Managing energy instead of time isn’t just a theory. Many highly successful people carefully protect their time so that they have the energy and bandwidth to think creatively and increase their resilience. Think that managing your personal energy would work better for you than time management. No one knows your energy limits better than you. By setting boundaries for yourself, you simultaneously protect your energy levels and motivate yourself to achieve your goals. Time isn’t what matters most when you’re concentrating and focusing on managing your energy. Instead, your energy levels are what matter the most. Once you know what energizes you and what drains you, you can better plan your day to make the most of your energy. One of the things you can do to improve your energy management is to delegate when you can. Our life is the sum of our thoughts. Our thoughts guide our habits. Our habits create the lifestyle we are living. Our available energy is the fuel for our habit development. The quality and availability of our energy have more influence over the development of our habits than the thoughts that guide their development. Here are some reasons to seriously think about why you might want to manage your energy and not your time.
1. Our energy is not a constant like time: Our energy is the fuel that propels us through time, but it is inconsistent. Our energy levels go up and down throughout the day (in approximately 90-minute cycles called ultradian rhythms). When we are more energized and focused, we probably perform a task more quickly and with fewer mistakes than when we are feeling tired. Instead of using the principles of time management to organize your entire day, imagine organizing your tasks by your level of energy.
2. Your purpose is the core of your energy: You might believe you have all the time in the world to work, but if you aren’t focused on what motivates you, you are wasting both your time and your energy. The purpose of your work is the core of your personal energy. It compels you to take action. It replenishes and sustains the rest of your energy sources. When you gain clarity about your “why” in your work or life, you will feel a boost of energy (I know I did!). Your “why” will also help sustain your momentum as you continue the long journey toward your purpose.
3. Habits take a lot of energy, but can also save you time: If you want to design your lifestyle around the work you’ve always wanted to do, you are going to need to change some of your habits. Habits are the foundation of lifestyle design. Habits initially take a lot of energy to develop because you have to consciously think about developing them. Focused thought requires a lot of energy. Once a habit is established, however, it will save you a lot of energy and time because those particular routines will now be automatic, not requiring any thought.
4. Make fewer decisions: In the 9-to-5 lifestyle, our status is enhanced the more responsibility we acquire. The more responsibility we have, the more decisions we have to make. Yet this increase in status comes with a hidden cost. The more decisions we have to make, the more decision fatigue sets in and saps our energy. Decisions eat up a lot of time and energy because our brain has to focus on making a new choice.
Time management is about cranking through a “to do list” as fast as you can. Energy management is about developing a core set of habits around your most important work. By managing your energy instead of your time, you can not only become more productive but also more fulfilled in your work. You are in a better position to accomplish your goals when you are not overworked and exhausted.
(The author is a teacher at Govt. Higher Secondary School Damhal Anantnag. Views are exclusively his own)
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