Rethink Time Management

Do you often feel there aren’t enough hours in the day between the demands of work and your family and other commitments?  If you find yourself saying yes, expand your thinking about traditional time management and try a different approach next time you’re feeling overwhelmed.


Not having enough time is a challenge that I hear all the time.  Many of us juggle work and family and often get to the point of asking:  when do I get time for me, for my hobbies, and my dreams?  Many people are just in survival mode trying to make it through another day or until the weekend.


Cell phones, email, instant messaging, texting.  There’s a growing expectation that we’ll be instantly available to anyone who wants to get in touch with us at any time.  These constant interruptions and demands on our time are exhausting.  We’re also challenged at work with having to get more done with fewer resources due to budget cuts and layoffs. Carreerbuilder.com found that 78% of the people they surveyed say they’re on the verge of burnout.

In one respect, we’re all the same.  We all have exactly 24 hours in every day.  So why do some people make better use of their time?   Do they have a better tool?  Traditional time management tools can help us schedule our time and prioritize our tasks, but finding new ways to slice and dice time is not always the answer.  What else can help? 

Manage your Energy.  Unlike time, which is finite, you can increase your energy. 

You might be thinking, oh, I’ve heard that before.  Become more physically fit so I can have the stamina to cram more into my day.  When people think about energy, the first thing that comes to mind is physical energy.  But, there are other forms of energy which are just as important.  In fact they’re all interconnected.  Begin to increase one type of energy, and it will carry over into the other areas.

Mental energy engages your mind.  It brings focus.  There are a number of practices that can increase your mental energy such as clearing away clutter and eliminating multi-tasking, which I call activity clutter.  It’s anti-focus. There’s also a strong correlation between physical and mental energy.  If I eat something sugary for breakfast my mind gets fuzzy, and it can take hours for me to be able to focus.  On the other hand, after I get back from a morning walk, my mind is racing with creative thoughts.

Emotional energy is charged or drained by your relationships with others and with yourself.  Do you know an energy vampire?  Hopefully it’s not someone in your family or your boss.  Limit exposure or eliminate these people from your life.  That’s easier said than done because sometimes that energy vampire is you.  I asked a client:  what does your inner voice say to you?  He replied, it says I’m shit.  Yikes! Once he started to practice more positive self-talk, his emotional energy improved which enabled him to make other changes.

Perhaps the most powerful energy is spiritual or purpose energy.  Not religious, but being strongly connected to your purpose, values and passions.  An energy deficit here is often the source of feeling disconnected.  When I get a new coaching client I ask them to make a list of 10 things that make them happy and 10 things that give them pleasure.  This can be very challenging for some people because they’re so out of touch with even this level of connection.

Where to start?  Start working with whatever form of energy you most identify with.  It really doesn’t matter as long as you do start.  You’ll create a ripple effect and other forms of energy will begin to increase.  Once you make some headway, you’ll find that you’ll be making better choices and therefore making better use of the finite amount of time you have every day. 

If you’d like to read more on this and be inspired by some great examples, here are two book recommendations:

This is a quick read on the power of creating positive energy.

The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
This is a great book with lots of examples of changes to make to increase physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energy.
The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
Call me when you're ready to tackle those energy drains so you can have the time and energy to be your best.