Self-Devpt. Nuggets™

Can you easily party or socialize for long hours, but struggle to find the energy to work as long as is sometimes necessary to finish important work? If YES, then I suggest you check with your doctor. If s/he declares you have no medical condition limiting you, ask if adopting regular exercise can help you improve your performance. There’s a good chance s/he’ll say YES!

In this article, I explain how diligently observing as little as 10 to 15 minutes of daily exercise can help you build  the physical/mental stamina to achieve dramatic improvements in your workplace productivity, even as you continue to enjoy a healthy social life.

Disclaimer: The ideas I offer in this piece are purely for information and education only – and are not to be considered professional advice. Consult a competent expert before putting them to use.

You Can Get More Done Than You Know!

Many people who say they “feel” tired towards the end of a day at work do not know that tiredness really exists only in their minds. Most of them can still go on working for much longer than they realize. It does not matter what kind of work you do – whether physically or intellectually tasking. This is a universal truth I’ve discovered about many in paid employment when it comes to the work they do.

The above also applies to entrepreneurs – especially those who work alone/ from home. Many lose valuable hours of productivity because they let their bodies tell them they are tired, when they are not!

Understand this: A physically fit person does not take orders from his/her body!

I say this from very personal experience. It’s a truth I learned from over 20 years of delivering high performance output in virtually every area of endeavour I’ve been engaged in.

A few years ago, I wrote an article describing the experience I gained from participating in the 2006 MTN marathon. In it, I recalled that an article was written about me in my final year, while a member of the University of Ibadan handball team. The author noted that my team mates dreaded instances when the coach asked me to lead the warm up sessions for training. Why? I often pushed them to the limit, and rarely showed fatigue – even during matches. They nicknamed me “Steroid Man” for that reason!

But what I discuss here is not that intense.

Becoming physically fit to deliver superlative workplace performance does not require training as if for the Olympics. This is the kind of fitness level that an average kind of person can reasonably aspire to attain. And it would enable her achieve dramatic personal/workplace performance improvements.

For over 20 years, I have diligently observed a daily 10 to 15 minute exercise regime. Over time it has enabled me develop mental/physical stamina to achieve what former co-workers, friends, associates, clients – and even relatives – have told me is a phenomenal work rate.

Based on my achievements, I can tell you that observing a consistent exercise regime (even 10 minutes of brisk walking!) can help you achieve similar outcomes to mine, over time.

Two circumstances that persons in paid employment may face to get their work done

1.         Working Unusual Hours (e.g. Night Shift Duties)

During my days as a shift brewer in a multinational manufacturing company, I recall reading articles about our “body clocks” which “tell” us when it’s time to sleep, as the night progresses.

A nurse on night shift has to resist the urgings of the body clock if s/he is to do a good job in caring for patients on his/her shift. One way to ensure this is to get enough sleep and rest during the day. However, if you’ve done shift work before, you will know that THAT is easier said than done.

When you’re working night shifts, the opportunity to be at home in day can be tempting. Shift persons often take advantage of that daytime freedom to do some running around that we would never be able to do (or complete) if we worked normal hours.

As a result, sometimes we end up resuming night shift without having done any sleeping, talk less of resting. When this happens, except for the rare individuals, many shift persons go through their shifts like zombies, performing at less than their best i.e. if they do not accidentally drop into deep sleep, till the early morning hours!

This problem of staying awake when our bodies “feel tired” also confronts non-shift persons such as students preparing for exams.

2. Working Longer Hours (E.g. Overtime Duties)

We’ve all had those moments that occur now and then. Our normal working hours unexpectedly get disrupted by the organization’s urgent need to get something finished to meet a looming deadline.

Instead of casually coasting through the day as usual, you suddenly find yourself struggling to find free time and extra hours to finish what appears to be a mountain of unending tasks.

By the time you get home, you feel like someone drained the blood from your veins and replaced it with water. You’re exhausted!

But the next day you have to be back in the office. And you find yourself filled with dread, worrying that you may not be able to cope. That you might make a mistake due to fatigue – and that this could affect your appraisal, etc.

Regular Exercise Is The Key To Your Success!

I’ve worked in circumstances similar to the two described above – and repeatedly successfully handled highly demanding workplace schedules in people and process management positions. The main secret of my success was a diligent commitment to a 10 to 15 minute exercise regimen at the start of (almost) every day.

That was what kept me going without suffering any damage to my health.

Here’s how I like to explain it, based on how it feels to me: Regular exercise helps you condition your body to respond when you call on it to deliver extra performance. Every day you fulfill your exercising obligation, you are making an “energy reserve” deposit in your body’s performance bank. If you keep exercising, your fitness level will gradually improve. By the time the need arises for you to deliver exceptional performance, your body will respond as quickly as you think the thought. And as you make use of it, to get more done; you will learn when to slow down/rest and how far you can push your body.

Believe me – that has been the key to achieving my phenomenal work rate for over 2 decades as a student, later salaried employee, and (for the past ten years) as an entrepreneur.

And you know what? I discovered long ago, that any day I fail to observe my 10 to 15 minute exercising ritual, I never really perform as well as I normally would.

As you can imagine, that realization hardened my resolve to carry out my exercise regimen as often as possible.

What You Can Do

My exercise regimen comprises 70 push-ups (sometimes 50 sit-ups), ending with 5 key Yoga exercise routines. These days my 3 year old daughter and her elder sister join in of their own accord! I’m often done in 15 minutes at the most. But I feel fully charged up by then. And my output reflects it.

Committing to as little as 10 minutes of similar exercise (within the limits of your ability) can go a long way towards achieving reliable fitness level to boost your productivity – IF you are consistent.

If you are already committed to an exercise regimen, I congratulate you, because except you’re lazy or disorganized, it WILL enhance your ability to achieve goals you set for yourself at work.

For more detailed examples of simple exercise techniques that have served me well for over two decades, which you can explore using, read my earlier mentioned (4,509 words long) article about the MTN Marathon. It’s titled “You Need To Be Physically Fit In Order To Excel".