Whenever someone says they need to get more done during the day, the answer is always to improve time management. While this is nothing wrong with managing your time better, it’s important to understand that time is a limited resource. The amount of time you have will never change. What you do with your time can change, but it is heavily dependent on your motivation and energy levels.
Thus, it’s much more important to manage your energy over managing time. All the buzz about time management hacks can be helpful to a certain point, but ultimately, you need to start by managing your energy first if you want to be more efficient and have a better-balanced schedule. Here’s how to get started.
Schedule More
Getting on a schedule can help you save time and energy. Organize your lists of tasks per day and use scheduling tools to plan meetings, events, and set deadlines for tasks. You can also consider automating occurring tasks.
This will help cut down on the planning and decision-making process and thus, help preserve your energy for other activities.
Work When Energy Levels Are High
Everyone has a period of the day when their energy levels are most high. For me, my energy goes in a downward slope which is why I choose to knock out most of my work in the morning. I could meet up with friends or my mom for breakfast some mornings, but I never do because I prefer to do the bulk of my heavier work since I feel most creative and energetic when I wake up.
Toward the end of the day, I am more inclined to relax, unwind, and do tasks that are less mentally challenging. Sometimes, I feel a small burst of energy during the evening and I complete simpler tasks. But if I had to rely on nights and evenings to do all my work, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish much.
As a business owner, you have the freedom and flexibility to choose when you work and you know your body and preferences best so figure out the time of day when you feel most energetic and eager to work and schedule your tasks then.
Prioritize Exercise
Frequent exercise can improve your mood and boost your energy levels. Plus, it’s great for your mental and physical health. In the past, exercise has also been linked to higher pay meaning people who work out often end up making more money.
Whenever I exercise, I always focus on what I’m doing and nothing else which creates a nice mental break for me. Even when I try to plan out things for my business, I’m unable to because I’m so involved in the process of working out.
If you have a busy schedule, you don’t have to spend hours a day exercising. You can start slow by just doing more movement during the week whether it involves taking walks or running. Carving out the time to exercise will provide you with many benefits that are well worth it.
Take Frequent Rejuvenate
Finally, you want to take frequent breaks to rejuvenate which is super important if you have long days. If you use up all your energy by lunchtime, you’ll be burnt out for the rest of the day. This will most likely cause you to crash in the evening.
No matter how many cups of coffee you consume, you can only push yourself so far. This is why you should listen to your body. Learn your energy flow so you can know when it’s time to take a break. Extend your lunch break if you have to or take a 15-minute break every 2 hours. Also, work on a nap a few times a week to give you that extra boost. Getting the proper amount of rest days is going to be the best way to restore and preserve your energy.
How do you manage your energy throghout the day?
Choncé Maddox
Choncé Maddox is a professional writer who recently left her job in the web design industry to produce killer content and manage her own writing business full time. She is passionate about helping entrepreneurs be more productive and create a life they love by doing fulfilling work. On the side, she runs a podcast and blogs about getting out of debt at MyDebtEpiphany.com.