Do you feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day to complete your to-do list? You may be right! Time is a finite resource that, despite our best efforts, can only be managed to a certain degree. Shifting your focus to managing your energy, rather than your time, may be the key. With an increased and sustainable capacity for your work, you will likely find it easier to complete your tasks with improved efficiency, focus and a sense of purpose, ultimately leading to greater job satisfaction.

Although it may seem counterintuitive to suggest within a blog series about time management, it’s often more important to consider how much energy you need to complete a task rather than how much time is required.

Assess your energy level

It’s important to regularly evaluate your energy from a few different angles — physical, mental and emotional — to determine the quality of energy in each of these areas.

Physical energy – Consider your current relationship with sleep, physical activity and nutrition. Does your body have the physical energy to sustain you through the day?

Mental energy – How would you describe your capacity to focus and think critically?

Emotional energy – How well are you managing challenging emotions that arise during your workday?

Establish new rituals

Once you have a clearer picture of where you lack energy, you can then prioritize investing in areas where you feel depleted. Establishing rituals — especially ones that allow you to connect with your core values and purpose — can help you create lifelong habits that better serve your well-being and your work.

Ideas to Try

Establish a physical movement ritual. This can be as simple as setting a timer to remind yourself to pause throughout the workday for a one-minute stretch or regularly taking a short walk/roll around the block during your break.

Find a mindfulness ritual that helps you feel centered and rejuvenated. Determine a touchpoint to return to throughout your day to bring your focus back to your purpose. This may be a physical object, such as a photo or Post-It note with an affirmation or favorite quote, a five-minute talk from an app like Headspace or Insight Timer or anything that allows you to slow down, refocus and feel better energized.

Reduce and remove recurring irritants. Small irritants and inefficiencies, compounded by their volume or frequent recurrence, can eat away at your energy. When we are facing large challenges in our lives, we don’t always have the capacity to solve the little ones. Make the time to regularly consider your workspace and processes to determine if there are irritants that can be eliminated. Is there a simple process you find yourself executing regularly that could be automated using software? Could a small shift in your daily schedule provide you increased time for productivity or focus?

Create a “To Don’t” list. You’re likely already in the habit of adding tasks and commitments to your To Do list, but have you ever practiced removing things from your list? When making a To Don’t list, consider the things you’re currently doing that are draining your energy. This may include certain people you decide not to see, certain habits you want to break or projects no longer serving your growth at work. There may also be a few items that you want to drop but can’t. In those cases, focus on your sphere of influence and the things that are in your control.

Manage your time to manage your energy

We’ve been highlighting various time management techniques over a series of blog posts to give you different tools to utilize depending on your needs, preferences and work style. You may find added benefit in combining energy management techniques along with time management approaches such as the Pomodoro Technique and the Pareto Principle, which provide frameworks for focused energy and regular, designated downtime.

Below are resources that may also help you establish an energy and time management approach that works for you.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Sources

https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time

https://hbr.org/2022/04/stop-trying-to-manage-your-time

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/manage-your-energy-not-your-time

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