We've all heard the expression "working smarter". Dr Peter Dingle shows how we can improve our energy and productivity - and still have an early night!

As Einstein famously put it, E=MC2. An extension of this is that all matter is made up of energy. Human beings, too, are made up of energy - there is an immense amount of energy in every atom of our bodies. Max Planck, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on the atom, and who is considered the greatest scientific mind of his time, said, "There is no matter as such, all matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force which brings the particles of an atom to vibration and holds this most minute solar system of the atom together..."

It is energy that is at the core of our ability to do work. Learning to manage energy can have dramatic transformational effects for both individuals and organisations. A critical step in this transformation is to stop wasting one's time by learning to manage energy. We spend time on technical and tactical skills including time management, but too often ignore energy. Without energy, it is not possible to do the things we need to do, no matter how well we manage our time. Time is our most precious resource because we can never get it back; we need to value it and add value to it by managing our energy.

Our brain uses up to 25 per cent of our body's energy. If that energy is low for one reason or another, our thinking becomes poor and we have to work harder and longer to get the same output as we can achieve during a higher energy cycle. Our energy level is not just a matter of fuel in, energy out. It is a complex system of biological cycles, fuel and nutrients, negative and positive stress, recovery and our thoughts. To understand how our energy can change, think of the last time a negative thought drew energy away from you, leaving you feeling tired and demotivated. A positive thought, on the other hand, can energise you and increase motivation.

Natural energy cycles

Energy management is about understanding your natural energy cycles and maximising your productivity by matching your task with your energy. You can match high energy tasks with high energy periods. Doing this requires that you find a dynamic balance between energy expenditure in the form of stress and energy renewal for recovery.
To understand the body's energy cycles, it is best to look at the impact on infants and young children. They seem to have boundless energy until they hit an energy low, then collapse, get upset and angry, and cry. Every parent knows this scenario. The infant, if he can get over his irritability and tap into his energy cycle, then quickly drops off to sleep. Otherwise, he gets more irritated. Does this sound like any adult you know?

It is important to understand that current work cycles, as well as eating times, are based on the economic model developed during the Industrial Revolution. These working and eating patterns and times were developed to get the maximum amount of physical, and largely repetitive, work out of people. Even the lunch break and tea breaks were designed for the factory line worker and are not as appropriate for the thinking office worker of the 21st century. We have lost touch with our natural energy cycles and related biorhythms which are found for virtually every biological function - including heart rate, respiration, blood sugar levels and adrenalin.

Most people are familiar with their own "body clocks." Bodily functions such as heart rate, metabolic rate, breathing rate and body temperature are affected by circadian rhythms. Although we have natural cycles, they can be disrupted by repeatedly breaking the cycle through the process called habituation, or through other means such as alcohol and drugs.

Ultradian rhythms are the bodily rhythms of less than 24 hours in duration. These rhythms - particularly those of 90-120 minutes - have been observed in sleepiness, vigilance, heart readings, daydreaming, as well as eating and drinking and urine excretion. Heart rate, hormonal activity, brainwave activity and muscle tension all increase during the first part of the cycle then, after an hour or so, they begin to decline. After 90 minutes, the body needs rest and recuperation. The recovery period is signalled by hunger, fatigue, poor concentration, lack of focus and making mistakes. So we are better off doing short bursts like a middle distance runner than doing a marathon of work and trying to sit at a desk for hours. Our concentration span is relatively short and if we accept that and understand it we will be able to be more productive. Even working for a few hours straight on a project can become a waste of time if we don't pay attention to our body rhythms. Our brain can literally become exhausted after a short period of time and factors like low nutrients and poor blood circulation can exacerbate the problem.

To get back in touch with our energy patterns we have to be conscious of how we are feeling. Very simply, there are four arousal states - calm energy, calm tiredness, tense energy and tense tiredness

Many negative psychological reactions can occur during naturally low energy periods, particularly if there are chronic stresses or problems. Without stress, a low energy may produce a state of calm tiredness, a more pleasant and relaxed state. But during periods of stress, low energy can result in low self esteem, unrealistic concerns about personal problems, feelings of depression and other negative reactions. Understanding these states of energy and calm, along with being aware of our body's biological clock and natural rhythms, can dramatically improve our productivity and health.

Matching our energy levels

Understanding our energy levels during the cycles of the day, we can make assessments about which tasks are best performed at which times and for how long. High energy and physical tasks are perhaps best performed when the body requires a boost of energy. Calm relaxed tasks such as creative thinking, reading and writing are perhaps best performed early in the morning when the body has energy but is still calm. Our activities can be juggled to fit our own energy cycles and patterns.

We need to learn to match our behaviour with our characteristic energy cycle. Matching tasks to the energy level also reduces tension and improves one's overall mood. In an experiment conducted over a 10 day period in which subjects were asked to rate a particular condition that was annoying them and causing them grievance, the level of expressed grievance was more serious in the afternoon. Regardless of the time of day, the problem was always rated as more serious if the person was in a tense, tired mood and less serious if in a calm, energetic mood. In studies where students have kept diaries, the results indicate gradually increasing levels of depression as the day wears on with the highest depression levels in the afternoon and evening. Pushing through to meet a deadline, we may eventually succumb to particular fatigue and low energy at some later time - perhaps resulting in even more tension and some drama with other individuals. These subtle, negative mood states can have a substantial effect on behaviour if they persist. With this in mind, it is important then to manage problems, along with understanding and managing our energy levels.

In the morning when we first wake, we are at a very low energy level and a high state of calm. This is a relaxed state that slowly increases over the morning and prepares us for our day. With the first signs of light, somewhere between 4 am and 7 am (depending on the time of year), our bodies start producing adrenalin and noradrenalin to stimulate the brain to a state of wakefulness. At this time, our melatonin, our sleep chemical, is at its lowest. This time is low energy and a calm state and is the most creative and wakeful time when we can do your best work and a time to write articles like this one. I find this is the time for inspiration. The mind is alert, but the body has not yet fully taken over. Naturally, this state lasts for an hour or so as our energy slowly increases and prepares us for the day ahead.
Our real, internal clock tells us to get up just before sunrise and go to sleep just after sunset. Many of the ancient texts and all cultures have their parables about the benefits of getting up early. You have no doubt heard that "the early bird gets the worm." My favourite is "la mattina e la signora dei lavori" or translated, "the morning is the mistress of work." Calm and low energy in the morning or evening is a good time to concentrate and focus. This is why many cultures have some form of meditation at this time. Many of the world's geniuses have also used this time to tap into the deeper recesses of their imaginations.

By not matching time to energy cycles, people lose a huge amount of productivity. Distractions can take up your whole day if you let them and this adds to the stress as it prevents you from getting the big projects done. To get around this, many people work late in the night and through to the early morning. While your body can adapt to this, it is not healthy in the long term. You will notice as you age that you are able to do this less and less and you will slowly revert to early mornings and early nights. This is not old age! It is your body clock telling you to get back to normal because the other routine creates negative stress. Staying awake to the early hours after midnight can only be done on adrenaline overload. Not good. In addition, the most productive mental time, early in the morning (after a good night's sleep), is lost.

The other benefit of understanding your biological clock and energy levels is that you can reduce stress and work better with people. High energy tasks or confrontation during low energy periods can be damaging. It is best to program deep and meaningful discussions when you are in a high energy period with mental alertness, such as late morning. These tasks during a low energy period can be soul destroying and end up in conflict. The worst time to raise a particular concern is straight after lunch or late evening. These times increase the chances that an issue will be blown out of proportion and that a discussion will escalate into a serious argument.

Some of the quick-fix mechanisms busy people use to alter their moods include: overeating, excessive drinking, smoking, illegal drug use, too much television viewing, self isolation and other poor, dysfunctional routines. Don't let yourself get caught up in these time - and energy - wasting habits. The best way to identify your own biorhythms is to keep a diary for about a week, including the weekend. Record your energy levels and your moods. Then plan your days. There are times when demanding intellectual work should be done, such as during calm energy, and times when poor intellectual performance can be expected during tense tiredness.

I wish you good luck and lots of energy.

Peter Dingle is Associate Professor in Health and the Environment at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia
www.drdingle.com