Manage your energy, not your time

When we think of productivity, we often think of a tool, app, or service to make us more efficient. What we forget is our body is the ultimate productivity tool.

I recently read an article from Fast Company. It's a great article, but what I found most important was the highlight of the "morning burst." It reminded me of some writing I had started doing a little while back; here it is.

Productivity is more about managing our energy and ability to focus than managing our time.

When we think of productivity, we often think of a tool, app, or service to make us more efficient; that saves us time. What we forget is our body is the ultimate productivity tool.

We all have times during the day where our energy and ability to focus are at their highest. When we prioritize the type of work that requires our highest level of focus during these times, we naturally become more productive. We can tackle the most challenging and most energy-intensive projects more efficiently.

Suppose we choose to read emails, surf the web and watch videos during our peak energy blocks; we would not be leveraging our time and energy optimally.

We don't need to strive to be productive at all times; that is not the goal. What we need is to protect our most precious time of the day. We have to learn and do our best to schedule our most important projects and tasks when our energy and ability to focus are at their highest.

As I started the Sunday Spark newsletter three months ago and committed to delivering one bite-sized idea every Sunday, I had to negotiate time from my "morning burst" with myself. It was necessary for me because writing took more creative mental energy. That has become my ritual, something I do every other day of the week to create my newsletter. As I get more skilled at writing, it might no longer need prioritizing during my morning burst. However, until then, I continue doing it as such.

I would love to hear when your “morning burst” is usually found. Mine is in the morning, but we’re all different. When is yours? Leave a comment below.

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A favourite this week

4 steps to regaining your focus when totally stressed out: The article focuses on four key points that can help reduce stress and regain your focus. What connected the most with me was “know yourself” as it relates to your best time of the day for doing focused work.

Quote of the week

The energy of the mind is the essence of life.

From Aristotle.

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Miguel,
Sparknotion – Think Differently.