Covey’s seven habits for a digital agency – Habit 7: Sharpening the saw (maintain your energy and plan your renewal strategy)
Habit Seven proposes that the four areas of physical, mental, spiritual and social renewal should be planned and integrated. Far from having all the answers, I explore what may be the most difficult habit from a personal perspective.
Four areas of renewal
Covey uses the metaphor of sharpening a saw to make your tree cutting efforts more effective. You sharpen your saw through renewal in the four areas defined below.
Physical (exercise, nutrition, stress management)
The research:
- Aerobic physical activity improves mood and creativity.
- Diet affects memory and cognitive function even decades after the fact.
- At a molecular level, diet protects the brain from damage, promotes repair, and counteracts the effects of aging.
Vigorous double-clicking can be the extent of physical activity in our sedentary office environments. Market pressures to deliver innovative solutions can force a lifestyle of little physical activity, no sleep, and poor diet, counterproductive to the desired outcomes. Working out is the obvious solution, including yoga, jogging to work, or a regular sporting activity.
Social / emotional (service, empathy, synergy)
The research:
- Volunteering has proven to result in greater longevity, higher functional ability, lower rates of depression, and less incidence of heart disease, particularly in people who are socially isolated.
- Among the digital gamer cliché, having a connection with others can improve life satisfaction and wellbeing and reduce obsessive tendencies.
Teamwork is critical to successfully completing digital projects. We need social engagement outside of our work activities. That can still be with our workmates, but the activity should be disengaged from the daily pressures. Games, team-based activities, or coffee with friends all fit the bill.
Spiritual (value clarification and commitment, study and meditation)
The research:
- Religion and spirituality are positively associated with health and wellbeing.
- Links to spirituality include being part of a community, the capacity for forgiveness, and the use of prayer as a successful coping mechanism.
The fast pace of a digital studio does not lend itself to personal reflection or meditation. Taking time to align yourself internally with your values and externally with a purpose outside of yourself is important. Failure to do this can result in work becoming your spiritual centre, which is never a good thing. For some this is connecting with nature, others through a formal spiritual process, and many pursue a novel experience of a holiday away. Many forms of creative expression also fit the bill.
Mental (reading, visualisation, planning, writing)
The research:
- Having learning opportunities in random practice schedules (as compared to blocked out training sessions) improve on-the-job performance and critical thinking for complex tasks.
- The very act of goal setting is associated with an improved sense of life satisfaction.
- Planning with positive future thinking is associated with subjective well-being and realisation of outcomes.
A digital studio is the epitome of a learning organisation. Technology changes rapidly, and knowledge management can feel like a full time job. Taking time to up-skill and apply knowledge is a challenge, as it feels like you forget more than you learn. Seminars, regular review of periodicals, setting time aside for planning, and engaging in formal study all meet the mental mandate.
Renewal synergies, and rate and schedule your renewal
The four areas are not necessarily independent. For example, positive future plans often involve community networks. Athletes comment on the spiritual, mental, and social aspects of physical training. Synergies are not always inherent, however, and a more intentional investment may be needed across the four areas.
How would you rate your current renewal activities? Take a moment to write down each of the four areas, and place a number from 1 to 10 next to each area, with 1 being poor and 10 being exceptional. If you are stressed or struggling with burnout, it may be due to a deficiency in one or more areas. My own chart reflects my passion for learning, but a propensity to neglect other aspects in favour of a focus on work.
Notice that good intentions are not one of the renewal areas. I can testify that if renewal is not intentional, it will not happen. Renewal needs to be planned at intervals that include daily, weekly, monthly, and more significant events through the year. My coach showed me his calendar which had colour coded blocks of time to look forward to and keep him energised.
Studio energy
This brings me to my final point: studio energy. The energy in the accounts is a reflection of the energy of those delivering the solutions. Similar to a plan for personal renewal, a scheduled strategy is required for the studio that includes all four areas.
Yes, team members have a responsibility to manage their own renewal. I see many of my staff with healthy boundaries and renewal strategies. However, accountability is required in the project delivery lifecycle for staff renewal plans as the machine of the commercial mandate can override the best of personal plans.
My recent post on the burnout topic highlights a need to disconnect, play, and manage personal projects to maintain balance. Covey outlines four areas to apply these efforts for a regular energy renewal Habit. My focus is on scheduling activities across the four areas for myself and identifying an approach to maintain energy in the studio.
I would be interested in your thoughts on your personal effort and applications in your organisation. I will catch up in 12-months to see how we went turning this into a Habit.