Manage your energy to manage your time: Part One – Physical Energy

A critical and often overlooked aspect of time management is energy management.

If we take a look at our average working day, our energy levels fluctuate throughout.  These energy fluctuations are different for each and every individual and it is essential to monitor and understand your peaks and lows in order to prioritise your workload accordingly. 

As human beings, we have different types of energy that we need to be aware of.  The first and most obvious category is physical energy.  The second category, mental energy, is linked to, but not always dependent on physical energy levels. Have you ever gone to bed physically exhausted, but found yourself unable to sleep due to an overactive mind? 

Sometimes our bodies are tired, but our minds are still capable of high priority tasks.  The third category is emotional energy – our very psychology and source of motivation.

At The Time Clinic we believe time management isn’t about managing the hours in the day, it is about managing yourself; a complex organism with various facets in response to the numerous tasks that you are required to perform and objectives you wish to achieve.  Understanding the three different types of energy and how to renew each resource is critical to your success.

How healthy are you? Increasing your physical fitness not only increases your stamina, but counters stress and improves overall vitality.  Taking measures to increase your physical fitness may initially take more time out of your day, but the increased benefits will soon outweigh the sacrifice.

Eating a low GI diet will improve your physical stamina. And the grains, seeds and good fats characteristic of a low GI diet will also feed your brain at the same time, assisting your mental function and mood.

So often we chastise ourselves for being different to others in terms of the hours we are inclined to keep. Have you ever wondered if this thinking is serving you, and if there is a way you can rather rearrange your day to correspond with your energy levels? For example, by exercising at the correct time of day for your specific genotype, you will obtain better results.  One of the things we do at The Time Clinic is identify individual genotypes and assist people in optimising, and adjusting their personal biorhythms. 

Once you have made every effort to optimise your physical energy, analyse your typical day.  What tasks require more physical resources? Perhaps you function better when you arrive at work earlier rather than later? Could you schedule a walk at lunch time to get some exercise whilst refreshing your other energy resources?  How can you rearrange your schedule to optimise your physical energy?

We will continue this discussion and include mental and emotional energy management in our follow-up articles, but we challenge you to consider these questions in the meantime and wish you all the best on your journey to vitality and optimal personal and time management!

Find out more about our training courses at www.timeclinic.co.za

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