Where do you want to invest your energy?
Many productivity gurus talk about time management, putting your time where you intend it to go. And that’s valuable. But time is limited and zero-sum; an hour spent in one area is an hour not spent in another area.
I find it helpful to think about energy management instead. There are activities that energize me, where I get more energy out of doing it than I put into doing it. There are also activities that drain me, where I need time to recover afterwards.
Investing more of my limited time into energizing activities provides great returns, because then I have more energy to spend on other activities.
A few examples:
— Exercise. Most people have more energy when they exercise regularly.
— Connection. Having a supportive interaction can lead to feeling more empowered and confident in your next bit of draining work.
— Taking a break. If you are grinding through some draining work, doesn’t it make more sense to take a break, and come back to it with renewed energy?
I also suggest using energy as a compass for career navigation. If you look for each new job to have more work that is energizing for you, and less work that is draining for you, you will likely be successful. Finding energizing work is a competitive advantage because you will be drawn to do more of it than somebody else who finds it draining or neutral.
So what energizing activities do you want to invest more in? What draining activities will you find ways to delegate or outsource or automate?