Time Management isn’t Enough. Manage your Energy
Time management is a widely discussed and prioritized subject, and rightly so, but it isn’t the only factor that drives things forward..
There’s energy management.
Time management is about assigning a specific time to do certain tasks.
But honestly, how many times have we failed at that? More than I’d like to admit.
The challenge here is that we’re all wired differently and our energy levels will vary depending on the time of the day.
Energy management is doing time management but basing it in your energy levels.
They both go hand-in-hand. Integrate both of them for your best work.
How many productive hours do you have in a day?
Try to answer this question.
We know working a 9–5 doesn’t mean we are productive for 8 hours. No one ever is.
Here’s an interesting statistic to shake you up:
“Most leaders have only three to five deeply productive hours in a day when their energy is at its peak. That’s it.” — Carey Nieuwhof
That’s it? How comforting!
If we really only have that few hours to be at our best, then what do we do?
Carey Nieuwhof created a framework to help us in managing our energy.
When we know our own energy levels, when we’re at our best and at our worst, we can adjust our tasks based on that.
Find Your Zones
Think of your day like a traffic light, and divide it into three zones (green, yellow and red)
Green Zone
If you only have 3–5 hours of peak productivity then it’s vital to know what time that is for you. That’s your green zone.
The green zone is for your best work. Your focus is sharp, and creativity and ideas flow more smoothly.
What tasks in your work drive things forward? What are you best at? Do those in your green zone.
For example, Carey Nieuwhof is a podcaster, writer and part-time pastor. In essence, he’s a communicator, so he creates content in his green zone which is between 7–11 am.
And he doesn’t have breakfast meetings because he has better work for his green zone.
Booo for breakfast meetings!
Jeff Bezos also doesn’t schedule meetings before 10 am. He likes to putter in the morning — read the newspaper, have coffee and breakfast with the kids. He’s a normal person, for your information.
He wants to be at his best for work and that starts at 10 am. Knowing that helps him perform at his best while being present in his other areas of life.
Red Zone
The red zone is those few hours of the day when you’re drained and your mind can’t function properly. At these times, you really need to just rest.
Some may survive the red zone with some Netflix, YouTube or even working out. That could work, but the older I get the more I suggest real solid power naps.
Find what works for you, and how you can be effective even in your red zone.
Sometimes, being effective means separating yourself to recharge and come back stronger.
Yellow Zone
The yellow zone is that big chunk of time where you’re not at your peak but you’re also not drained dead.
You’re neither at your best nor at your worst.
You can still do important work here like crank some content out or have meetings, but remember that you won’t be as productive compared to your green zone.
I suggest doing more administrative tasks here like checking in with your team, planning out your next tasks, and boring email stuff.
Start with Clarity
Before setting this up, you need clarity on what tasks really drive the needle forward.
What good is it knowing your green zone but not knowing what exactly you need to do?
Which tasks can be delegated?
Which tasks are not necessary?
Which tasks can only be done by you?
Which tasks steer the ship in the right direction?
Experiment by trying these tasks in different times of the day and see how your focus and productivity will vary.
Remember, this will be different for every single person so it’s important to be aware of how you’re wired and how you work. You’ll also have to work around your specific constraints like having a boss, a team, and your family.
This will take a lot of practice and tweaking to get right. I haven’t gotten mine locked in yet so let’s learn this together.
