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Manage Energy, Not Time

by JD

imageManage energy, not time, to get more things done.

This concept really resonates with me.

I also like it because it can be counter intuitive or non-obvious.

One way to try and get more things done is to, jam more in your schedule.

Yuck!

Unfortunately, that’s a fairly common practice.

It’s Not About More Time Management Practices

I actually have lots of practices for managing time.

For example, outcome-based work breakdown structures, managing outcomes vs. activities, prioritizing outcomes based on usage and value, avoiding over-managing minutia, using outcome-based agendas for meetings, distinguishing getting results vs. building connections in meetings, using time-boxes to deliver incremental results in projects, "zero-mail in the inbox" practice … etc.

While I’m always open to new time management practices, I think I was getting diminishing returns from yet more time management techniques.

Energy is the Key

So stepping back, here’s the situation … I was using a full arsenal of time management techniques, I was known for getting results, and yet I wanted to reach the next level.

What happened next was, I noticed a common thread among a few very different training sessions and books around leadership and results.

Energy was a recurring theme.

Know Your Catalysts and Drains

Of course, then it made total sense (the beauty of 20/20 hindsight!).  We’ve all had that great hour of brilliance or that unproductive work week.

I did a reality check against several past projects.

It was easy for me to see the connection of energy and results, when all else was equal.  The problem was, I didn’t have an arsenal of practices for managing energy.  It turns out, I didn’t really need to.  Simply by knowing what drains me or catalyzes me helped a lot.

Knowing is Half the Battle

Now that I’ve been aware of this underlying concept for a while, I have learned a few practices along the way.

One practice I use is I explicitly ask the team when and how often do they want to deliver customer results (i.e. how often do they want to see the fruits of their effort?).

I balance this with capability, customer demand, project constraints and a bunch of other drivers, but the fact that I explicitly try to leverage energy and rhythm, helps crank the energy up a notch (and, as a bonus, results).

Additional Resources

Here are a couple of resources that elaborate on managing energy:

  • The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal (Book) -  This is a really good elaboration on the concept of managing energy instead of time.
  • Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance (Book) – You can improve your energy by spending more time on your strengths than on your weaknesses.  This book shows you how.

You Might Also Like

Spend 75 Percent on Your Strengths

3 Outcomes for Today

How To Use Timeboxing for Getting Results

Timeboxes, Rhythm, and Incremental Value

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Category: ProductivityTag: Effectiveness, Personal-Development

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