Manage your energy, not your time
If you do that, time works itself out
We all have ideas in our heads about where our time goes, but until we actually sit down and assess the current reality, this is just a story we’re telling ourselves about our lives — it may or may not be true.
Change the story
When we know how our time is actually spent and the impact that these activities have on our energy throughout the day, we can take effective action to improve things.
Download the Time and Energy Tracker to reflect on your energy throughout the week.
See how your time and energy are spent during the week and plan your activities more strategically. Download your Tracker now
The process is simple:
After completing an activity, write it in the appropriate time slot on the sheet.
Use a highlighter to mark your energy as high (green), medium (yellow), or low (red) during that time.
Review the week and note any patterns. For example, you may find that the afternoons are low energy zones, regardless of the activity. Or that a particular activity is energy-replenishing, regardless of when you do it.
Doing this exercise will give you insights about where your time actually goes and how your daily activities interact with your energy levels. As a result, you will be able to plan your week more strategically, improving your days and how you feel about them.
Create your mini-map of drainers and energizers
This easy activity will help you arrange your calendar more effectively, demystify the slumps you might feel during the day, and give yourself a boost when you feel yourself sliding into an unproductive headspace.
Step 1: List what drains you and energizes you
To get started, grab a sheet of paper, a stack or sticky notes, or pop open a digital whiteboard. Then set a timer for 90 seconds. During that time, come up with as many things as you can think of that drain your energy. Here are some broad categories to help you get started:
Senses — what noises, textures, environments, or bodily states deplete your energy?
Tasks and activities — are there any things that you dread doing?
Types of interactions. If a specific person comes to mind, what is it about them that is energy-draining? Try not to focus on who they are as a person, but rather what they do and how that impacts you.
What else?
Next, spend 90 seconds writing down what energises or replenishes you. Similar to drainers, these can be sensations, activities, interactions or anything else you can come up with.
Below is my unorganized map of things that drain me and energize me, created in Miro:
Step 2: Group similar items and name each cluster
Start moving items around. Cluster similar items together, in whatever way you like. Maybe some items are themed around types of tasks. Or their design. Perhaps there are several sensory things that go together. Categories will naturally emerge as you play with the data. This will help you spot meaningful patterns.
Next, label the groups you came up with, using whatever criteria you wish. There will likely be an overarching idea that explains why these items are related. Your labels do not need to be perfect; a general heading will suffice.
Below is my organised Affinity Map of what drains and energizes me:
Step 3: Reflect on what you notice
Here’s where the insights emerge! Spend a few moments to review your mini-maps. See what you notice.
In my example from above, I might ask myself questions such as:
What sense am I making of this?
What surprises me about what I see here?
What does this map say about me?
What might I want to do or change about how I organize my days?
Ask yourself these questions and capture the responses as necessary. Sometimes noticing is enough; other times it may be helpful to journal or use other ways to reflect further.
Regardless, doing this exercise will give you some new insights about small things you might do to improve how you experience your days.
For more insights and activities on energy, read my article on Medium:
Stop trying to manage your time. Do this instead.