Energy Management > Time Management

You can't manage time—everyone gets 24 hours. But you can manage energy. Working when energy is low wastes time. High-performers match task difficulty to energy levels, strategically manage physical and mental energy, and protect against energy drains. Master energy, master life.

The 4 Types of Energy

Physical Energy

Foundation for all other energy types. Your body's capacity to perform.

Key Factors:

  • Sleep quality and duration
  • Nutrition and hydration
  • Exercise and movement
  • Rest and recovery

Optimize:

  • 7-9 hours quality sleep
  • Regular exercise (150min/week)
  • Whole foods, protein at each meal
  • Drink 0.5-1oz water per lb bodyweight

Mental Energy

Cognitive capacity for focus, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Key Factors:

  • Cognitive load and complexity
  • Decision fatigue
  • Distractions and interruptions
  • Mental recovery time

Optimize:

  • Do hard tasks when fresh (morning)
  • Minimize decisions (routines, defaults)
  • Eliminate distractions (deep work blocks)
  • Take strategic breaks (walk, meditate)

Emotional Energy

Feelings, motivation, and enthusiasm that drive action.

Key Factors:

  • Stress and anxiety levels
  • Relationship quality
  • Sense of purpose and meaning
  • Positive vs. negative experiences

Optimize:

  • Practice stress management techniques
  • Nurture positive relationships
  • Align work with values and purpose
  • Celebrate wins, practice gratitude

Spiritual Energy

Sense of purpose, meaning, and connection to something beyond yourself.

Key Factors:

  • Alignment with core values
  • Contribution to others
  • Personal growth and learning
  • Connection to community

Optimize:

  • Clarify values and live by them
  • Contribute to causes you care about
  • Practice reflection and meditation
  • Build meaningful connections

Your Daily Energy Curve

Energy naturally fluctuates throughout the day following circadian and ultradian rhythms. Work with your biology, not against it.

Peak Energy: 8-11 AM

What happens: Cortisol peaks, alertness high, cognitive function optimal.

Best for: Deep work, strategic thinking, important decisions, creative problem-solving, learning new skills.

Action: Schedule your most important work here. Protect this time fiercely. No meetings if possible.

Moderate Energy: 11 AM-1 PM

What happens: Energy starting to decline, hunger increases focus drift.

Best for: Collaborative work, meetings, administrative tasks, email batches.

Action: Switch to tasks requiring less cognitive load. Take lunch break.

Post-Lunch Dip: 1-3 PM

What happens: Afternoon slump—adenosine accumulation, blood flow to digestion, circadian dip.

Best for: Routine tasks, organizing, planning, light reading, brief nap (20 min max).

Action: Don't fight it. Do easier tasks or take strategic rest. Walk in sunlight.

Second Wind: 3-6 PM

What happens: Energy rebounds somewhat. Alert but not peak performance.

Best for: Meetings, collaborative work, creative brainstorming, physical tasks.

Action: Social tasks, exercise, errands. Save deep work for tomorrow morning.

Wind-Down: 6-10 PM

What happens: Energy declining, melatonin rising, body preparing for sleep.

Best for: Leisure, relationships, reflection, preparation for tomorrow.

Action: No intense work or exercise. Wind-down routine. Quality time with loved ones.

The Ultradian Rhythm: 90-Minute Work Cycles

Your brain naturally cycles between high focus (90-120 min) and rest (20 min). Elite performers work with this rhythm.

Sprint: 90 Minutes

  • Single task, full focus
  • Eliminate all distractions
  • No phone, no email, no interruptions
  • Push to cognitive edge
  • When focus breaks, stop
→

Recovery: 15-20 Minutes

  • Complete mental break
  • Walk outside (best option)
  • Meditate, stretch, or rest
  • Hydrate and snack
  • No work, no screens
→

Repeat: 3-4 Cycles Max

  • Most people can do 3-4 quality cycles daily
  • That's 4.5-6 hours of deep work
  • More than average person in a week
  • Quality over quantity always wins

Focus Strategies: Eliminate Distractions

1. Phone in Another Room

Even phone presence reduces cognitive capacity by 20% (studies show). During focus work: airplane mode, different room, drawer, or use app blocker.

2. Single Browser Tab

Close all tabs except current task. Each open tab is mental load. Use tools like OneTab to save tab groups for later.

3. Block Distracting Sites

Use Freedom, Cold Turkey, or SelfControl to block social media, news, and other time sinks during work blocks.

4. Noise Management

Noise-canceling headphones + white noise, nature sounds, or brain.fm. Silence or consistent background sound—never intermittent noise.

5. Communication Boundaries

Set Slack/Teams to "Do Not Disturb." Close email. Batch communication into 2-3 times daily. Turn off all notifications.

6. Physical Space

Clean desk, single monitor if possible, back to wall, away from high-traffic areas. Environment deeply affects focus.

7. Pre-commitment

Decide what you'll work on before sitting down. Vague "I'll be productive" fails. "I'll write outline for proposal" succeeds.

8. Time Constraints

Set timer for 90 minutes. Parkinson's Law: work expands to fill time. Deadlines force focus and prevent perfectionism.

Energy Drains to Eliminate

Decision Fatigue

Problem: Each decision depletes mental energy. By evening, self-control is lowest.

Solution: Create routines. Eat same breakfast. Wear a "uniform." Batch similar decisions. Automate everything possible.

Multitasking

Problem: Context switching costs 25 minutes per switch. Reduces IQ by 10 points temporarily.

Solution: Single-tasking. Complete one thing before starting another. Batch similar tasks together.

Unclear Priorities

Problem: Without clear priorities, you work on urgent but unimportant tasks. Busy but not productive.

Solution: Every day, identify top 3 priorities. Do most important first thing (eat the frog).

Poor Sleep

Problem: One night of poor sleep reduces cognitive function by 30%. Accumulates as sleep debt.

Solution: 7-9 hours nightly. Consistent schedule. Optimize sleep environment. Non-negotiable.

Energy Vampires

Problem: Toxic people drain emotional energy. Complaining, drama, negativity exhausts you.

Solution: Set boundaries. Limit exposure. Spend time with positive, energizing people.

Reactive Mode

Problem: Responding to others' priorities all day. Email and messages dictate your schedule.

Solution: Protect morning for your priorities. Batch communication. Schedule "office hours" for requests.

Energy Boosters: Quick Wins

Morning Sunlight

10-30 minutes of bright light within 1 hour of waking. Sets circadian rhythm, increases alertness, improves mood. Free and powerful.

Movement Breaks

5-10 minute walk every 90 minutes. Increases blood flow to brain, releases endorphins, reduces stiffness. Best energy booster available.

Hydration

Even 2% dehydration reduces cognitive performance. Drink water first thing AM. Keep bottle visible. 0.5-1oz per lb bodyweight daily.

Strategic Caffeine

90-120 minutes after waking (not immediately). Second dose before 2 PM if needed. Paired with L-theanine reduces jitters.

Cold Exposure

30-second cold shower, splash face with cold water, or cold plunge. Activates sympathetic nervous system, instant alertness.

Power Nap

10-20 minutes between 1-3 PM. Set alarm. Don't sleep longer (grogginess). Restores alertness equivalent to 200mg caffeine.

Breathing Exercises

Box breathing (4-4-4-4) for calm focus. Wim Hof method for energy boost. Physiological sigh (2 inhales, long exhale) for stress.

Music

Instrumental music at 50-70 dB enhances focus. Upbeat music energizes. Binaural beats (40Hz gamma) may improve concentration.

The Energy Audit

Track your energy for one week to identify patterns and optimize your schedule.

How to Conduct Your Audit:

  1. Rate energy hourly on 1-10 scale for 7 days
  2. Note what you were doing at each rating
  3. Track sleep quality, meals, exercise, stress
  4. Identify patterns: When is energy highest/lowest?
  5. What activities boost or drain energy?
  6. Redesign schedule to match energy peaks to important work

Common Insights:

  • Most people peak 2-4 hours after waking
  • Poor sleep ruins next day regardless of tactics
  • Exercise boosts energy despite seeming counterintuitive
  • Certain people/activities consistently drain you
  • Strategic breaks maintain energy better than powering through

Your Energy & Focus Action Plan

  1. This Week: Conduct energy audit—rate energy hourly for 7 days. Protect your peak energy time (morning) for most important work. Phone in another room during focus blocks.
  2. This Month: Implement 90-minute work cycles with 20-min breaks. Eliminate top 3 energy drains you identified. Add 2-3 energy boosters to daily routine.
  3. This Quarter: Redesign entire schedule around energy patterns. Deep work during peaks, shallow work during dips. Optimize all 4 energy types systematically.
  4. This Year: Energy management becomes your competitive advantage. You match task difficulty to energy availability. You protect your energy as fiercely as your time.