On a typical day, I can be A+ productive from 5am-11am-ish and then B+ productive from 1-3pm.
But have me give a big presentation or lead a group discussion at 9am, and I know that I’ll only have B- or even D productivity in the tank.
Those things just take a lot of out of me. It is what it is.
And, when I feel B-/D productivity, anything challenging I have to do feels frustrating, takes much longer, and likely won’t be as good as it could be.
Here’s the thing:
Time is not equal.
Because your energy over time isn’t equal.
Understanding when you’re going to be TIRED, removing judgment from it, and planning for it allows you to get stuff done when it feels better, takes less time, and leads to better results. So, plan for it.
Because I can see everything on my plate – events, activities, tasks – next to each other in my calendar, I see how it all interacts.
I can see that an A-game-required task isn’t going to work an hour after that big presentation. So, I drag-and-drop it to find a better-energy time.
I can see that that big email I need to send after my group call isn’t going to be easy to draft after the call, so I draft it ahead of time.
Understand when your energy will be low and don’t judge yourself or expect too much. Just plan for it.
This is a beautiful part of using your calendar to manage your whole life (including tasks). It lets you account for this energy-ebb-and-flow in a way to-do lists and task management apps can’t.
So, as you look ahead at what’s coming up on your plate, ask yourself: What will take a lot out of me? And then plan for it.
You’ll find everything will take less time, be less painful, and will flow better.
I’d love to help you work through this and figure out how to plan for different energies throughout the week. Click here to learn more about how to work together!
