Time doesn’t exist; it’s a made-up construct in which we choose to live in and by. And that’s okay! I hear it now, “Meaghan, you are lying! I have meetings, practices, and obligations, all over my schedule! What do you mean, time doesn’t exist?”
What I mean is that we can not give something 100% of our time, but we can give something 100% of our energy. The outcome of a one-hour gym session (for me) is vastly different following a rest/recovery day than it is on the 4th day since my last recovery day. Why? The outcome is driven by the amount of energy we’re (truly) able to give toward said activity.
Energy is internal while time is external. Said differently, we can control our energy but we can not control our time. Think about it; what does it feel like when you are spending time doing something you don’t have the proper energy for? A bit anxious, not present, possibly worried, yearning to relax, etc.
Use the below to create a log of each area and notate the time spent and energy level (0-100%) spent on the activity. Here are a few questions to help guide a balanced reflection as energy measurement is subjective:
How engaged am I?
Is my mind wandering?
Am I worrying or thinking about other things?
How focused am I on the task at hand?
Once we have a gauge of where we are spending our energy, we can begin to balance our activities by energy rather than time. We can apply our knowledge and application of splitting activities up by time, just the same with energy! We think of breaking down our days and everything we do based on quantity, and time, when actually we should be focused on quality and energy.
Another pivotal asset of managing energy and not time is that energy is always reciprocated at the same level: we get out what we put in! Energy receives, meets, mirrors, and extends at the same level! So if I give 50% of my energy toward building my business, my business success will yield 50%!
It’s important to remember energy needs to be replenished and reserved, so by looking at our daily logs from an energetic level, we can best manage our lives. Energy multiples time!
Min(time) X Max(energy) X Task Importance = Outcome
Spending maximum energy in just enough time yields desirable results! Give it a go!