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A constant source of frustration is that overwhelming loss of control when one is in a position of responsibility. Be proactive about managing your time and energy and you will be happier, more fulfilled and more productive. In week # 8 of our series, “10 Weeks to Supreme Productivity,” we will explore some additional methods to increase your health and your personal productivity.

Tip #8 Manage Your Time and Your Energy

Here are 10 easy methods to keep your work hours reasonable and your body in a healthy and productive state:

(1) A.M. or P.M.? Are you a morning person or an afternoon person? Set aside your more productive hours for the hardest work or for the work that requires the most creativity or perfection, and do it then. Save your low energy hours for more menial or mundane work or for meetings.

(2) Avoid Meetings. Have you ever noticed that you can often accomplish as much in a three minute phone call as you can in a half-hour face-to-face meeting? No chatter, no dance, no pleasantries. Apply the 80/20 rule to your meetings, and keep the ones that produce the most for you personally and professionally. If you can, opt out of those that drain you and add no value to your professional endeavors. Replace a formal, standard meeting, with a short phone call when there isn’t much going on. And when a meeting cancels, keep it on your calendar, and use the time for something that really needs to get done.

(3) Prioritize and Make Lists. Make a list every morning of the things you need to accomplish before beginning the work day. This allows you to prioritize the work to accomplish the most important tasks of the day (and your goals and action plan). And, there is a great feeling of accomplishment when you cross items off the list as you complete them. Not all work has equal value. Prioritize any “new” assignments that come up each day against the prioritized list before you stray off course to do them.

(4) Set Deadlines. Set deadlines for projects before you start them. This is particularly true in a group setting. Deadlines keep people focused and on task. And set time limits for yourself on daily tasks. Challenge yourself, for example, to “complete the report in one hour.” You’ll procrastinate less, finish quicker, and go home earlier!

(5) Don’t Suffer Fools or You Will Become One. This one speaks for itself. Difficult peope burn our time and energy, and usually disproportionately. (Twenty percent of the people cause us eighty percent of our grief.) Do not succumb to or engage with these people. Throw them away.

(6) Eat Healthy, Exercise, and Sleep Well. Hard work is emotionally draining and physically tiring. You need energy and attitude to succeed. Eat well, exercise regularly, and sleep well, and your focus and effectiveness will improve. Research, then seek out foods that increase energy and brain power, and get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep a night for maximum effectiveness.

(7) Block Out Time for Lunch. Use lunch as a time to refuel and retool. Make it an hour. Review your work list and make necessary adaptations. Go away and get air, or lock yourself in and read and relax.

(8) Know When to Say “No.” You can’t be all things to all people. It’s okay to limit deadwood commitments. You can’t be in every civic club and organization (or organizational committee) and still get your work done. Here, too, get the biggest bang for your buck before committing to anything that will require time and effort. Avoid statewide organizations unless the payoff to you is clear. Resign from activities when necessary and don’t feel guilty doing it.

(9) Manage the Expectations of Others. Something productive people do well is to manage the expectations of others. Any work is an emergency to some, and has to be done “right now.” Rather than always agree (“people please”) and risk the failure of meeting a ridiculous deadline, be strong up front, and create reasonable timelines that you know you can meet. You are far better off lowering expectations and standing by the proper time frame than agreeing to and failing to meet bogus deadlines that crazy, aggressive people force on you. Stay strong and keep your sanity. You will also maintain your reputation for keeping your word.

(10) Vacation and Retool. Get away to refocus and retool. These are rewards for your work, and you can use the time to evaluate your personal and professional successes and to set new goals.

So tip #8 is to manage your time and energy to be happier, more fulfilled, and more productive.

Next week, “Delegate and Empower Others!”