PERSONAL NOTE
I stayed local in August, reconnecting with some friends, and attended some fun events. The best day was a Girlfriend Day. We met at the trolley, took it downtown, and walked a couple of blocks to get on the ferry to Coronado Island. Wandered through some shops, hopped on the free shuttle they have during the summer, explored the town, stopped for lunch, and then got some ice cream at the Hotel Del Coronado (beautiful historic hotel). We laughed a lot and felt like we were on vacation that day. I highly recommend planning days like that.
ARTICLE
Manage Your Energy, Not the Clock
How many times have you ended a busy day wondering, "Where did the time go?" You may have crossed plenty off your list, answered the emails, handled the interruptions, attended the meetings, and taken care of everyone who needed something from you. Yet somehow, you still ended the day feeling as though you didn’t accomplish what really mattered.
We tend to blame time. We tell ourselves we need to manage it better, schedule more carefully, become more efficient, or finally find the perfect system that will somehow squeeze 26 hours into a 24-hour day.
But perhaps time isn’t the real problem. Every one of us gets the same 24 hours. What changes dramatically throughout those hours is the amount of energy we have available to use them well. Think about the difference between working on something when you’re focused, rested, and engaged versus trying to accomplish that same task when you’re mentally drained. An hour is still an hour—but what you can do with it may be completely different. That’s why managing your energy can sometimes be far more valuable than trying to manage every minute of your day.
Start paying attention to what drains your energy. Some drains are obvious: too little sleep, an overloaded schedule, constant interruptions, or too many commitments. Others are less noticeable. An unresolved conversation can quietly occupy space in your head all day. So can worrying about something you can’t control, spending too much time with someone who leaves you exhausted, or repeatedly postponing a task you don’t want to face.
Then there are the things that restore your energy. A walk outside. Music. Laughter. A good conversation. Completing something you’ve been putting off. Ten uninterrupted minutes with a cup of coffee. Sometimes the smallest deposits make a surprisingly large difference.
There’s another piece we often overlook: when do you have the most energy? You probably already know whether you’re at your sharpest first thing in the morning, later in the afternoon, or somewhere in between. Yet many of us schedule our days according to what fits on the calendar rather than what fits our natural rhythm. We use our best mental energy on routine tasks and then expect ourselves to tackle something important when we’re running on fumes.
You can’t always control your schedule, of course. Work, family, clients, appointments, and unexpected demands have a habit of interfering with even the best plans. But you may have more control than you realize. Instead of asking only, “How can I fit everything in?” start asking, “What deserves my best energy?” Then protect some of that energy for the people, priorities, and experiences that matter most—including yourself.
Time is a fixed resource. Your energy isn’t. It can be drained, restored, protected, and directed. Maybe the goal isn’t to become better at squeezing more into your day. Maybe it’s to become better at deciding what deserves the best of you.
COOL RESOURCE
If you'd like to continue to explore this topic, you might want to read: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal by Jim Loehr (Author), Tony Schwartz (Author)
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Stay safe, healthy, and happy!
Coach Jan
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