Resource allocation is a pretty basic management responsibility but it is far from easy to do in business and even harder personally. For business and for individuals there will always be limited resources, limited time, limited money, limited energy, limited labor, limited attention and on it goes. So, the key is determining the best way to allocate time and energy and money etc. One of the reasons this exercise is so difficult is because it seems that priorities are constantly changing and there are an endless number of fires to call for our attention and energy. In other words determining our most important priorities is a moving target. So, how do you start your priority list so you can divvy up the available resources for maximum affect? Well, the good news is that there is one priority that really trumps them all…. yourself!
Do you remember the part of the safety briefing before you take off on an airline flight? “Put on your own oxygen mask first before helping someone else.” That is the same as the advice you hear about budgeting, “pay yourself first.” You are your own golden goose! If you don’t take care of yourself, and that means even the simple things like getting enough sleep and eating right and taking time to read and learn and grow outside of your work and building personal as well as professional relationships you will find that you have nothing left when you really need it. Being able to be an agile performer and creative innovator requires a life balance (not a myopic focus on work)that can replenish our much needed and limited resources. When you let yourself get run down and exhausted or if you focus too much on just one part of your life then your mind is not going have the edge that is required for peak performance. And no one can afford to show up in today’s competitive market with your flag at half-mast!
So, pay yourself first and allocate a little energy, a little time, a little attention to your own golden goose and you will find it makes you much more capable of peak performance in other areas of your life. Also, what applies to you individually applies to others, so keep this in mind when dealing with your team. Professional athletes have trainers to help them manage their sleep, their diet, their training and their focus and organizations that help, teach and train their people beyond job skills are much more likely to gain a competitive advantage!
Do you remember the part of the safety briefing before you take off on an airline flight? “Put on your own oxygen mask first before helping someone else.” That is the same as the advice you hear about budgeting, “pay yourself first.” You are your own golden goose! If you don’t take care of yourself, and that means even the simple things like getting enough sleep and eating right and taking time to read and learn and grow outside of your work and building personal as well as professional relationships you will find that you have nothing left when you really need it. Being able to be an agile performer and creative innovator requires a life balance (not a myopic focus on work)that can replenish our much needed and limited resources. When you let yourself get run down and exhausted or if you focus too much on just one part of your life then your mind is not going have the edge that is required for peak performance. And no one can afford to show up in today’s competitive market with your flag at half-mast!
So, pay yourself first and allocate a little energy, a little time, a little attention to your own golden goose and you will find it makes you much more capable of peak performance in other areas of your life. Also, what applies to you individually applies to others, so keep this in mind when dealing with your team. Professional athletes have trainers to help them manage their sleep, their diet, their training and their focus and organizations that help, teach and train their people beyond job skills are much more likely to gain a competitive advantage!
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