--- title: Psychology: Power of Full Engagement description: "Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance" canonical: https://time.com/3940161/power-full-engagement/ author: Shane Parrish article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-01T11:01:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:32.476Z article:section: Ideas og:title: This Is the Power of Full Engagement og:description: "Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance" og:url: https://time.com/3940161/power-full-engagement/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This Is the Power of Full Engagement twitter:description: "Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # This Is the Power of Full Engagement > Sponsored content. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=234a5a68-0412-490b-996b-659ce671eca9&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How to Deal With Cell Phones in Meetings [Watch (HLS stream): How to Deal With Cell Phones in Meetings](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rsmZCkVK.m3u8) (1:37)  _Published 2015-03-23. Want your colleagues to stop texting and start paying attention in meetings? Donna Rosato explains how to do it._ by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Jul 1, 2015 11:01 AM UTC by [Shane Parrish](https://time.com/author/shane-parrish/) ## Shane Parrish Jul 1, 2015 11:01 AM UTC In [_The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743226755/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743226755&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=3A7GQRFEQC4K7JHP)Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr argue that energy, not time, is the key to managing performance. We live in a digital time which Schwartz and Loehr capture so eloquently: --- > “” --- Forever starved for time we try to fit everything into each day. But as we know, [managing time by itself is not the answer](https://gumroad.com/l/bewaymoreproductive). The energy you bring to the table matters too. Schwartz and Loehr argue that: **“Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance.”** “Every one of our thoughts, emotions and behaviors has an energy consequence,” they write. “The ultimate measure of our lives is not how much time we spend on the planet, but rather how much energy we invest in the time that we have.” --- > “” --- To be fully engaged, we need to be fully present. To be fully present we must be “physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused and spiritually aligned with a purpose beyond our own immediate self-interest.” --- > “” --- **\*\*\*** **You Must Become Fully Engaged** Here are the four key energy management principles that drive performance. **Principle 1: Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.** --- > “” --- **Principle 2: Because energy capacity diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.** --- > “” --- **Principle 3: To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do.** --- > “” --- **Principle 4: Positive energy rituals—highly specific routines for managing energy— are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.** --- > “” --- [_The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal_](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0743226755/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0743226755&linkCode=as2&tag=farnamstreet-20&linkId=3A7GQRFEQC4K7JHP) is worth your time _and_ energy. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Farnam Street_**](https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2015/06/the-power-of-full-engagement/)**_._** **Join over 60,000 readers and get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/newsletter/)**.** ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] It happens all the time, you're speaking at a meeting, or you're giving your presentation, you look around the room and half the people are looking at their cellphones. Sending texts, or checking their email. We're all guilty of this, at times. But, when you're the person in front of the room. You don't want to waste valuable time, or a good opportunity to have face- time with your boss, and your colleagues. Here's how you can get people to pay attention. First, set expectations up front, if it's going to be a long meeting. Say, two hours, let people know there's gonna be a break, say 15 or 20 minutes, so that they can get away and check their email, and check in with the office. Also, if it's gonna be a short meeting, say, you know, I know I need. need your attention for 15 or 20 minutes, I'd appreciate if you would put the cell phones away. You can also be very strategic about how you set up a room. People are gonna feel very uncomfortable looking at their phone if they're really close to the person speaking or presenting. Set up the room in a U shape so that more people are sitting close to you. If it's a big audience, get a wireless microphone and walk among the audience. [ UNKNOWN ]. Another trick is having people sit close together. Get a good head count of the people who are supposed to be at the meeting or at the presentation, and don't leave extra chairs. If people are sitting close together or there's not an empty row in the back, people are gonna be much less likely to be staring at their phone. If you're gonna talk the talk, walk the walk, too. Next time you're in a meeting. Turn your cellphone off so you're not going to be tempted to do that too. 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