I stopped managing my time after this

Yo!

Hope you’re having a good Saturday!

💡 Learning of the week

Today I wanted to share with you a paper I read in the Harvard Business Review titled “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time”.

I’m sure you have had the experience of feeling like you don’t have enough time do everything that you want, and because of that you start to be more protective of your time.

But if you track your time closely you’ll quickly realize that you actually do have the time, you really just lack the energy.

If you think about it, you probably do have an extra 1-2 hours you could spend reading a book before bed, but really it’s because you don’t have the energy or focus to do it. You probably do have the time to hang out more with family and friends but you just don’t have the energy to commute all the way there and back.

The paper talks about how you should spend more effort into optimizing your energy levels than your time, 1. because you have more control into your energy, and 2. time is a one-dimensional finite resource.

Time is a lot easier to measure than energy so we often track that versus our energy, but unlike time there is no limit as to how much you can increase your energy levels.

They identify 4 dimensions of energy that you can increase, with each one leading to more focus, motivation, and happiness which is what we really want versus just having more time.

They are the following:

1. Body: Physical Energy

2. Mind: Focus of Energy

3. Spirit: Meaning & Purpose

4. Emotions: Quality of Energy

Each category of energy are an opportunity for you think about and optimize for. I like this framework of thinking vs time management because it’s really easy to fall into the trap of just getting super busy, hustling, and trying to outwork yourself.

For me the biggest needle mover so far has been optimizing my body (physical energy), getting good sleep, diet, and nutrition. I’ve tangibly measured more energy and output from following through with these routines, which helps me in every aspect of my life.

As for the mind, whenever I’ve consistently been meditating for 20 minutes a day, I also feel an increase in energy and thus efficiency although it does take several weeks and is very subtle. There are a bunch of different types of meditation like gratitude, breathwork, visualization, but the specific type of meditation I’ve found the most useful in increasing my energy is mindfulness meditation where you pay attention to something like the breath for an extended period of time.

It’s the only one I’ve found where it’s most similar to going to the gym and doing deliberate reps. Monks that have done this for decades literally have proven scientifically to be operating a different brain wave which gives them more happiness and energy. There was one monk who was measured to be scientifically the happiest man alive, with brain waves higher than someone doing drugs. That’s just crazy to me.

Two hours in the morning when you wake up when you are operating at peak mental capacity is very different than two hours after a long day of work where you are completely mentally drained.

🍿 Update of the week

I made a video about my experience testing my fitness levels in a sports lab and how that’s changed how I’m working out going forward. My goal is to workout for optimal performance, focus, and longevity so if that interests you too check it out!

Alright, time to crush this Saturday, let’s get it 🤝