News

New Zealanders are no strangers to hard work, we know it and the science supports it. Apparently however, according to an OECD study, we're not very productive about it either. But are longer hours or greater productivity the key, or is there a better way?

Research by the New Zealand Productivity Commission (authored by Paul Conway and Lisa Meehan) found that on average, New Zealanders work about 15 per cent longer than the OECD average and produce about 20 per cent less output per hour worked.

And we know the consequences. Not time to exercise, too exhausted sometimes to interact with family, constant feelings of guilt, anxiety and all the junk we can stuff into our mouths while on the run.

How we long for more hours in the day, but the cold harsh truth is that even if we miraculously ended up with more hours in the day, they wouldn't be enough because, according to a growing body of science, we've got it all wrong.

Tony Schwartz president, founder, and CEO of The Energy Project maintains that it's not about how many hours we have in the day, but about how much energy our physical capacity to work that we've got and when and how we use it because, unlike time, energy isn't a finite resource.

The key is to increase your energy; essentially your capacity to work and do more. If you're more alert, motivated and energised you'll get more done in much shorter time.

Schwartz believes that an important step is to identify rituals for building and renewing physical energy.

These rituals may include:

An earlier, but set, bedtime (avoid alcohol and other things that may disrupt sleep)

Sleeping longer

A daily exercise routine

Eating at least three regular, nutritious meals a day

Take regular work breaks (leave your desk) go for long walks use the time to think (it's more productive)

'Ultradian rhythms' refer to 90- to 120-minute cycles during which our bodies slowly move from a high-energy state into a physiological trough. Toward the end of each cycle, the body begins to crave a period of recovery. The signals include physical restlessness, yawning, hunger, and difficulty concentrating, but many of us ignore them and keep working. The consequence is that our energy reservoir our remaining capacity burns down as the day wears on, Schwartz wrote in the Harvard Business Review.

Science tells us that we perform at our best when we move regularly between expending and renewing energy. Rather than trying to get more out of people, the most sustainable companies invest in meeting their employees' core needs so they're freed, fuelled and inspired to bring more of themselves to work every day.

Ultimately it's now how long we go, but how hard.

For more information, you can buy the audio file Manager your Energy, Not your Time' by Tony Schwartz on Amazon.