5 energy management techniques to elevate your life

Spread the love

Personal energy management is the secret to being productive consistently. This is something that champions of hustle culture won’t tell you because it goes against their whole message of ‘don’t sleep, don’t eat, hustle always!’.

The truth is, you need to work WITH your mind and body instead of fighting yourself every single day. Sometimes, taking a step backwards to recharge will catapult you 5 steps forward in the future.

What would you rather:

Working non-stop for years on end sacrificing your present for your future self only to burn out and give up and/or suffer from stress-related illnesses
Working consistently with a clear vision of what success looks like, taking breaks when needed and achieving your goals with plenty of energy to spare!

I used to subscribe to the 1st scenario and it was great… until it wasn’t. Burnout sucks!

Seriously, I felt like I died inside and the shame I felt was unbearable. I wished I could dust myself off and start working like I used to but my body said no.

I wish I could say I learnt my lesson, but 5 burnouts later I finally realised things needed to change.

I still had big goals but I had to find alternative ways to manage my time so that I didn’t crash and burn like all the times before.

Energy management is pivotal to my mindful productivity system and I will explain why in this blog post.

Table of Contents

What is personal energy management?

Energy management is a holistic approach to productivity and relies on you having self-awareness. You need to be able to recognise your energy patterns, triggers and limits so that you can make decisions on how you manage your time.

When I talk about energy I am referring to your mental, emotional and physical energy that fluctuates throughout the day. It’s all interconnected.

If you want to be productive and achieve your goals then you must manage your energy by finding a balance between using energy to complete tasks and replenishing your energy via rest/recharging activities.

You need to work WITH yourself and take proactive steps to boost your energy and limit energy-draining activities. When your goals align with your values things also get A LOT easier.

Also… energy management isn’t some hippy-dippy new-age theory so stop rolling your eyes!

It’s grounded in research and theory too!

For example, circadian rhythms are our body’s internal clock, regulating processes like sleep, hormone release and metabolism on a roughly 24-hour cycle. There are things you can do to work within your body’s natural circadian rhythm to get the most out of your productivity (keep reading to find out how!).

Moreover, I think it’s safe to say that everybody knows that chronic stress is another key thing that has a detrimental effect on your energy levels and cognitive function. When you are stressed out it is so much harder to think straight because your thoughts are jumbled up and come out in bursts of energy. Your body is constantly in fight, flight, freeze or fawn mode and that comes at a big cost.

Eventually, your energy levels will drop and you may experience fatigue and other unpleasant symptoms such as insomnia. (Check out this article from Healthline to find out more).

Why is energy management important?

There is a simple reason why you should focus on energy management and that is… life is too short!

It’s as simple as that.

Yes, productivity is great and when you are super productive you will be able to achieve the things you want.

But let’s be real, the ultimate end goal is to live a life that you are proud of and spend time doing the things you love with the people you love.

Energy management allows you to focus on doing that consistently and STILL BE PRODUCTIVE.

It is all about sustainable productivity without burnout and fatigue. Investing time doing the things that bring you joy and boost your energy is not a wasted investment it is crucial for your success and wellbeing.

Here are a few reasons why it is important to manage your energy:

Improved resilience
Enhanced focus and concentration
Improved health and wellbeing
Sustainable productivity
Better creativity and innovation
Better relationships and connections
Life satisfaction and fulfilment
Ideal work-life balance

All of these things are great reasons why you should incorporate energy management into your productivity routine.

P.S. If it is something that you struggle with I can help you! I’m a Mindset and Productivity Coach for perfectionists and I help my clients achieve more in less time without stress by using a range of different techniques including energy management (click here to find out more)

Energy management VS time management… what’s the difference?

So energy management and time management are pretty distinct but complementary concepts for productivity and wellbeing. Time management involves scheduling, planning, task management, goal alignment and prioritisation of work due to deadlines.

Whereas energy management is less rigid and much more fluid. It involves emotional, mental and physical regulation and optimisation – to do those things well you need to have great self-awareness.

It is all about quality and not focused solely on quantity. Energy management acknowledges the human side of productivity. You can create the most beautiful colour-coded time-blocked calendar out there but if you wake up in the morning and feel like crap it’s going to be super hard to tick everything off of your to-do list.

At the end of the day, you are a human being and not an unfeeling AI.

It is important to balance both time management and energy management in this fast-paced constantly moving world. Without time management, tasks pile up, deadlines appear out of nowhere, and your feelings of stress, overwhelm and confusion escalate rapidly. Whereas, without energy management, you’ll experience burnout, fatigue and loss of motivation.

Both are needed to create a successful mindful productivity system. You need to structure your weekly tasks using time management practices but you also need to leave room for changes in the schedule due to energy fluctuations.

So, how do you track energy levels?

There are a few ways you can track your energy levels throughout the day, weeks and months.

Energy journaling: record your energy levels throughout the day in a daily journal. Note the times when you feel most energetic and times when you feel drained which will help you identify patterns.
Mood tracking: You can use a mood tracking app or log it in a bullet journal spread (check out Little Coffee Fox’s blog post for inspiration!). Often changes in your mood are directly influenced by your energy levels and can provide insight into how external factors impact your energy.
Activity logs: keep track of your daily activities and note how they affect your energy. What activities boost your energy and which ones drain it?
Physical symptoms: Check in with your body regularly throughout the day. Pause and ask yourself ‘What physical sensations do I feel right now?’. You may have physical cues such as headaches, fatigue and muscle tension which can indicate energy levels. It will also help you identify triggers for these problems and help you take proactive steps in managing your energy and mitigating the symptoms.
Smart technology: Nowadays, most people have some form of smart technology attached to them on a regular basis so instead of reinventing the wheel just see what your Fitbit or Apple watch is saying. You can check measures such as heart rate variability, sleep quality and stress monitors to track your energy.
Regular mindful reviews: review your day and/or week consistently taking into account the various tracking data you have collected (e.g. smart watch, mood tracker etc…) and identify areas of improvement so that you can adjust your energy management strategies in the future.

Common energy-boosting activities

If you spend a whole month tracking your energy levels consistently then you’ll probably be able to identify that some activities boost energy levels rather than depletes them.

However, if you just want to jump right into boosting your energy level, I have compiled a list of common (but not exclusive) energy-boosting activities. Remember, everybody is different so some things may work for you and some things in this list won’t. Just use trial and error to figure out how to boost your energy.

Regular exercise
Healthy eating
Drinking enough water
Good quality sleep
Stress management
Social connections
Time spent in nature
Mindful breaks
Limiting caffeine
Limiting sugar
Engaging in fulfilling hobbies
Learning something new

I recommend that you try to find ways to incorporate these energy-boosting activities into your daily routine so that you can live a more balanced productive life.

Common energy-draining activities

So many people spend their time focusing on energy-draining activities during their ‘rest period’ and wonder why they have no energy or motivation. These common energy-draining activities include:

Excessive social media usage:
High screen time
Multi-tasking
Procrastination
Unhealthy eating habits
Lack of physical activity
Negative thinking
Poor sleep quality
Overcommitting and people-pleasing

The sooner you identify these energy-draining activities the sooner you can find ways to eliminate or mitigate them and focus on activities that promote wellbeing.

Here are 5 energy management techniques to elevate your life:

1. Assign your tasks based on energy levels

Once you have a rough idea about your natural rhythms of energy and focus throughout the day you will be able to allocate tasks based on your energy levels.

If you are naturally an early bird (prefer to wake up early and have the most energy in the morning), then you should schedule high-energy tasks in the morning and low-energy tasks in the afternoon. Whereas, if you are a night owl, you should schedule your high-energy tasks in the afternoon and low-energy tasks in the morning.

For example, I am an early bird (however I am guilty of having late nights more recently which hasn’t helped!) which means I tend to schedule high-energy tasks such as writing blog posts, podcast scripts and planning coaching sessions in the morning.

I know that after lunch my brain switches off completely so I try to break up the day by going for a walk, tidying the kitchen or having a nap.

I tend to get a second wind around 4-6 pm so I focus on doing medium-energy tasks such as editing.

I like to leave the mind-numbingly boring tasks for when I have low energy. For example, I HATE creating Pinterest pins and scheduling social media posts but I know I have to do it. So I leave it to the evening when my brain is in autopilot mode and doesn’t care.

Life doesn’t always go to plan…

Sometimes in life, you will wake up in the morning and feel like crap. On those occasions, I recommend that you rearrange your calendar and try to focus on low-energy tasks and move your high-energy tasks to another day.

Make sure you squeeze in as many energy-boosting tasks as possible too!

This is a win-win situation because you’ll still tick off tasks on your to-do list which means you won’t feel shame about having a bad day. You’ll still be moving forward towards your goals and it won’t feel draining.

Obviously, use your discernment to figure out if you need to completely scrap your schedule and have a proper break. Remember, I am NOT promoting hustle culture over here!

2. Set boundaries

This is super important when it comes to energy management!

You can follow all of the steps in this guide and still be unproductive because you fail to set and maintain boundaries.

Boundaries are guidelines, rules or limits that you establish to protect your well-being, values, needs and priorities. It basically outlines what you will and won’t accept from yourself and others.

BOUNDARIES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR MINDFUL PRODUCTIVITY

In order to set boundaries effectively, you need to be able to identify your limits first. For example, how many energy-draining activities will you do per day/week or your bare minimum energy-boosting activities number?

For example, a person may decide that they will do no more than 2 high energy-draining activities a day and they will do a minimum of 2 energy-boosting activities a day. This means they may have to say no to a request that exceeds their daily capacity.

At first, it may feel weird to start setting boundaries especially if you have been a people-pleaser for a very long time but I promise you it will get easier especially when you start to notice the difference in your energy and productivity.

The more you protect your time and energy, the better you will be in all areas of your life. You’ll actually be able to spend quality time with friends and family without stressing about unimportant activities. You’ll have a better quality of life and you will grow in confidence.

Boundary setting communication scripts:

Many of my clients acknowledge the importance of setting boundaries however their one major hang-up is deciding how to communicate them to friends, family, coworkers and bosses.

I like to promote using non-violent communication scripts. It is a technique developed by Marshall B Rosenberg designed to enable people to communicate confidently and empathetically to resolve conflicts peacefully. I highly recommend you read his book to find out more!

Again, self-awareness is the key to communicating effectively which is why so many people get it so wrong. You will need to be able to describe your observations without judgement, express your feelings and needs and then finally make a clear actionable request (not a demand!).

Here is the basic script outline:

Observation:
- Describe the specific behaviour or situation that is impacting you.
- Stick to observable facts without adding interpretation or judgment.
Feelings:
- Express how the observed behaviour or situation makes you feel.
- Use “I” statements to take ownership of your feelings.
Needs:
- Identify the underlying needs or values that are not being met.
- Connect your feelings to these unmet needs or values.
Requests:
- Clearly state what specific actions or changes you would like to see.
- Make concrete, actionable requests that are feasible and realistic

It takes a lot of practice to be able to communicate your boundaries effectively so I highly encourage you to read the book Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg.

3. Practice Mindfulness

If you know me, I am all about mindfulness. It is one of the best ways you can restore your energy and also increase your self-awareness. I recommend that you include mindfulness in your daily routine to help you keep on top of your energy levels.

Mindfulness is a practice where you intentionally focus on the present moment without judgement. It’s a great way to break out of a negative cycle of worrying about the future or ruminating on the past. It allows you to just focus on the now and bring awareness to the sensations you are currently feeling and over time you will be able to use it as a way to check in on your energy levels.

Mindfulness also helps you to improve your focus during the day so you will be able to tick off your tasks quicker leaving more time to focus on the fun things in life.

I like to go on mindful walks regularly and I find that I always have a boost of energy and creativity after going on these walks. So, I highly recommend you give it a go! Moreover, according to the Attention Restoration Theory exposure to natural environments can recharge your mental energy and enhance your cognitive function. So… it’s literally backed by science. Check out this blog post by Positive Psychology to find out more.

Energy tip- declutter your physical and digital environment

4. Declutter your physical and digital environment

I truly believe that decluttering is one of the fastest ways to relieve stress and free up energy. My physical and digital life used to be plagued by chaos until I decided to give minimalism a go. I honestly didn’t expect much so I wasn’t prepared for the transformation it brought into my life. I went from being disorganised and stressed out to my mind feeling like it had space to breathe for the first time in my life.

Everything just felt so clear and floaty. I only had what I needed and it meant I had more energy to focus on the things I needed to do.

I think a lot of us underestimate how much of our energy is used up on random clutter in our lives. Taking a step back to declutter your home and declutter your phone/laptop/tablet can improve your productivity tremendously.

If you would like a practical breakdown of how to declutter and organise your life, I recommend you check out this blog post: How to stay organized at home – the lazy way

Moreover, if you want a hardcore take-no-prisoners guide on how to significantly reduce your iPhone screen time check out this blog post I wrote a few months ago: How to reduce your iPhone screen time the ruthless way

Overall, by creating digital and physical spaces that are organised, streamlined and conducive to focus you will be able to optimise your productivity, reduce stress and cultivate a greater sense of wellbeing in both work and personal life.

5. Limit multi-tasking

Last but not least, you need to limit multi-tasking. I know it seems like a great idea at the time but in the long run it reduces your productivity. Instead of spending 1 hour of focused time on one task, many people waste a whole day jumping between tasks and not producing anything high quality at the end of it.

Constantly switching between tasks not only divides your attention and concentration but it is also extremely mentally taxing and draining. Moreover, it also gives the illusion of productivity but it actually results in wasted time and inefficiency.

Also, have you ever noticed that when you jump between tasks you feel a lot more stressed and overwhelmed?

Well, I have! Multi-tasking always makes me feel like I am running on a never-ending treadmill and that there is never enough time. Always in survival mode.

Instead, when I focus on one task at a time not only do I achieve more, but I feel super calm and in control while doing it.

Let’s make a promise to focus on quality over quantity and watch how quickly your productivity and energy levels soar.

Cutting back on multi-tasking is a sure fire way to help you with energy management.

Book recommendations:

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Deep Work by Cal Newport
Atomic Habits – James Clear
7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
Get Things Done – Robert Kelsey