Monthly Archives: October 2019

Game plan!

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One of the commentators said, after the terrific England win over New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final (Saturday 26th October) “Game plan executed to perfection”. This comment and some other things about the game tell us a lot about being productive and getting results.

Firstly, like the commentator said, they had a plan, and once they had a plan they got on an executed their plan. No doubt they adjusted it here and there as they played but they had a plan. To be productive you must have a plan. David Allen, productivity guru, says you can’t plan and do at the same time. The England team didn’t take the field thinking “tell you what, we’ll just work it out as we go”. No they figured it out before hand. Figured out what they were up against. Figured out what to do about it. And then did.

Figure out what you need to do.
Plan how to do it.
Then, and only then, do it.

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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi classic book ‘Flow’ develops the idea of being in the moment to the exclusion of all other things. Being prepared and focussed on the environment you are in and the job at hand so that you do your best work. In Drive by Daniel Pink, Pink builds on this idea talking about the key components that promote flow.

Mastery –
You have to be a master of what you are doing. The England team are among the best rugby players in the world. They are masters. And you will be a master (or developing master at least) of what you do. Learning about, reading about, and engaging in what you do will create mastery. Immerse yourself in the knowledge in your field.

Autonomy – each player on the pitch was acting as an individual making their own decisions about whether to pass, or kick, or tackle. They are part of a team and they have the interest of the team at heart but they act with autonomy. You may work in a role where you feel you don’t have much decision making autonomy but you do have autonomy over how you work, how you structure your tasks, and your day. Figure out the autonomy you have and work with it. With autonomy comes responsibility. Responsibility to be organised and ready to do your job to the best of your ability. Just like the rugby players.

Purpose –
What drives you? What motivates you? For the rugby players it’s winning the game, playing well for the team. For you it may well be doing a good job. It equally could be getting organised to get stuff done so that you can leave on time to spend time with your family. What we know is things like that – motivation that comes from within – is much more effective at motivating you than external, top down, motivation – for example just doing it because the boss told you, or working to a deadline. What motivates you from inside? Figure that out and you will be more motivated because you will have purpose.

Connectedness –
You need to be connected to whatever you need to be connected to in oder to make things work. You will probably need to be connected to others. This is good for you. Working together, having others support you with what you need, and supporting others is all good for productivity and well-being. But also you need to be connected to your environment. Aware of everything yet focussed exclusively on the one thing you are doing now. The rugby players were focussed in the moment on a single task. Getting into position, passing he ball, forming the scrum. But with an awareness of the bigger picture. What was the game plan? What was the next move? What were the options? Connected to the big picture but being productive in the individual moment is essential to productivity.

So get your Game Plan on –
Get Organised –
Plan it and then do it

Water, water, everywhere.

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You’ve probably heard this before…. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water. The brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, muscles and kidneys are 79% water. Even your ‘solid’ bones are 31% water.

I’m watching the Rugby and the England manager Eddie Jones is sipping on his water and I say to Christine ‘what’s he drinking for he’s not done anything to break sweat’. Then I got to thinking – I suppose being England manager in such circumstances is quite stressful. I wonder what the relationship between hydration and stress is?

Turns out there is a two way relationship. Being dehydrated can cause an

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increase in cortisol levels. Cortisol is the stress hormone present when we’re feeling the pressure and too much of it coursing through our bodies is not a good thing. It makes sense really as being dehydrated is putting your body under physical stress and stress is multi-faceted – physical, emotional, mental.

You are also more likely to become dehydrated when stressed because of elevated heart rate and heavier breathing. So it’s a vicious cycle. Dehydration leads to stress and stress leads to dehydration.

So how much water should you drink? The NHS recommend drinking 1.2 litres per day while other advice suggests nearly 2 litres. The difference, it is suggested, is due to our climate not being as warm as others. However you’ll need to increase the 1.2 litres if you live and work in a warm environment and are taking exercise. You also need to take into account your size and weight.

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My suggestion is drink little and often until you find your level. After all we are all different. The colour of your urine can be a good indicator. It should be light yellow, almost clear. It’s useful to start the day with a glass of water and end the day with one. Always drink during and after exercise. And remember even just sat at your desk can be dehydrating you, given its relationship with stress.

Stay well!

Small steps end in big results

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What’s your relationship like with exercise at the minute? What historically has exercise meant to you? What exercise did you do in the last week?

I used to find that how I felt about exercise was rooted in how I felt about it as a teenager. With my only reference point being PE at school. Cold cross country runs and feelings of inadequacy. The secret is not to compare yourself to others – do what you can and what you feel comfortable with. And crucially – find something you actually enjoy! There will be something out there!

You might well find that you already do more exercise than you think. Low level stuff like gardening, washing the car, walking the dog and pegging the washing out. These are all good things. They involve activity and they involve stretching – both great things. Maybe we need you to push it a little further and get a little breathless? The recommendation of 20 minutes per day still holds good – so we are not talking about hours in the gym or becoming a marathon runner – fine as those things are if they are right for you.

Exercise is a pleasurable activity… honest. Engaging in it releases

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dopamine – the body’s feel good hormone. Dopamine deficiency is shown to have links to depression so the more of it you have coursing around your body the better. Exercise is also great at mitigating against the effects of stress by ‘using up’ cortisol and adrenaline that are produced by our fight or flight response. These chemicals prime you for physical action but when the stressful event is occurring with you sat at your desk you don’t burn them off. And too much of them has a negative effect on your health and overall well-being.

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Exercise:
Gives you faster processing
Gives you faster reaction times
Clears you head
Makes you more effective at planning
Gives you better short term memory performance
Gives you more self control

A study by Bristol University found that a 20 minute walk at lunch time could enhance mood and motivation by 41% and could improve the ability to deal with stress by 20%. A Sit Less Move More program evaluated by Pulg-Ribera and colleagues in 2017 noted improvements in staff retention in the work place, less sickness, more mindful work, and a reduction in stress. Now that’s good stuff!

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So….
Make a plan! What are you going to do and when are you going to do it?
Start small and take incremental steps… start with a 10 minute walk and take it from there.
Write down your plan… writing things down enhances the chances of them actually happening.
Exercise with someone else – it helps motivation.
Tell other people what you’re doing… there’s evidence if we ‘go public’ we’re more likely to do what you say.
And most importantly find something you enjoy
And Just Do It (as Nike would say!)

I have to tell you speak to your doctor if you have any health conditions or haven’t exercised for a long time! I’m not a doctor! Take advice if you feel you need to. This advice is given in good faith based on my own personal experience and reading. Take care.