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We live in digital time. Our pace is rushed, rapid-fire, and relentless. Facing crushing workloads, we try to cram as much as possible into every day. We're wired up, but we're melting down. Time management is no longer a viable solution. As bestselling authors Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in this groundbreaking book, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live your life. The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully both on and off the job. At the heart of the program is the Corporate Athlete- Training System. It is grounded in twenty-five years of work with some of the world's greatest athletes to help them perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Clients have included Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in tennis; Mark O'Meara and Ernie Els in golf; Eric Lindros and Mike Richter in hockey; Nick Anderson and Grant Hill in basketball; and gold medalist Dan Jansen in speed skating. During the past decade, dozens of Fortune 500 companies have paid thousands of dollars to learn the Corporate Athlete training system. So have FBI swat teams, critical care physicians and nurses, salesmen, and stay-at-home moms. The Power of Full Engagement lays out the key training principles and provides a powerful, step-by-step program that will help you to: - Mobilize four key sources of energy - Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal - Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do - Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals Above all, this book provides a life-changing road map to becoming more fully engaged on and off the job, meaning physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned.

Customer Reviews:

• Full of significant insights and strategies
  I am now listening to this for the 4th time.
  
  The authors started in the business of sports training and now take what they have learned there to teach non-athletes (like the rest of us) skills to help them with the even more grueling demands of the non-athlete work career.
  
  What they share is based on the belief that you need to manage your expenditure and renewal of energy in the following areas
  
  Physical
  Mental
  Emotional
  Spiritual
  
  They advise, despite the strong feelings of another reviewer, that you are better off going at life as a sprinter, using short bursts of intense effort followed by renewal. Yes, you can consider life a Marathon, buy who wants to hit the end just collapsing over the line, or worst yet, miles before the line.
  
  There are case histories that they share of "corporate athletes" that illustrate the important techniques that they share.
  
  One insight that I have found helpful is that the use of will power expends energy, thus multiple exercises of will power actually increases the likelihood of us caving in later, UNLESS we create habits that make good behaviors compelling and automatic. I do not explain it as well as the authors, but they cite scientific study results that support it.
  
  Also, if we make a commitment and specify where and when we propose to comply with our commitment, we are much much more likely to follow through and execute on what we want to do. Some interesting studies show just how big a difference this can make.
  
  There is much more here that will help you achieve in all aspects of your life....more info
• LIFE IS A MARATHON
  One major disagreement I have with the author is that LIFE IS A MARATHON and not a series of sprints as he suggests. His assumption is wrong and that's where his model crumbles like a cookie. In real life, we experience constant stress; it's the same experience we have running a marathon. We have a goal, we pace ourselves, we hydrate and nourish, we dig deep, and finally go for the finishing kick! That's how we want to live our lives. We want to win and everybody loves a winner!
  
  There's no real sense of victory in sprints, only a fleeting rush of adrenaline. A lot of factors can influence how and when we finish a sprint. These factors can spell the difference of a few milliseconds. But a marathon is brutally frank. You either finish it or you don't; it's up to how much you've trained for it and how much you really want it. Pure guts and glory, and no excuses. That's what life is, isn't it?...more info
• Wow, Great Book!
  A new approach to improving effectiveness at work and at home. As a hard working single mother and Executive, I needed to manage time better, or so I thought. This book helps to define the difference between time and energy. Following the advice in this book has made me less tired and more producitve. Less time wasted, more work done. Get this book. I also recommend "The Child Whisperer" - not about the same topic, but if you have kids or work with them, the techniques in "The Child Whisperer" will help you to be more effective and efficient in those relationships. Buy both books for a balanced approach....more info
• Rest has had a bad rap!
  This book reinforces the importance of rest. The authors speak of managing energy rather than time and eschew the benefits of taking strategic breaks all day long. When I do this, I am more productive, more energized. When I plow through a day from morning to night without a break, my ability to complete tasks lag. The Power of Full Engagement explained why this was so and gave me helpful coping strategies to manage my wavering energy levels....more info
• How to make the most of yourself
  Full Engagement provides viable information in the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual realms. Our energy level is a key factor in achieving performance, and this book does a great job of integrating the various elements of performamce. To optimize the valuable information in this book, I recommend you read Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman Ph.D. In the Optimal Thinking corporate world and self help community, we no longer strive for management (based on mediocre thinking) or high performance (based on extraordinary thinking.) We focus on optimization and do our best. Dr. Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, recommends Optimal Thinking. He believes: "Optimal Thinking beautifully convinces and illustrates why 'the enemy of the best is the good.' Insightfully, it blends and synthesizes idealistic and realistic thinking, left- and right-brain cognition, analysis and creative intuition, acceptance and optimism. A superb treatment of the idea of Personal Best." Read each of these books and pass them along....more info
• Not a silly self-help book
  At first look, the subtitle "Managing Energy, Not Time" smells of another 'just do this and your life will be great' self-help book. However, this book avoids most of the simplistic approaches other books take. Outlined is excellent, yet straightforward guidance on how to bring into balance a work life that is out of control or at least a bit out of whack. The simple advice given (which regretfully requires some basic self discipline - I prefer to avoid self discipline) is both helpful and if followed, effective. The book is relatively careful not to imply that applying its principles or introducing self discipline is easy. It is, however, unapologetic when suggesting that making a set of changes in how one manages one's life will make a difference. The book also lays out a very helpful distinction between one's energy and one's time - and it is a very helpful distinction - describing a truth that I had not before carefully considered. The book includes numerous case studies of actual people with which the authors have worked. I think you will be able to identify with a number of these case studies. If you feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and/or lack balance in how your work life, home life, and downtime function, take a look at this book. ...more info
• Read it twice already, going on third read
  I've been intereted in Jim Loehr's work since picking up a copy of his Mental Toughness Training a long time ago. I got this one a couple of months ago, and it's a really great model of life management, possibly the best in the field. It has helped me tremendously. I was especially impressed with the authors's take on the importance of ritual. Highly, highly recommended for people looking to make a change....more info
• Disappointing
  Nothing new here. Eat right, get plenty of sleep and drink your water and you too can have more energy. I have to agree with other reviewers that state that this book is poorly written. Instead of providing a method for creating your own energy plan, the authors give simple hazy case examples....more info
• Push Past Your Limit To Grow
  I felt this book's main premise was a useful idea, but nothing novel. Expanding past one's limit, followed by a rest period resulting in growth whether physical or psychological. I liked the informational nature of the book, however, I didn't care much for the examples of actual people written about in it. I understand it is used to help prove the points, but it appeared to be fluff to me and I would have liked more information to drill the point home and more sources to back up the info.
  
  Those opinions aside, it is worthwhile, to the point and contains enough information to satisfy reading it once, but I don't expect to re-read it....more info
• New approach for an old theme
  I believe the author's are very fortunate to write about a subject so necessary in our days.
  I loved the approach.
  I work in Brazil as a personal Coach for Productive Principles, and will use this learning on my Lectures....more info
• It Just Works
  Simple things but they work. Think positive thoughts, you'll be creative. Take some down time and your energy factory will be able to handle more output. The positive rituals actually become neuronal connections that soon work automatically for you the same way that the old bad habits used to work against you. Very similar to a book I read on how to get out of depression called Depression is a Choice. But this is how to be more productive rather than how to get out of depression....more info
• Little changes anybody can make to improve the quality of their lives
  This book offers ideas about little changes you can make in your life to improve your health, happiness, job performance, relationships, etc. None of the ideas require big behavior changes, or big time commitments, yet they yield big, positive results.
  
  If you feel overloaded and overwhelmed, and too busy to even think about making time to do anything about it, this book will meet you where you are at and support you in improving the quality of your life. ...more info
• WOW! Awakened to New Way of Looking At Work
  This book really helped me to discover how to manage my energy and not my time. It gave me skill sets to use for daily life processes.
  
  I have recommended to over 50 people since reading the book and everyone has loved it. Great Book!...more info
• Perfect for the retiree living alone.
  Those of us who are retired and not living with others are a perfect market for this book. Without jobs or family members making demands on us, with most of our time our own, we can fall into habits that work against us: watching TV at all hours of the day and night, sleeping erratically and at all hours, napping during the day even when we're not tired.

  This book provides us with both the rationale and the know-how for setting up routines that can transform our lives. After decades of productivity, I found myself rattling around the house wondering,"What am I DOING with my life?". With nothing pressing, my "well-earned rest" turned into an unfocused waste of time and an uncomfortable feeling that I was wasting my life. My mood started to sink, as did my energy.

  This book has galvanized me to action. I started with bedtime and arising routines, which quickly led to an exercise routine, then regularly scheduled meals. My energy has returned - I feel like the "old me"! - and my time is now filled with pleasurable and stimulating activities. This book has stopped me from growing old, and I am extremely grateful....more info

• Develop positive habits through rituals, increase your endurance and energy using a stress - recovery method.
  The most important messages in this book / audio CD are those about using positive rituals to break bad habits and develop positive ones and about increasing our energy and physical / emotional endurance by using a stress - recovery method.
  
  In contrast to many self help books that tell us what to do and not to do to organize our lives better and succeed, this book titled the Power of Full Engagement introduces among others the concept of changing behavior for good through the power of positive rituals. There are lots of good ideas in many self help books but we usually are dissapointed after a few attempts to apply them and give up concluding that the advice in the self help books don't work. Many people make new year's resolutions every year, the most common are to quit smoking, lose weight and to start exercise. Most people try hard in vain during the first few days of the new year, fail to change their behaviors and give up until the next new year's eve when they make new year's resolutions again which will most probably have the same fate. The reason according to the authors is that will power and self control are inefficient ways to eliminate unwanted negative behavior and to develop new positive habits. Because trying to change behavior through concious self control and will power requires energy that is quickly depleted. Habits on the other hand, whether good or bad require no thinking, they are automatic and therefore require no concious effort nor energy. The way to develop good habits is through positive rituals, not by fighting old behavior. Let us say a person wants to start exercising, that is a new habit for him. If he / she makes an excessively ambitious program it is very unlikely that he will be able to apply it. Alternatively he can make a ritual to start lightly and increase it incrementally. A positive ritual has four characteristics : 1 ) it is done at a specific time and place ( eg : on Wednesdays at 19 :00 in a gym 2 ) it is connected to the person's deep values about life 3 ) it is introduced gradually and increased incrementally.4 ) performance against plans must be checked regularly. If the person tries to give up smoking, start a diet, start exrecise, contact old friends, and many other goals at the same time he is likely to be overwhelmed and crash, the fate of most new year resolutionists. By contrast the method of introducing gradual and incremental positive rituals makes possible the development of good habits or to quit bad habits that we tried but gave up on in the past. I have already made such a positive rituals plan since the beginning of 2009 and so far by mid February it seems to work fine.
  
  The other important point of increasing one's endurance and energy by stressing ourselves beyond our comfort zone ( without forcing too much ) and then allowing rest for recovery is a concept developed originally in sports. The authors in fact say they have applied this with success on many famous sports people and believe that the same principle applies to emotions and the mind. One major reason why many people are depleted by daily chores is that they do not recharge their batteries by allowing rest ( recovery ) during their hectic days and nights. Like an athlete who strengthens his / her muscles by stressing them first and then lets them rest for 48 hours during when the muscles recover and get stronger we can do the same thing mentally and spiritually. The authors give a lot of interesting vignettes for this but I think the method to apply stress and recovery emotionally and spiritually should have been explained more clearly. An action plan would have been helpful, it is lacking. Instead the reader is supposed to derive what to do from the many vignettes. This is quite difficult and risks misunderstanding by the readers because a step by step action plan is not given.
  
  The advice to eat well, sleep well, exercise, make a mission statement, find a purpose in life etc. are not new and are based to a large extent on the books " Man's Search for a meaning " by Victor Frankl and " The 7 habits of highly effective people " by Stephen Covey. In fact the author of the present book quotes them several times. Those are also excellent books that must be read, they explain those concepts much better than this book.
  
  The authors say they increased the performance of many famous tennis players through the stress - recovery principle. As a tennis player myself I wonder what is there for these consultants to do with professional tennis players ? Explaining the stress - recovery method takes just a few minutes so what is there to work on for many weeks ?
  
  
  ...more info
• The Personal Rocketry: a Great Read to Get High
  How can one expect to achieve high performance and personal renewal without energy? Energy is a basic aspect of existence that is not well understood in relation to individual and corporate performance. To realize your energy you must point on the idea "We become what we think." Only in developing, supporting, and applying your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual "muscles", you become "fully engaged." This is the only way of programming your mental computer.

  Your life isn't a persistent marathon, it's rather a series of sprints. To be successful, you need to balance recovery time with actual sprinting. The greatest players developed rituals to help relax themselves in the short time between points. The less successful players didn't have rituals to help them recover between points. Their heart rates remained high between points, and they couldn't seem to calm their stress.

  After reading just the first chapters, I found Loehr and Schwartz to be full of wonderful knowledge. The reading alone caused my energy to increase. This book will give you real tools to manage effectively your energy. With simple explanations and stories that every reader can relate to. So everybody should read this book. You'll be amazed at all the unproductive thinking habits you have developed.

  I highly recommend it to those who wants to improve the quality of their professional and personal lives.

  Alexander Petrochenkov...more info

• Rituals of Renewal to Replenish Your Personal Energy
  Much of the information in this book can be found in other books on time management and personal productivity. Readers will need to decide whether to revile the authors for repeating so much conventional wisdom or appreciate their efforts to gather it together in one place. Information about proper sleep and nutrition habits, for example, remains useful even when it is not new.
  
  The unique value of this book goes beyond its organization of personal energy into physical, emotional, mental and physical energy. We have read most of these concepts before in the sales motivation literature. The book's practical value is in its advice about how to incorporate regular energy renewal routines into your life. Steven Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) calls this "sharpening the saw." These authors expand on the concept with a full range of suggestions and examples.
  
  The authors' studies of professional athletes have taught them two principles. One is that high performers work hard to stretch their limits and increase their capacity over the long term. This is not news. The second--and more interesting--lesson is that top athletes build replenishment into both their training and performance routines. In one example they describe a tennis player who uses breathing exercises to lower his heart rate between each set. They authors argue that this kind of renewal in the middle of the game is essential to high performance. And that it generalizes from athletes to the rest of us.
  
  I'm sufficiently convinced of the value of renewal rituals that I have used the book's advice to design two of my own. I have discovered an unexploited hour of time in the mornings between when I drop off my son at a before-school activity and when I must leave for work. It is just enough time to fit in 30 minutes of swimming that will help me face the day. I've also resumed an old habit to walk two extra miles toward home after work before getting on my commuter train. I hope that this will not only give me some additional exercise, but provide a buffer between the stresses of work and returning home. Both seem to be helping after two weeks. We'll see about the long-term.
  
  I advise borrowing this book--or audio book--from a library or a friend to see what good it has to offer. Frankly, I wouldn't buy it if I could borrow it....more info
• Life Balance for the Overworked
  A brilliant piece of work. This book describes concrete similarities in what it takes for a World Class Athlete, and an individual in the Corporate World, to excel. It explains how to go about building skills of recovery throughout ones workday, and throughout ones life, to maximize health, enjoyment, and performance. I enjoyed reading the stories of other folks, like myself, who felt squeezed with the endless demands of work and family. While logic says, 'run faster, run harder'; this book has a message which is counterintuitive. Stop, at regular intervals, to nurture, exercise, and free-up yourself. This will actually increase your levels of energy and short circuit the cycle of burnout. Rest and recovery creates fresh inspiration, fresh energy for creativity. Life balance is a process, and this book can be a great aid for those looking to create it. ...more info
• Lifestyle change is the key to Success!!
  The key to sustained success and high performance is lifestyle change and that is what this book teaches you. I would also highly recommend that you combine this book with another excellent new book that just came out titled "The Power of Positive Habits" which shows you how to become more successful through the acquistion of positive habits....more info
• Great companion to Covey's Seven Habits
  When do you get the most work done? For me, it is in the morning. If I could get away with working from 5am to noon, I'd be the most productive person in the office! For others, it might be the afternoon. This is part of the idea behind The Power of Full Engagement. It is a book about managing our energy.

  The authors have been very successful in coaching world-class athletes to peak performances. This book shares those principles with the rest of us. The book teaches about managing energy in the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional areas of life. If all we do is try to manage time, we will fail. What's the use of having your time mapped out if you don't have any energy?

  I CONSIDER THIS TO BE A GREAT COMPANION BOOK TO STEPHEN COVEY'S SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED....more info

• Perform Like An Athlete
  Since we hear so much about the challenges of time management, I really enjoyed the "paradigm" of energy management. The authors' use of illustrations with professional athletes helped drive home the point about how business professionals can apply the same principles. While reading, I took the free energy management inventory and recommend that others do, too. I found taking the exercises at the end to be quite beneficial to my own discernment and definition of purpose. Make the time to read this book!...more info
• Excellent Pointers on Cleaning up One's Act
  Very good book good content. A few of the chapters could be cut down is size and still provide that same data. Would also have liked some more practical content like more food recomendations, handling medication, stress reduction tips. other than that. I've started my program and I think it's helping. Be it either more positive approach and feeling I'm in control or the stuff works. Either way I think this was $20 well spent....more info
• Funny the "gurus"just realized it; useful guide for most
  For those that have practiced any sport, it is obvious that energy is what makes people succeed. However, based on my experience in corporate America, this book will be very useful for most, since it provides a nice well-balanced approach to managing the daily stresses of life. Regretably, most of the discourse focuses on common sense, and there are not many practical tips and suggestions fr putting the book's insights into practice....more info
• The Real Deal- these guys have got it right
  Jim Loehr is a genuine and committed psychologist and renowned sports psychologist. He and Tony Schwartz run the Human Performance Institute. This work distils their years of experience and I think they have clearly hit the nail on the head.
  
  Empowerment and positive psychology is an elusive goal, and there are many ra-ra pretenders in the field. This however is mature, thoughtful, committed, professional and skilful. One can start with the free questionnaire on the website. Then move to the book. It all has the genuine feel and gives practical direction as to how to progress. Above all it tells you where the problems are, so that time and energy are not wasted where they are not needed.
  
  These guys have got it right. This book is useful, productive and full of sensible advice....more info
• The hardest things in life are often the easiest to fix.
  How many times have you lost sleep stressing over something beyond your control? How many times has someone looked at you and told you you looked like you needed a vacation?

  I was fortunate enough to see this book and its author on Oprah a week ago and immediately purchased the book. I recently started a dedicated fitness and nutrition program (in the past 6 months) and this book was a perfect compliment to it. The key message here is that you cannot "perform" successfully in any aspect of your life if you do not direct positive energy towards it, and you WILL burn out if you don't make time to walk away and relax. On the same hand, if you direct your energy towards negative things (worrying, office gossip, paranoia) those things will "grow" and continue to envelop you and distract you from those things that are positive and desired.

  I'm recommending that we implement key principles from this book into my company's management development initiatives (go to the author's website linked here on Amazon for more details) as I think it's a good supplement to our time management training and helps direct managers and employees towards a balance in their work, their personal lives and the goals and objectives they want to achieve successfully in both areas....more info

• Time is Potential Freedom. Energy is Real Liberty!
  Time is potential freedom. Energy gives you real liberty. The true currency of our life is not the hours, but what we put in those hours. We can systematically increase our capability and productivity by increasing our energy. This book shows you how.
  
  A great myth of our society is that humans are supposed to function as machines--working constantly, simultaneously, and consistently.
  
  In reality, humans work by having energy expenditure periods and energy recovery periods. It is like working out. You have to stress the muscle sufficiently to make it grow. Then, you have to allow time for it to actually recover.
  
  If you stress the muscle too little, it won't ever grow. If you stress the muscle too much, it will get injured. You have to find the right amount. Happiness is always a stretch outside your comfort zone.
  
  It is doing our recovery periods that we actually grow. Most people work for 8 hours at 50% capability. It is better to work in 90 minute cycles of 100% productivity with 30 minute rest periods in between. Three cycles of short sprints will give you 4.5 hours of 100% results compared to 4 hours with the 8 hours at 50%.
  
  Life is a marathon, and interval training (full sprints and full rest) is the best way to run it.
  
  ...more info
• From Engagement to Full Engagement.
  This is a terrific book that shows you how to make good use of your energy. Read this best seller along with another best-selling book, Optimal Thinking: How to be your Best Self to obtain the mental "software" for Full Engagement and learn how to be your best and make the most of every situation. You will not be disappointed!...more info
• Engaged!
  This book provides a well organized framework for us human beings to manage our energy by defining its sources first on the dimensions of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Physical energy's source is primarily food, breathing, sleep and exercise. Mental energy is most optimal when we strive to be realistic optimists (we are what we eat AND what we think.) Emotional energy relies on all the facets of emotional intelligence including trust. Last and not least as spiritual energy is the starting point for all this energy; very secularly put, the energy of the spirit is all about core values beyond self interests. The authors also show us how we can create positive habits, or rituals to enrich these sources of energy. After reading this book and realizing that I do strive to tap into all four of these sources I was better able to define one of my own core competencies; I would think most employers want someone who is indeed fully engaged!...more info
• Not as expected
  I bought this book as a requirement of a Leadeship course. This is a self-help book with some interesting advice, but repetitive, not very well written, and many common sense advice as well. Overall, don't expect much out of this book....more info
• "Full Engagement" is Awesome!!!
  This book convinced me that you aren't fully engaged in life unless your Physical, Mental, Spiritual, and Emotional energies are fully charged and working together. You get them fully charged by having your your day to day actions and behaviours aligned with your values and true intentions. "Full Engagement" explains how to accomplish this by assessing and dealing with the stark reality that sometimes your actions and behaviors contradict your true intentions. Example: I would tell you that I deeply respect people. Hmmm, why then am I always 5 minutes late to meetings and appointments? Oops -- I need to fix that contradiction. Somehow the Full Engagement approach just feels more realistic than Covey's 7 Habits. Not that I don't like 7 Habits -- I think the book is awesome -- but I guess I just appreciate the extra reality this one provides. It is harder to kid yourself after reading this book.
  Bottom line: If you are serious about improving your life, buy this book. For those interested, the book does mention information about an optional "full engagement" assessment program that is available (extra $$$). I like having the option to dig deeper and become even more fully engaged....more info
• lots of fluff
  This is a book about managing and developing your energy and apply it to life and work. Every person has different biorhythms, and the concept is that to accomplish what you want, you need to train your body to maximize your energy when you need it, just as an athlete trains everyday to get the job done when it counts. The Power of Full Engagement was full of common sense and anecdotal stories of how other people 'trained' to manage their energy (fluff).

  There was nothing new in the book, if you have read other self-help or motivation books. I also felt like this book was written to promote the author's institute that trained several high-profile athletes too many times....more info

• Re-energizing
  Excellent book with some practical explanations about how to personally operate effectively. Anyone who is really seeking to understand this book will learn something they can use for improvement. It is a must for everyone's reading list and bookshelf, right next to Covey, Bennis, Warren....more info
• Power of Full Engagement - The Choice is Yours
  An extremely practical guide to full engagement through the management of personal energy. The book explains in detail how to get the most of life through the choices we make. It is heaped with case studies to illustrate the dynamics of personal energy. It provides a holistic approach to getting the most of life through an awareness of physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy and spiritual energy. An easy read that will engage anyone interested in living a fuller life....more info
• Tangible Peak Performance
  Loehr and Schwartz have individually worked most of their careers on researching how humans achieve peak performance, and have together written a summary of what they've discovered to date. What impressed me about this book is that it's 1) based on actual research rather than theory, and 2) written in a manner that is very easy to understand and implement.

  Loehr's work in the past centered around seeking the source of human capacity - what makes it possible for some people to perform at the highest levels even under extraordinary pressure. He's noteworthy for having started an institute that has worked over the years with many top athletes including Pete Sampras, Dan Jansen, Mark O'Meara, and Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini among others. Schwart's background has involved understanding the nature of wisdom - what constitutes a satisfying, productive and well-lived life. Together they've developed a model for peak living that combines the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

  They state that which is obvious but not followed well by most of us Americans - that without physical energy and health it's impossible to follow the rest of our dreams and ambitions in life. In the physical realm their analysis specifically of top athletes shows that peak performance involves both a willingness to push the body to the limit, and also hugely importantly regular periods of rest and recovery. They apply this to the "corporate athlete" who is their target audience for the book with the following advice - seek out stressful situations that push your range of psychological muscles - AND find time regularly for recovery. They have specific recommendations for incorporating rest and recovery throughout every day. They say that in the work world we tend to live linearly - meaning working straight through long days - which results in low energy periods/burnout/unreleased stress/etc. I completely identified with this section of the book and am going to use many of their concepts successfully tested on successful athletes and include them in my business day planning.

  The book acknowledges that without a personal big "why" driving what you do in life having physical energy is pointless - with the opposite holding true as well. Plentiful physical energy without a reason for existence goes nowhere and a crystal clear purpose can't be lived out without ample physical energy to make it happen. As with all of the book the chapter on spiritual energy is filled with real life examples of people who have been through their institute and whom they've helped develop a game plan for overall life performance.

  The chapters on emotional and mental energy are really the glue that holds the physical and spiritual together - and are also interesting.

  The book finishes with a "resource" section that includes a summary of the main points they've made, worksheets on connecting with a big purpose and on connecting the small habits (little muscles) into bigger habits and successes (large muscles).

  A great read - stimulating - thought provoking - and possessing that rarest of information in today's world - some actual wisdom....more info

• Focus On Our Energy Not Time Management
  This book is awesome, and the concepts are so true and helpful. There are way to many books out there to help manage our time, when if we focused on our energy we would accomplish so much more in day. The book covers a number of different aspects that help you become effective in your daily tasks, each one of them could fill a full book alone. ...more info
• Worthwhile variation of theme
  As with many self-help books, there is a lot of basic common sense pre-packaged in this book. Nevertheless, I found the focus on managing energy rather than time to be a useful one and together with a good time management book, like Dave Allen's Getting Things Done, this book provides the basis for a strong system to build on....more info
• Life-changing concepts for even the best of us
  This book teaches so well about how to manage energy for all types of people in different stages of life. I helped develop a training based on this book (each trainee received a copy), and the content consistently received rave reviews. The trainees all agreed that using these concepts would help them gain more from their lives and wanted to share their learnings with their co-workers and direct reports. I used the concepts while I was working full-time for a large corporation, AND I use it in my very different life as a first-time mother. Recommended for anyone who wants to accomplish more and gain more meaning from life. (Of course, this requires the abililty to take what you read and apply it to your unique station in life.)...more info
• A different perspective. Yet quite knowledgeable and helpful!
  First of all, let's see whether you can accept the ideas below:-
  
  - Managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance.
  - Capacity is a function of one's ability to expend and recover energy.
  - Every thought, feeling and action has an energy consequence.
  - Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources/capacity of energy: Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual, defined respectively by quantity, quality, focus and force.
  
  If you intuitively feel okay with the above, the chance is high that you will find this book helpful like I do. Though I dont like the case studies from clients anonymous at all, I am impressed by the authors' frequent quote of research data, good writing skill and straight to the point style, not to mention those highly differentiated opinions. In short, if you are a self help book lover and receptive to new ideas, you will benefit a lot from this book.
  
  p.s. Below please find some of my favorite passages for your reference.
  
  To be fully engaged, we must be physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our immediate self interest. pg 5
  
  Epidemiologist David Snowdon in his study of 678 aging nuns in the School Sisters of Notre Dame Congregation suggests that a history of depression - the most insidious of all negative emotions - increase twofold the likelihood fo eventually developing Alzheimer's. pg 73
  
  Gallup found that one of the key factors in sustained performance is having at least one good friend at work. The pulse of a strong relationship involves a rhythmic movement between giving and taking, talking and listening, valuing the other person and feeling commensurately valued in return. pg 81
  
  The best way to build an emotional muscle, much like a physical muscle, is to push past your current comfort zone and then recover. pg 84
  
  The brain represents just 2% of the body's weight, but requires almost 25% of its oxygen. pg 96
  
  "Where are you when you get your best ideas?" - How to think like Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Gelb pg 96
  
  What allowed Cantor Fitzgerald's employees, the bond trading company which lost nearly everything in 911, to move forward. It's chairman, announced that 25% of any profits the firm earned during the subsequent five years would go to the families of employees who had lost their lives. This mobilized the remaining employees to fight for a purpose beyond themselves. The survivors became "a band of brothers". pg 111
  
  "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how." Nietzsche pg 117
  
  In a study where women were asked to perform a breast self exam during the subsequent month, nearly 100% of those who designated when and where they would do the exam completed it. Only 53% of the second group did so, despite equally strong intentions to conduct the exam. pg 175
  
  Practice makes perfect only if the practice is perfect - or at least aims for perfection. pg 176...more info
• Best Self-Help Book EVER!!
  I have read a lot of self-help books, and none of them have ever broken things down into small enough steps so you could actually DO what they're encouraging you to do!! It's like the self-help of Self-Help books. So besides having a lot of GREAT and innovative ideas, it's also very practical as well....more info
• Best book on surviving corporate life!
  I've shared this book with about 7 other people. Great book to give to friends who have lost their work/life balance - and a good reminder for myself....more info
• Ambition without peak energy is useless. Read this book if you want to be in the top 1% of peak performers.
  The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life
  
  The Power of Full Engagement definitely makes the The 1% Club's Top Ten List!
  
  Ambition without peak energy is useless. This book by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz uses an athletic metaphor to illustrate how easy it is to mismanage our energy reserves, but also, how this can be corrected. This has been required reading form my clients since its release in 2003.
  
  You will find case studies that are easy to relate to and simple, straightforward action steps to address the real energy crisis. This book is loaded with great content and has excellent chapter summaries and a complete recap at the end of the book.
  
  Here is one key point that you should study further: "Most of us are under trained physically and spiritually (not enough stress) and over trained mentally and emotionally (not enough recovery)." Grab the highlighter! ...more info
• Fantastic! Easy to read with practical application...
  The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz is great book that offers good information and practical recommendations which are easy to implement. The authors share real examples throughout the book that almost anyone can relate to their own daily life. I love the balance of energy - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. If you aren't happy with your life - feeling stressed, overworked, down on power, missing something, ... - read this book! With an open mind and a desire to change, you will find useful information that you can immediately begin to use to change your life. ...more info
• Excellent book for mind-body connection
  As a CEO and former jock, I really enjoyed the integrated approach in this best-selling book. The authors have made convincing arguments, so I want to recommend this book. I also recommend that you read it in conjunction with Optimal Thinking -- How to be your best self. Optimal Thinking is the mental foundation of peak performance, and stops you from settling for second best....more info
• Engaging & energizing
  'The Power of Full Engagement' is provocative & pragmatic. It guides me to look at personal & professional life in a more holistic perspective. I definitely feel engaged & energized, & look forward to utilizing Loehr's pointers & transforming my life into a more fruitful & meaningful one....more info
• Manage Energy - great insight.
  We need to manage our energy to perform the most important things. We often take our energy for granted and are not aware of our ebbs and flows.
  We need to do the most important things when we have the most energy. We need to eat and sleep to have more energy. It originally comes from a sports performance model, but has been adapted for executives. It is also important as we grow older. Truely a new insight for me that unified a few things I ahve been learning....more info
• Authors seem to think they know more than they do.
  I found this book a waste of money. It's full of half truths asserted as fact. For example, the authors quote the old study that found that it matters what time of day you eat most of your food - morning or night. They don't quote the followup studies that find that after a few weeks the human body adapts and the differences no longer hold.

  Also I didn't like the emphasis on the "corporate" athlete. If all you want to do is adapt to a fast paced, stressful life, this book might help. But if you want to create a life more on your own terms, this isn't your best guide....more info

• Don't buy this book
  This books in three sentences:

  1. Exercise
  2. Eat well
  3. Keep time for yourself

  That's it. Common sense. I don't need a book to know that....more info

• Class by Itself. Very Powerful ideas and suggestions!!
  This book is simply exceptional. The premise is so appropriate and true and the ideas and suggestions are informed and will work. The authors know how to help the reader and deliver the goods!! This book is in the must read category. A great compliment would be 'Effortless Wellbeing' by Evan Finer, because it provides a concise how-to program of mental and physical exercises, and many potent ideas to consider, to greatly boost your energy reserves and personal effectiveness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED reading!!...more info
• Engaging.
  The book, The Power of Full Engagement, had me fully engaged. Without a doubt, next to the book, The Little Guide To Happiness, it is one of the best book on personal renewal going. Hands down....more info
• Awesome Book
  If you feel like you're not enjoying all life has to offer, than get this book....more info
• A definitive guide for energy optimization
  I started life as an energetic optimist, but after many disappointments, my energy and enthusiasm waned. This book shows you how to reverse this downward trend and optimize your energy. With more energy available, you are more inclined to express your talents, and experience greater success. The strategies offered in this book will increase the quality of your life. To learn how to be use your disturbing emotions as optimization signals and optimize your emotional, personal and business life, read Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self as well....more info
• A Must Read!
  Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz offer a lot of solid, common sense advice. The authors recommend going to bed and getting up at a consistent time - not exactly Ben Franklin's "early to bed, early to rise," but close. They recommend regular exercise. They say it's good to work and to rest, and each has its place. They say to examine yourself and try to see yourself as others see you. In other words, they recommend many time-honored techniques of physical, mental and spiritual growth,combined with prioritizing how you use your energy and how you recharge your batteries. This attitude makes the book unique. The principles may be ancient, but we find the vehicle distinctly contemporary, a combo of New Age jargon and workout-style performance charting, with (at last) a key to time management that makes sense and captures all areas of one's life. Some readers will find that thrilling, others will groan....more info