Consultant Annastiina Hinta knows first-hand how easy it is to forget to rest and recover. As she takes the reins of the coaching firm her father founded, she talks to finews.asia about how to take better care of your personal resources.
Armed with a degree in economics, Annastiina Hintsa seemed ideally positioned to face the challenges in crisis-stricken Europe. After a brief stint with Finland's central bank, Hintsa joined a consulting firm helping some of the European Union's hardest-hit members to find their way out of the crisis.
The job, coupled with her habit of spending nights partly engrossed on the Internet instead of in deep sleep, robbed Hintsa of her spare energy. Social media simulate relaxation and personal contacts – without providing any actual balance or recovery.
Duty-Bound Swiss
Hintsa, who has since taken over at the eponymous coaching firm founded by her father, Aki Hintsa, isn't alone (even if social media isn't usually the culprit when people complain of fatigue and exhaustion).
«Switzerland is a country where both work and family are culturally very important,» Hintsa told finews.com. «That means people fulfill their duties and may sometimes leave too little time for themselves.»
Cultural Advantage
The Finnish-born executive is a huge fan of a tradition that is still widely practiced in many Swiss workplaces: lunch-time. «You need to make sure to make time to recharge in a work-driven culture,» according to Hintsa, whose firm maintains offices in Zug and Geneva. «For example, it’s a good idea to take a lunch break.»
Other, small changes – Hinsta calls them «micro breaks» – can boost energy resources. Nonetheless, recovery is about more than simply sleep, which has the most frequently cited method for restoring energy.
Top Performers Snagged
Day-time activities are also important, Hintsa notes, with research repeatedly showing exercise provides excellent balance. Depending on personality, interaction with others is another way to recharge – even if during work hours.
The most important element is to take care of personal resources – a challenge that top performers regularly fail at. Often, as long a situation isn't acute, people feel «invincible,» she notes.
Hinsta solved her problem by hindering her access to social media networks to prevent herself from falling back into old habits. She also told colleagues, clients, and employees that she wouldn't be available before 9 a.m.
Practicing Breathing
The arrangement afforded Hintsa the freedom to work on client requests until late into the night, without forfeiting time for herself. Her sleep quality kept improving after she baked breathing exercises into her resting routine.
«Controlling your breath is one of the most powerful things you can do,» she says. Breathing exercises are an accessible way to introduce relaxation and energy management into your workday if you don't have the luxury of a proper lunch break or turning up after 9 a.m.
No Unrealistic Goals
«It can help to just take tiny, tiny breaks,» said Hintsa, who counts Formula 1 and other professional athletes as well as top executives among her clients. «Don’t underestimate the power of micro-breaks. Of taking a moment to step back, reengage and breathe.»
This approach raises the likelihood of sustainable improvement. Overambitious goals of exercising daily, always getting at least eight hours' sleep, and abstaining from technology completely after work aren't realistic.
Work Warning Sign
For Hinsta, who now runs a firm with more than 100 employees, a strict regime wouldn't have been enforceable. Her definition of successful management of personal energy resources is individual.
For herself, the ideal benchmark is how she feels coming home from work: «If I can’t switch off, that’s a warning sign,» Hintsa says.
