Energy Management vs. Time Management

We’ve all heard about time management and how it can increase our productivity by managing our task list and schedule. But there have been articles about energy management as well, and why it may be more important than time management. You can’t be turbo-charged for long periods of time. You  may be super productive for a while, but ultimately, it will lead to burnout. Fortunately, unlike time, one’s energy can be replenished, if we know how to.  Energy management is not just about your physical energy. It is also about your mental, emotional, and spiritual energy as well.

Why manage your energy?

Do you notice that if you put 100% focus and energy on a task, you can actually do a lot more quality work in a short amount of time, as compared to giving just 50% of your energy over an extended period? When you are tired and drained, it’s quite difficult to give your best work. Better work delivered at a shorter period – sounds like a win to me.

So, how do you manage your energy?

• Understand your rhythm. You can’t have high levels of energy all the time. Know your energy limits and respect them. Grind if you can, and slow down if you must.
• Recharge regularly and frequently, even just for a few minutes at a time. Find something that relaxes you, whether that’s meditation, going for a walk, chatting with a friend, or taking a nap. It’s counterintuitive, especially when you have deadlines. But after a short break, you’ll come back better, and ready to take on the task at hand.
• Try single-tasking instead of dividing your energy to multiple tasks at the same time.
• I am also the type of person who needs time alone to recharge, so some me-time is important. This helps so much with my mental, emotional, and spiritual state.
• I know this is not for everybody, but delegate if you can.

After taking a look at both time management (which I have been doing since I was a student), and energy management, I had a thought… Can we combine both energy and time management? I think we can. It’s all a balancing act of doing your tasks (of different levels of difficulty and focus required), depending on your energy level. Good luck!