I’ve seen Tony Schwartz once, in 40 years (at a 20-year high school reunion), but I’ve been reading his work for more than 30. You might not recognize his name, but it probably sounds familiar. Just over 20 years ago, it was Tony who was the writer for Donald Trump’s “The Art of the Deal.”
Yes, THAT Tony Schwartz.
In 2004, Tony and business partner, Jim Loehr published: “The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.”
For me, their research and writing obliterated the overdone topic of time management. The message was clear: Your mental and physical freshness determines that quality and productivity of your work. The book is peppered with profiles of people and their work-life balance issues. You see a little of yourself in many of these case studies.
Just recently, Tony published a follow up work, “The Way We’re Working, Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten Needs That Energize Great Performance.“
I pre-ordered it from Amazon.com, read it when it arrived, read it again, and read it, once more, on the plane from Las Vegas to Miami.
The basic message is uncomplicated: We are built to work in sprints, not marathons. Knowing it and doing it are, of course, two different things.
Since reading The Power of Full Engagement, I confess to being thrown out of rhythm. Life’s events can take a toll: The final illness, relocation, and death of my father being the first dramatic event. Concurrently, my illness and passing of my girlfriend’s father. Concurrently (yes, really), being diagnosed with Diabetes. My girlfriend’s car accident, the day following her dad’s funeral. The lightning fast passing of her closest friend, Elle, from a rare blood disease, only a couple of months later.
All in all, 2006 was a lousy year. We stopped counting the deaths after the number passed ten. The shocking part was losing friends as young as 36. For me, all of that was followed by two major surgeries. I’ll leave out the details.
Suffice it to say that the last year has been, mostly trouble free. And, despite some significant success and progress, since then, I’d be kidding you if I told you “I’ve fully gotten my groove back.”
The ongoing challenge is managing the effects of Diabetes. It is ALL about managing energy. It’s about diet, exercise, medication, stress, and pacing.
As I go the process of recapturing my rhythm, I will be rereading Tony’s latest work, until I can recite it from memory. I recommend it highly. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, but how we manage our energy determines our success and enjoyment of life.
Thanks, Tony!
Andy Ebon
The Wedding Marketing Authority
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