How to Manage Your Energy for Better Productivity
Article Summary: Energy management is the foundation of productivity. Create a morning routine with gratitude journaling and exercise to charge up your day. It’s also important to take regular breaks daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. Finally, delegate low-value tasks so you can focus your energy on the high-value work that truly matters.
Watch the Video: 3 Ways to Manage Energy for Better Productivity
Do you recharge your phone on a daily basis? How about your body? Your mind? Your spirit? Most people take better care of their phones than themselves, and it costs them in productivity and performance.
Your energy is your most valuable resource and there is a fixed amount allotted to you to spend each day.
This article is going to give you three proven strategies to manage your energy for better productivity.
Energy Strategy #1: Start Your Day with a Morning Routine
Top executives, entrepreneurs and business leaders all have one thing in common: an intentional and energizing morning routine. It sets the tone for the entire day.
Most people start their day in reactive mode. They check their phone. They read the news. They dive straight into their problems. This spikes stress hormones and immediately starts draining their energy.
Instead of being reactive, you can be intentional. Wake up 30 minutes earlier and create some sacred alone time to stoke your positive energy.
Here's what to do:
Write down three things you're grateful for. This might sound simple, but repetition works. What you're doing is reprogramming your brain to think positively. Instead of letting external pressures control you, you're intentionally choosing optimism.
Take a minute to appreciate what you wrote then visualize what you’re grateful for. You can even hold a positive, empowering posture while visualizing. Research shows that your physical posture influences your mental outlook and how you spend your energy.
Exercise for 30 minutes. The benefits are substantial. Morning exercise improves your focus and concentration throughout the day, making you more efficient.
It buffers cortisol, the stress hormone that builds up and becomes toxic when left unchecked. Lower stress levels mean higher productivity. Plus, morning exercise improves your sleep, which means more energy the next day. The return on investment is enormous.
That's it. Fifteen minutes of journaling and reflection, plus 30 minutes of movement. Forty-five minutes to set your entire day up for success.
Energy Strategy #2: Iterative Recharging for Optimal Performance
High performers often skip breaks, convinced they're losing time. They're not. There's something called the misperception of efficiency. You think you're working harder than you actually are. Around 2 or 3 p.m., your productivity and focus naturally decline due to circadian rhythms. A break resets you and gives you a second wind.
Take breaks at multiple levels:
Daily: Take a 15-minute break. Walk outside. Read. Do something completely different from work. The reset will make you more efficient when you return.
Weekly: Leave work early once a week. Do something that recharges you.
Monthly: Take a full day off. Go on a hike with friends or family. Recharge mentally, physically, and spiritually.
Quarterly: Take a retreat or mini vacation. Get some perspective.
Yearly: Take at least one week completely off. Travel somewhere new or visit a place you love. Enrich your life with new experiences.
Your body is the vessel that carries you. If you don't maintain it, it won't perform at its best.
Energy Strategy #3: Delegate Low-Value Tasks
You have a finite amount of energy per day. A low-value task costs the same time and energy as a high-value task. Yet a lot of people spend their energy on work that doesn't require their unique skills.
You're talented and you can probably do almost anything exceptionally well. But that's the problem. You're unwilling to give up tasks you're good at, even when someone else should be doing them.
Do an Audit of Your Tasks. Grab a sheet of paper and create two columns. In the first column, list high-value activities. In the second column, list low-value tasks.
In the high-value column, star your top three. These require your expertise and are high- stakes tasks.
In the low-value column, star the lowest-value activities. Maybe it's scheduling. Maybe it's meetings you don't need to attend. Start delegating these tasks or drop them altogether.
This exercise is critically important to preserving your energy and performing at your best. Unless you audit your tasks, you won't know where your energy is going, and you’ll likely fall right back into the same old routine.
Three Actions to Take This Week
- Start your new morning routine tomorrow. Journal three gratitude items and exercise for 30 minutes.
- Take a 15-minute break today. Walk outside or read something unrelated to work.
- Write down your high-value and low-value tasks. Identify one low-value task to delegate this week.
Okay, there you have it, three strategies to manage your energy. Now take action and watch the results. Remember, your energy is your greatest asset. Protect it every day.
If you want help implementing some of these strategies, I run a free master class that helps leaders identify hidden performance blocks so they can lead with greater authority and clarity.
Enroll here: Masterclass - Business is a Sport
For tailored coaching that builds executives and entrepreneurs into high performers, apply here: Schedule a Consultation
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