Boost your performance

Are you aware of what charges you? And what drains you?

These are both the main drivers of performance.

Do you remember how it feels when you're drained? And how about when you're charged up?

To be charged up feels energising during the activity and after it. For example, you love giving speeches or presentations, and this recharges you. In my case, I enjoy having coaching conversations and witnessing my clients' learnings and take-aways. This is fulfilling and high energetic for me. For other people it might be charging being able to create new things, implementing ideas, or projects.

On the other hand, feeling empty during and after some activities happens to all of us. For me working on administrative tasks is draining. Why? There are several reasons. In the case above, the task doesn't fit much with my interests. It can also happen that the activity doesn't fit your skills, or that you find draining the people involved in it.

So to balance this out, you want to spend more time every day with chargers rather than drainers. Otherwise, you will be running with empty batteries. This causes poor performance, discontentment and even burnout.

Hence, it's important to improve the charger/drainer ratio by reducing the number or intensity of your drainers.

You can seek support for your drainers. For instance, if admin work is a drainer, you can outsource it, or delegate it, if possible. And because we all have different preferences, there are people that like dealing with admin things, so that might charge them, cause they have a different skill set and interests.

Alternatively, you can use mindfulness to make drainers less impactful. Before going through some admin tasks, I have done some breathing, or some physical reconnection with my senses, so that I mentally prepare myself and do not fall into the trap of negative feelings while doing it.

I also imagine the result of having done that activity. Changing this perspective motivates me to get started by focusing on the outcome.

The same applies when encountering draining people. You can recharge before meeting them and while dealing with them, observing what can you learn, developing your empathy or understanding.

These strategies increase your resilience and reduce your draining.

Don't forget to charge enough with the tasks you prefer and other activities, that increase your levels of energy. This can be as well any hobby, sports, wellness, meeting friends, and so on.

One client asked me. How do I know if one activity charges me or drains me? It's very simple. Are you looking forward to doing this activity, can't wait to start and think "Oh, yes!" Or are you rather feeling "Oh my god, this again", feeling resistance and procrastinating?

Give it a thought and identify your chargers and drainers. Once you know where you stand, you can improve the ratio by using the strategies above mentioned. What are you waiting for to boost your performance?