign on one side of the sheet and a minus sign on the other side of the sheet. They are then asked to make two lists: on the side with the plus sign, list all the things, activities, people, topics of conversation, jobs and etc., which provide energy, and on the other side, where there is a minus sign, list all things, activities, people, topics of conversation, jobs and etc., which drain energy, cause apathy, despair, and after which one needs time to recover. Time to complete the task: 15 minutes.

End of session reflection methods

The Suitcase of Life Method

A suitcase is drawn on a large sheet of paper, leaving white space around it. Participants are given sticky notes of two different colours. On sticky notes of one colour participants are asked to write down things which, at the end of the session, they put in their „suitcase of life“, whereas on sticky notes of another colour participants are asked to write down things which they will later remove from their „suitcase of life“. Finally, everyone walks over to the poster and names these things aloud by sticking sticky notes in the appropriate place on the poster.

Notes to the leader When applying a method for focus of attention and the breath monitoring method in the beginning of the session, guide participants through these experiences gradually, slowly, and list the above tasks by emphasizing what aspects they need to pay attention to. Observe the timbre of your voice at that time – it needs to be calm.

Before moving on to the theoretical part of the session, it is important to emphasize that in today’s world, where everyone has an infinite number of tasks and is surrounded by enormous opportunities, it is very important to be able to build the appropriate relationships. The success, efficiency and emotional health of each person depend on it.

THEORETICAL INFORMATION

THE EISENHOWER METHOD

One of the most popular and simplest time management tools is The Eisenhower Method, according to which everyday tasks and works can be divided into four types.

1. Important and urgent (must be done immediately). This section includes all the important tasks that needed to be done a long while ago, but they kept being delayed over and over again. To prepare for the exams one day before them, to pay the fees when the last day to do so is tomorrow, to write an article that should be published already tomorrow. Each of us could easily create a list of such tasks. We all know well what it feels like to have unfinished tasks that needed to be completed yesterday and all internal and external resources need to be mobilized at the maximum to get them done as quickly as possible.

3. Important, but not urgent (plan when it will be done). The third quadrate is for those tasks that are important, but not urgent. Some of these tasks are similar to the ones that belong to the first quadrate. However, here more time resources are available. The other tasks are related to strategic planning, visions and ideas for the future, as well as self-assessment processes, for which it is also important to devote sufficient time. 2. Unimportant, but urgent (to delegate). This section includes tasks that in a way take time against our will. For example, a friend calls you to share a piece of news as soon as possible, which isn’t directly related to you, but you already have three missed calls on your phone, which means it’s urgent. Or, in another case, you work quietly and are suddenly invited to a meeting to discuss topics that aren’t directly related to your work. It’s urgent, but it doesn’t matter to your immediate goals. The tasks in this section are always worth critically reviewing and assessing whether it is really necessary to complete them and, where necessary, to do them in the most efficient and resource-efficient way.

4. Not Important and Not Urgent (to do later). It’s the most beloved part of every person’s quadrate related to what we call a waste of time – the internet, posting photos, phone conversations, sharing news with friends, watching series and etc.

And now it is worth inviting participants to honestly answer, to which quadrate they devote the most of their time? A lot of people spend most of their time procrastinating in the fourth quadrate, or cannot give up tasks imposed by other people and waste their time on completely insignificant things. So we are moving away from the quadrate of important tasks, for which there was still enough time in the past, and we get to the first quadrate, when all the tasks are urgent and we have very little time. What do we feel then?

Our nervous system is under severe stress because we begin to act uneasily, devoting all of the body’s resources to urgent and important tasks. Then the nervous system needs time to recover and rest, and we gradually find ourselves in the fourth quadrate again, when we keep delaying important tasks. And so we get stuck in a vicious circle. Being in such a state, it is impossible to feel good for a long time, to be able to work and expect good work results and efficiency. Eventually, the person feels less and less energetic, the symptoms of burnout syndrome develop, the body weakens, and the person begins to perform previously pleasing tasks without any enthusiasm.

MAIN ENERGY SOURCES

But where to find that source of energy that would allow you to always feel enough energy for work, rest and entertainment?

All energy sources can be divided into four groups: 1. Food. We eat in order to get useful nutrients. Moreover, we feel pleasure while eating. But does all the food we eat really give us energy? It’s important to note that heavy food which takes long to digest and that one eats at the wrong moment can, on the contrary, take away even more energy and make one feel sleepy, apathetic. Therefore, in order for food to really provide energy, it is important to pay attention to the diet and to make sure you have fresh, easily digestible products. Fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains give us a lot of energy.

2. Sleep. When we sleep, our body regains strength the most quickly. We all know that it is recommended to sleep 6–8 hours a day. But do we always get the same amount of energy while sleeping? Have you ever noticed that when you go to bed at 2–3 a.m. and wake up at 12–13 p.m., the amount of energy completely differs from the amount that you get once you go to bed at normal time, i.e. at 22–23 p.m., and when you get up at 6–7 a.m.? Of course, people shape their own unique sleep regime, taking into account their needs and daily activities, but the most important thing is not to change the regime so it would respond to the basic need of our body – to regain lost strength. Then we will have enough energy for both mental and physical activity.

3. Respiration. It’s an important source of energy which we usually don’t even think about or remember until we run out of air. For example, while chasing a bus, we clearly perceive and feel the process of breathing. Be that as it may, it is breathing that is one of the most important sources of energy, and conscious breathing provides an opportunity not only to get more oxygen, but also teaches to control emotions. Have you noticed that breathing is frequent and twitchy when one is angry, and lengthy and slowed down when one feels happy and relaxed? Each emotion has its own pattern of respiration. It is also possible to influence the emotions themselves by applying certain breathing patterns.

4. Positive mood. What is meant here is that positive emotions enrich a person with energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to do much more. It is an important source of energy. Is it possible to get a positive mood from the outside? In a sense, yes, let’s say we can observe how the amount of energy changes depending on the mood of the ongoing conversation. Scandals, rumours, conversations on depressive topics take away a huge amount of energy and therefore should be avoided.