How to become highly productive is too much to cover thoroughly in a simple article, but we can touch on some good ways to start improving your energy management.

Nutrition: Most nutritional experts agree that eating a number of modest meals throughout day is much better than a couple of big ones. Don’t forget to include protein with every meal.

Stress: There are no such things as stressful situations. It’s our reaction to events that causes us to feel stress. You know what works best for you to reduce your feelings of stress. Set time aside to take care of yourself throughout week. If you don’t take time, soon enough you’ll have no choice due to health issues.

Physical Fitness: Do I really need to go into this? Doing something is better than doing nothing at all.

Attitude: Our attitude colors our view of our past, our present and our future. Most people allow world to determine what we hear and see, which determines how we see world in general and how we see our own world specifically. Start to take control of what you mentally and emotionally feed yourself. Cut out negatives (like news on TV) and start introducing positives (like listening to personal growth tapes or CDs).

Another critical key to effective energy management is to understand many positive implications of stretching our abilities and then taking time to recover and rejuvenate. Regular recovery and rejuvenation are essential to becoming highly productive. I can’t stress enough impact that regular rejuvenation can have on your energy, attitude, creativity, enthusiasm, and spirit.

Let me finish by getting back to client example I started this article with. My client wanted to know how, or if, he could be as highly productive on a daily basis as he was on day before his vacation, and my answer was yes and no. The yes part of answer is that you can be highly productive on a regular basis, day after day, by managing your energy and things that influence it. On other hand (the “no” part of answer), it’s impossible to be highly productive without allowing your body, mind, emotions and spirit to recover and rejuvenate regularly. Remember, when we’re tired we tend to slow down, make more mistakes and have a harder time being creative. After all, main reason vacations exist is to allow us to recover and rejuvenate. You can accomplish more, with less effort and more creativity by backing off from time to time to recharge. Choosing how and when to recharge throughout week is another story…

To recap what we’ve discussed in this article, key to being highly productive in any endeavor is to manage your energy. By attending to your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs you can accomplish more with greater enthusiasm, greater creative and greater enjoyment than ever before.

5. Confidentiality Is Key

A sense of trust and safety is critical to a productive coaching experience. Coaching isn’t therapy, but you should feel comfortable revealing any relevant information to your coach.

It’s not uncommon for personal issues to arise that are not entirely business-related, but affect outcomes for better or worse. Make sure your coach has a confidentiality policy with which you’re comfortable.

6. Look for Psychological Savvy

While advanced degrees aren’t any guarantee of effectiveness, a psychologically informed coach can help you use interpersonal dynamics to finesse conflicts and reduce any negative impact on company performance.

A good coach will be multifaceted – able to combine one-on-one coaching with effective team intervention as needed. Knowledge of both interpersonal and group dynamics is important to successful outcomes.

7. Establish a Schedule That Meets Your Needs

At this point in your career you’ve probably attended more than your share of meetings. What you don’t need are more meetings to talk about theory.

For best use of your time and to capitalize on real-life situations, most senior executives benefit from coaching in real-time. Having a consultant available to work with you, onsite, is best approach to getting results you want.

Find someone whose schedule fits into your needs. The best coach does little good if he or she is only available for phone calls.

8. Value Honesty

The best coach isn’t afraid to tell you things you need to hear

Remember, higher up you are in company, harder it is to get honest information. People around you have a vested interest in keeping you happy. Many of them may also fear a “kill messenger” response.

It’s easy for coaches with minimal training to fall into a trap of giving feel-good answers. After all they risk being fired if they give advice client doesn’t like.

Dr. Steven Berglas, former Harvard psychiatrist and instructor at UCLA’s Anderson school, explained in an interview with Chief Executive Magazine, “A lot of times consultants and coaches are deemed great because they’re adding syrup to a sundae. They just go along; they’re ‘gaysayers’ and proponents.” The CEO may feel good, but little progress is made. In fact, according to Berglas, an “alarming number” of coaches who lack psychological training hurt their clients more than they help them.

Instead of looking for consensus, weigh your coach’s input before you make your own decision. After all, that’s what you’re paying for.

9. Give your coach access.

Make it easy for your consultant to do his or her job. Allow ample rein to inquire, research, survey, whatever it takes to thoroughly understand issues and, most importantly, get you information you need.

Locating right coach for your needs can be tricky but these guidelines can increase your chances for success. They will help you launch an ongoing, beneficial partnership with your coach and keep it that way. With right collaboration, you’ll find that you can significantly compress time you need to achieve your most important goals.

© 2005 Dr. Robert Karlsberg & Dr. Jane Adler