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Energy Management

Time management is about hours. Energy management is about what you can actually do with them.

Energy vs. Time

You have 8 hours to work, but you don't have 8 hours of peak energy. Most people have 2-4 hours of high-quality focus per day. The rest is maintenance work — emails, meetings, routine tasks.

The key isn't working more hours. It's matching your best energy to your most important work.

Elite performers don't just manage time — they manage energy. They know when they're at their best and protect those hours fiercely. Everything else gets scheduled around peak performance windows.

Your Natural Energy Cycle

Most people follow a similar pattern:

Morning peak — Highest focus and analytical ability (for most people)
Post-lunch dip — Natural low around 1-3pm
Afternoon recovery — Second wind around 3-5pm
Evening decline — Willpower depletes toward day's end

Your specific pattern might differ. Night owls peak later. Track your energy for a week to find your rhythm.

Match Work to Energy

Peak energy — Complex problem-solving, creative work, important decisions
Medium energy — Meetings, collaboration, planning
Low energy — Email, admin tasks, routine work
Recovery time — Breaks, walks, refueling

Don't waste your peak hours on email. Don't try to do creative work when you're depleted.

The Four Energy Sources

Physical — Sleep, nutrition, exercise, breaks
Emotional — Positive relationships, self-care, boundaries
Mental — Focus, creativity, learning capacity
Spiritual — Purpose, meaning, values alignment

Neglect any one and the others suffer. Physical exhaustion kills mental focus. Lack of purpose drains motivation.

Breaks as Energy Management

Strategic breaks maintain energy throughout the day:

Take breaks BEFORE you're exhausted
Use breaks to switch energy types (physical break after mental work)
Longer breaks during natural low points
Active recovery (walking) beats passive (scrolling)