#40 - Energy
Sometimes when people get really into time management they start to sound like Scrooge; hoarding their time and expending so much time “managing” it that they forget to live. So today I want to talk about another approach that contrasts what we talked about nicely.
This graph I created to illustrate an important concept: is time valuable when you don’t have the energy to use or enjoy it? As you can see in this graph there are three variables: Time, Energy, and Quality. Time and Energy are easy to understand—how long you’re awake, and how much energy you have. Quality is simply a representation of how useful that time is based on how well you’ll be able to use it (athletic performance) and how much you’ll enjoy it. As you can see, having low energy but lots of time isn’t great. Neither is no time but tons of energy. The optimal point is a medium amount of energy and a medium amount of time.
Despite all the graphs and charts we study in school, you’ll never see this one and it’s painfully obvious just by listening to people talk. People frequently asked me in college, “How do you sleep ten hours per night? I’ve pulled four all-nighters this semester!” I don’t complete projects, and take tests on top of D-1 training, work, and volunteering ALTHOUGH I sleep ten hours but BECAUSE I sleep ten hours. To get all of that done, I need to be at my best—in that yellow “performance zone.” It’s not all about getting things done though. You’ve been in that low-energy high-time state before—you’re tired, kind of negative, have some things you should do or want to do but you simply can’t make it happen or enjoy it. What’s even the point of having hours in that stage? It just sucks. In a low energy, tired state, people tend to have more negative emotions, struggle with learning, memory, effective thinking, and (surprise surprise) athletic performance.
So you get that managing energy is just as important as managing time, but how do you make that actually happen? First, you have to be aware of your energy—when it’s high and when it’s fading.
Find out what things boost your energy and what things sap it. Many of the things we cover in the “Physical” sections will boost it. Good food, exercise, and adequate sleep are all critical. What about other things? If you’re an extrovert, spending time with lots of people will boost your energy. Alternatively, finding a quiet place for a while will boost the energy of an introvert.
When you know that your energy is fading, you need the confidence to say, “I’m not enjoying this right now because my energy is low. Rather than experience more negative time, I am going to call it a day and maximize my quality time tomorrow.” Studies have shown that as energy fades and people get tired, they tend to experience increasingly negative emotions—why not cut that part of your life out? Of course it’s easier said than done, but the impact of managing your energy on athletic performance is more than worth it!