Practice Energy Management, not Time Management

Anita Sharpe over at my favorite magazine, Worthwhile Magazine, writes today about a lunch she had with Jim Huling about the power of "energy management" instead of "time management."

Quoting Anita:

Here's the gist: let's say you have a key meeting at 4 p.m., which is going to require a lot of focus and energy -- a "level 10" energy event. But your energy has been depleted throughout the day with unimportant interruptions, inter-office politics, etc. By the time you get to your 4:00, you don't bring nearly enough energy, so you basically default on your commitment. The solution: ruthlessly manage your energy during the day.

I think it's a great concept, and one that I hadn't thought of before but that makes a lot of sense to me. What do you think? Do you think Energy Management is a better way to get things done, or is Time Management the key?

I encourage you to read the complete article here.

Make it a great day!
Phil

Phil Gerbyshak
http://makeitgreat.org

Technorati Tags: innovation, worthwhile, energy management, time management

Comments

[Aizal]

Practice Energy Management, not Time Management

Hmm....I think she has a very good point about practicing to manage energy. If we want to have a good go in our time management, maybe we have to increase our stamina.. That's what I think. :-)

[Scott Young]

I have a couple thoughts on the ideas of time management and energy management.

First of all. This idea of managing energy instead of managing time is stupid. Why not manage both? While they aren't exclusive resources, that is similar to saying I don't need to budget my money because I manage my time.

Secondly, I feel that energy is far harder to correctly manage than time and requires far more emotional control than time management practices do. Often if we don't feel particularly motivated, we won't have a great deal of energy to get to work (at least in our perception). In this sense, if your motivation is constantly fluctuation, you can't really manage your energy levels as accurately.

My theory on energy management is mostly about recognizing the patterns of your own energy levels throughout the day. If you have the most energy at 10 am then schedule the activities that require it most then. In other words, get a general energy management strategy and use traditional time management techniques for specifics.

You have a great day too Phil!

-Scott

[Phil Gerbyshak]

Scott - Thanks for your comment. While I agree it is far harder to manage your energy than your time, I think it can be far more rewarding to manage that energy. Whether you manage it in cycles, as you recommend, or by staying away from people who suck your energy, or whatever, I think it's important.

While managing both is indeed an excellent idea, I think it may be hard to do both if you can't currently manage either one well. For me, I think I'd rather start by managing my energy, and then once I have that well mastered, I'd then go to work on the time management aspect.

Good conversation! Thank you!

[Jim Estill]

I have long believed that the quality of this time (energy) is more important than the quantity of time. I deliberately track my energy level so I can use my high energy times well.

[Jim Huling]

Hi Phil. Congratulations on starting a discussion around a topic that really matters. Here's a few thoughts I wanted to contribute...

Have you ever found yourself with available time, but without the energy, focus or passion that you needed? Whether in a business meeting, or engaging with a spouse or child at the end of our day, it has happened to all of us. And when it does, we often disappoint the people who matter most.

Compare this way of managing your energy with the way you manage your time. Would you commit to a two hour meeting if you only had thirty minutes available? Of course not. But we routinely make commitments for energy that are equally unrealistic because we don’t evaluate them as closely.

And what about your commitment to those outside of work? If we were asked whether our work was more important than our family, most of us would quickly say no. But paradoxically, we deplete ourselves throughout the day on the unconscious assumption that our family and friends don’t need our prime energy.

Choose one day this week to imagine you have an important meeting with your boss scheduled that evening and then watch how you automatically reserve enough energy to be at your best. Do the people you care about most deserve anything less? You’ll be surprised at how much it means to them when you ensure you have energy left at the end of the day to give.

If we want to be truly successful, we must learn to invest our energy with the same careful planning that we do our time.