Jun 28
Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time!
The majority of my clients complain there is never enough time – to finish the “to do” list, to take a vacation, to follow through on commitments, or to do the tasks that really get them to their goals. How can this group of growth-minded, goal-orientated rock-stars have trouble sticking to a schedule?
For those of you who know me, this will come as no surprise: I have a theory!
I believe we learn ineffective time management at a young age. Think back grade school and through high school, bells dominated your day; you arrive at school, a bell rings and class begins. When it’s time to change subjects the bell rings again. It rings again to announce lunchtime and the bell continues to ring throughout the day to signal your next move.
These early school experiences taught us it’s easy to focus on one task at a time and have everything tied up in neat little boxes but life is rarely that tidy! The reality is most people can’t stick with rigid time-blocking because there is no bell or time-enforcer (teacher) moving us to the next subject; instead we struggle to stay on task and on track with mass distractions at home, in the workplace and at our fingertips where we are connected 24/7 through our phones, tablets and computers.
As a result of this antiquated training we see time as the enemy. We fight it, we run out of it, and we fill it up until there is no more to be had—and we still don’t accomplish what we want to.
So what can we do?
Inventory your time – Take a close look at how you currently spend your time. Most people waste a lot of time without realizing it. Conducting a time inventory, by documenting hour by hour what you do, will provide you a clear evaluation of how you spend your day. (Use the LMT Time Inventory sheet to help you.) Identifying unproductive activities (like 1-3 hours unintentionally spent on social media), will allow you to change your behaviors to free up more time to reach your goals.
Energy management vs. time management – We can’t really manage time! Every person has 24 hours in a day—so instead, focus on energy management. Where does your attention go when you are excited to take action? What are you doing when you are completely in the flow? What activities are so effortless you get a lot done in a short amount of time? 80% of your day should be spent in your top 20% skill zone.
Reframe activities you are avoiding – We tend to avoid the activities that take more energy or are less natural. First, it’s important to identify what those activities are. Then think about how can you leverage what you don’t like and allow more energy for your natural gifts. When you must do those tasks, think about how you can you reframe them to align with your goals? Often our mindset about a task makes the activity more difficult than the task itself. Finding ways to hand off unpleasant tasks and/or reframing how you approach them will free up your energy and give you a sense of more time.
Once you discover you really can’t manage time and you start paying attention to your energy, you will be surprised by how much more time you feel you have, how much you actually get done, and how much happier you are!
Laura Treonze, serves as Chief Life Strategist with LMT Consulting, which helps executives and teams create massive success through self-awareness. Her life-changing approach has transformed individuals and families and has redefined the way non-profits and corporations “do” business.
