Interested?
Welcome to Energy Management. In a nutshell…..
“.... you can’t change the amount of hours that you have but you can change how you feel during those hours and consequently how much you accomplish. “
Here’s a great little video that explains it all 2 short minutes.
Lots to love, eh? Let’s break it down.
But first…..
Ignore the “manage energy, not time” idea.
That’s daft.
Do both.
Time & energy.
Add an Energy Management tool or technique to your current time management approach. And build from there.
It’s that simple.
Where to Start
One of the best things to do - as mentioned in the video - is to match your energy to the work you’re doing.
If you’d like to give this a spin, the first step is tracking your current energy patterns.
If you’d like a shortcut, most people fall into one of these two patterns. Morning Lark vs. Night Owl.
Morning larks are early to rise/early to bed types. Night owl - well, I bet you can guess. Late afternoon/evening is when they’re at their best. Not sure which you are? Here’s a short quizz
With a better understanding of your personal energy patterns, it’s time to sort out work. List the categories of tasks you’re doing daily/through the week.
And the last step. Start scheduling tasks to energy peaks and valleys. This may be a quick 10 minutes or you may a few weeks to experiment to see what works best.
Creative, problem-solving, difficult or frustrating work, deep learning - schedule those when energy is high. Save the routine and mundane for low energy times of your day.
Replying to emails is a great example. For Larks, quick scan when you start your day. Reply to anything urgent. Wait for an energy dip to reply to the rest if possible. For Owls, email’s a perfect way to start the day.
You can stop here. Or get a more precise reading on your energy levels by tracking for a few days.
I’m a Lark and here’s the flow of my day:
My energy is high first thing, so I skip emails and get to work on my most challenging or creative tasks.
About 9:30 I have an energy dip, so great time to switch back to emails, get on social media (energizing for me).
My energy picks up about an hour later, so flip back to more creative/challenging work.
After lunch I’ve got 60-90ish minutes until my energy low of the day. So create, create, create.
By 2:00/2:30, my energy is hits my lowest of the day. Email, reading/podcasts, more email, meetings (energizing for me - I know, it’s weird). For a serious energy boost, schedule coaching calls - it’s like downing a Red Bull.
About 3:30 my energy picks up. Perfect time to finish what I’d been working on earlier in the day. Those things that already have some momentum behind them.
And that’s me done for the day.
Let’s be clear. This is my ideal. The reality of my day is much different. Yet there’s value in this strategy. It helps me schedule my day and accomplish more.
The biggest benefit is I’m no longer annoyed with myself for not getting more done in the afternoon. I used to try to start things mid-afternoon. My energy low point. I’d usually end up down some internet rabbit hole, wasting time and not accomplishing anything at all. Now I understand why I was wasting time and have an effective way to make the most of my energy dips. I’m more productive and a little happier too.
You Deplete Me’s
Our discussion wouldn’t be complete without having a quick look at the people you work with.
People can be a source of energy or a energy drain.
To get a sense of what this feels like, imagine a colleague you REALLY dislike walking towards you. Let’s call him Alan. Alan is a pompous jerk, but you’re working together on a project and you need his help. Can you feel the forced smile, the need to dig deep and brace yourself for the conversation (no matter how brief) that you’ll have with him? Take a moment to consider the energy you expend in one short interaction. There are some people that are thoroughly exhausting.
Compare that with your colleague we’ll call Amy. You see her walking towards you and you smile. Can feel your whole body relax?. You look forward to taking a few minutes to chat with her. And feel a little more energized once she leaves and you get back to work.
There are some people we work with that are - well - a lot of work. They’re an energy drain. A clever writer referred to them as the “you deplete me’s”. Some people have little or no impact on our energy at all. And others - they’re like little energy portals that help us recharge.
While it’s not always possible to work with people you like, that boost your energy, think about the day ahead. If your booking meetings, can you schedule the “you deplete me” interactions for your high energy times? Especially if those people are your boss and you need to be at your best.
Or would you like to find ways to spend a little more time with those people who energize. A little less with the energy drains. Maybe it’s as simple as having a default excuse to extricate yourself from a boring conversation ready in case you need it. Taking a different route to a meeting/lunch so you’re less likely to bump into someone you’d prefer to avoid.
If your day is full of exhausting people, my guess is you’re already doing a few things to minimize interactions. Why not use a deliberate and structured strategy to build on that?
If you’re dodging the duds, there’s a good chance you’re also doing a thing or 5 to spend a little more time with the people you like. The ones who boost your energy. Who do you call to go grab coffee or lunch? Often stop to have a quick chat in the hall or send a quick reply to their text or email? There may be a dozen things you do in a day to lift your spirits and build your energy. The question is would you like to do more?
Even if you’re interested, it may feel like figuring this out is one more thing to add to an already lengthy to-do list.
So let’s keep it simple.
Every morning, have a recurring task. Ask yourself a question. “What 1 thing can I do today to spend a little less time with the “you deplete me’s”? If something comes to mind and it feels worth doing, give it a try. If nothing comes to mind, move on.
Do it for a month. If you like the results, keep it up. If not, something to delete from your to-do list.
If you’re feeling really ambitious, the following month add one more question. “What 1 thing can I do today to spend a little more time with those that lift my spirits, boost my energy?
And that’s it.
Wrapping Up
You’re pretty darn good at managing your time. But there’s only so many hours in a day.
Energy Management is a great way to accomplish more without spending more time at the office.
It’s a simple concept with the potential to make the coming year your best one yet.
If you saw something you liked today, give it a try. Experiment. Play around with it. Figure out what works for your unique situation. And what doesn’t.
And if you like the topic, check Part 2 for more.
