Let's go slow (Tim Finn/Phil Manzanera)

Dan Rockwell in his recent blog suggested 20 questions to audit personal energy. I figured I'd give it a go.

He suggests asking team members to assess their ability to manage personal energy, using a 1 to 10 scale.

• I know my most productive time of day. Yes, I do - 10
• I typically stay on task until I need a break. Depends on the task but probably low on this s0 4
• I regularly express gratitude. Yes - 10
• I feel my boss seeks my best interest. Yes -10
• I take breaks during the day. Yes, I do now - 10
• I eat healthy food. Hmmm - 6
• I have a consistent bedtime. Yes - 10
• I know what today’s priority is. Yes - 8
• I frequently do things I love to do. Yes - reading and listening to music daily would qualify here - 8 (I'd like to do it more hence the 8)
• I feel like I’m heading in a good direction as a person/employee. Yes - 8
• I usually get the day’s work done. Yes - 10
• I understand and embrace organizational purpose. Yes - 10
• I use my strengths every day at work. Mostly yes - 8
• I feel like I make a meaningful contribution every day. Yes - 8
• My work aligns with my values. Absolutely - 10
• I feel like my boss listens to me. Yes - 10
• I enjoy a hobby. I do - 10
• I exercise regularly. Not as much as I should but generally yes - 6
• I feel like I’m growing as a person. Yes - 10
• I hang out with fellow employees outside of work hours. No - except for after work drinks on rare occasions but not regularly - 2. I'm interested that Dan includes this question which kind of implies you should. But I need the weekend to recover from 5 days at school and have never 'hung out' with colleagues that much - tennis games with Peter Joyce was the most I've done.

Dan then asks these four questions:

What did you learn after completing your energy audit? I feel like my rating for personal energy is really high. But I knew that going in.
Which items most influence your energy in a positive way? Having a sense of purpose, alignment and knowing my skills and strengths are being utilised. Negative way? Up to this year being time poor was a factor (my need to finish jobs took a hit because I would try to do too many things and spread myself too thin) but I took steps to correct things this year and so my energy levels remain consistent I am findng.
How might you better manage personal energy? I feel pretty comfortable with things - I aim to walk three lunchtimes a week - on course this week after a zero week because of poor weather. I always feel more energy if I get regular exercise and eat better.
What’s one thing I could do to better fuel your energy? Eat better (the lure of the chocolate bar).