Have you ever felt that you never have enough time to finish your work?
You planned everything that you will accomplish for the day. You allotted enough time to finish your tasks. But at the end of the day, you still felt that you were not able to finish anything. On top of that, you already felt drained and tired.
You ask yourself: what am I doing wrong? Does this mean I have poor time management skills?
Perhaps, it’s not your time management. Perhaps, it is your energy management.
It’s Not You, It’s Your Energy
Based on statistics, the average workweek in 2021 is 45 hours per week.
That is 5 hours longer than the traditional 40 hours a week. It may seem like a small number, but these few numbers have a debilitating effect on your life. According to the World Health Organization, extending longer hours of working will result into unhealthy behaviors such as poor sleep, inadequate exercise, and poor dietary habits. With this kind of lifestyle, individual put themselves in increased risk of heart disease and premature death.
And what happens to us when our health is affected?
We perform poorly. We take longer focus and time to finish tasks. We increase our chances of committing more mistakes, and allot more time to correct or re-do some work.
So no, it is not that you do not have the time.
You are essentially out of energy to meet the reasonable time that you have allotted for your tasks.
Why You Need to Manage Your Energy More Than Ever
Have you heard about the implementation of the four-day work week?
This worldwide initiative was highlighted during the World Economic Forum 2022 at Davos. During the session, it was discussed that research shows that the four-day work week resulted to increase in productivity, healthier well-being, and better talent retention.
As the conversations about the four-day work week grows, it may just be a matter of time before all the other corporations across the globe follow suit with this practice. And for the rest of the workforce, it means shorter hours but an increased demand in productivity.
To get things done within a short amount of time, you would need to effectively divide your energy from small to huge tasks for the day.
Start Managing Your Energy Now.
Take a look at your work planner once again. It is time to plan your schedule with your energy in mind. Here are five key actions to help you and your team start energy management today.
- Plan your to-do list according to your energy.
Identify the time of the day that you are at your peak energy, and when you are at your lowest. Set your easy tasks for low energy times, and the difficult ones on your high energy times. Remember to also alternate high energy and low energy tasks to allot time for proper breaks.
- Create after-work or recovery rituals.
Search for 5-to-10-minute activities that will help you boost or recover your energy. These activities don’t need to be grand. It can be listening to your new favorite song, buying a yummy but healthy snack, or just reading a motivational quote.
- Set aside time for distractions.
As Nir Eyal, author of the Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Book Indistractible puts it, follow the 10-minute rule where you allow yourself to give in to the urge to surf your phone or chat with your co-worker. However, strictly move forward to your tasks once the 10 minutes are up.
- Use your strengths in moderation.
While it is good to deliver perfect results for projects that you are good at, it is recommended not to spend too much time or energy for them. Because if you do, what will be left for other important tasks? Focus on using your strengths for different tasks, whether you like them or not.
- Aim for healthy but realistic habits.
Health is part of sustaining your energy. Try to include healthier alternatives to everyday meals, like replacing packaged juices with natural fruit juices. Start making small efforts to help you sleep earlier like avoiding caffeine close to bedtime or lessening screen time.
4 Apps for Effective Energy Management
We can either make technology work for us, or against us. Choose to stick to the former and let these apps help you in your energy management plan.
This app helps its users reflect on how they use their phone and how their usage affects their lives. The app is essential for managing screen time. Space is available on iOS and Android.
This app keeps track of the amount of water you drink through growing adorable plants. Plant Nanny will help you maintain a healthy water intake. The app is available on iOS and Android.
The app provides science-based workouts for those who are struggling to incorporate a regular exercise schedule. J&J Official 7 Minute Workout is available on iOS and Android.
The app monitors an individual’s sleeping patterns, offers insights on sleep disturbances, and features a smart alarm clock. The Sleep Cycle app is available on iOS and Android.
Conclusion
It is true that energy management may be easier said than done. But as with everything in life, we really need to put in the hard work. Trying to maintain a work-life balance is hard, and so is getting burned out and crippled with disease due to overwork. Now, which hard choice are you willing to make today?
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Reference Links
https://blog.trello.com/4-ways-to-manage-your-energy-and-have-a-balanced-productive-workday