A Jerusalem Post Column

Dec 17, 2010

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Controlling and managing our time is a major challenge that has spawned a thriving industry in "Time Management".

It wasn't so long ago in the middle of the 20

century that technological innovations had people believing that automation would give us more leisure time. Factories were becoming automated with robots, and household work was becoming automated with the introductions of washing machines, dryers and dishwashers.

Whether in factories or at home, it was thought that work hours would shrink. The biggest problem was thought to be that we'd have no idea what to do with all our extra time. How wrong they were!

The reality is that now in the 21

century, we have even less free leisure time and are working at a breathless pace. Our mobile phones and email means that work pursues us into places

and times outside of work, interrupting the little leisure time we have left.

The nature of business and service business and professionals in particular, requires us to be instantly accessible so we can respond immediately.

As consumers we have come to expect and then demand that from our business service contractors. We expect service people to respond instantaneously in order to keep us as satisfied customers. This is the case whether they are providing computer maintenance, air conditioning / heating repair or health care.

We have become addicted to instant accessibility and immediate response to our friends, family as well. We have gone from email access on our new handheld portable phones to quick sums message, tweeting and BBG messages. But this instantaneous communication response handicaps our ability to control our time and makes us feel the need to vigilantly watch our personal or work communication for fear we will lose out.

This is evident in words of a professional l mother juggling her professional

But such break neck non-stop constant high tension alertness is not healthy for our body, and is actually counterproductive to our achievements and success. Tony Schwartz worked with world class athletes in order to help them reach optimal peak performance. It meant training intensely for 90 minutes and then taking a 15 minute respite for renewal before resuming intense training again. Scwartz translated this system and explained it in his book "Full Engagement".

It is based on our physiological system which works in rhythms. . Our breathing, brain waves, heart rates, hormone levels and blood pressure all have healthy rhythmic patterns which are evident in EEG and EKG tests. Schwartz claims that the cycle of healthy patterns of activity and rest lie at the heart of our capacity for full engagement, maximum performance and sustained health

These rhythms help to account for the ebb and flow of our energy throughout the day. Physiological measures such as heart rate, hormonal levels, muscle tension and brain wave activity all increase during the first 30 minutes of a work engagement cycle. Within an hour or so, these measures start to decline.

Somewhere between 90 and 120 minutes the body begins to crave a period of rest and recovery. Signals include a desire to yawn and stretch, hunger pangs, increased tension, difficulty concentrating and inclination to fantasize. Basically we can only push so hard for so long without breaking down and losing full engagement.

Our r natural world works with such a cycle of action and rest as well. It has a pulse and a rhythmic wavelike movement between activity and rest. Think about the ebb and flow of the tides, the changes between seasons, and the daily rising and setting of the sun.

It reflects the mandate that God gave to man upon placing him in the Garden of Eden. The Bible states that God placed Adam in the world to work it and to preserve it. This means that as the elements in the world need rest in order to be preserved and replenished, so too man's work in the world.

The process of work and rest is that of man emulating God's rest in creation. God rested on the 7

day after a week of creation, and set up the model for us to include a Sabbath day of rest in our work week.

Schwartz's answer to the rhythmic ebb and flow of life energy is to "live like a sprinter". This is done by breaking down concentrated work engagement into a series of manageable intervals consistent with our physiological needs. This is especially important in structuring your work day. It follows with some of the well known time management strategies of structuring your time when you are focused on particular tasks, not multi tasking and not susceptible to distraction.

A very effective habit to develop which takes advantage of this concept of full engagement is to set aside a 90 minute time period of "full engagement "each day. This means concentrating for 90 minutes on accomplishing a task with no interruption. This time is for being focused with no other people to answer to, no landline or cell phone, no sms and no email. If you dedicate yourself to that 90 minute period every day, every week, for a couple of months you would be amazed how much you can accomplish.

Taking a break is necessary in our personal emotional lives as well. Positive psychology has addressed this break neck speed way of life by developing the concept called savoring. Savoring means to take time out from instantaneous communication to stop and reflect about what good is happening to you. It is the skill learned to pay attention to and, appreciate the positive experiences in life. It also means slowing down and appreciating the journey.

It may be helpful to keep in mind the famous lyrics from Simon and Garfunkel: "Slow down you move too fast, you got to make the morning t last". Or, slow down take a break, and recharge your batteries.

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