The importance of time management to be happy, successful and productive at work is something I talk and write about a lot. Yet, in my own life, I find that sometimes even my best attempts to manage the hours in a day is not enough.
A specific day looks perfectly planned in my schedule. I get to each event and appointment on time. I make the necessary phone calls and reply to emails, yet at the end of the day I discover a few tasks have fallen through the cracks.
Somehow, somewhere, procrastination, fatigue or feeling overwhelmed slows me down and something has to give. Many people tell me that some mornings they wake up tired and with zero inclination to get up and go, even though they are managing their time and tasks in an excellent manner.
On such days, even the best time managers still fall short on productivity and start feeling like they are failing or that they are not good enough. Our feelings should not dictate our lives, but how does one overcome this when good time management alone does not get the job done?
The answer is simple: Manage your energy too! Keep up your good work with time management, but keep in mind that you are a human being and not a robot. You have a body with limited energy that needs to be preserved, and your mind needs care as well.
Two other energy levels that need to be checked and that make you truly human and not a machine are your emotions and your spirit. If you’re not feeling well about what you are doing, you will not do it well. We work at our best when our actions align with our values which are rooted in our faith.
All these lofty ideals around energy management on four different levels are actually quite simple to put into practice:
- Take regular breaks to focus on your breathing
- Drink enough water and eat the right amount of nutritious food
- Move your body and exercise regularly in a manner that you enjoy
- Sleep and rest as much as you need to
- Acknowledge your emotions, read about them, speak to a therapist or good friend about them
- Participate in regular leisure activities that are tech-free, like laughing with friends or hiking in nature
- Practice positive self-talk and memorise encouraging verses from the Bible
- Split your tasks so that you can focus on one thing at a time
- Spend time with others to pray, worship and perform charitable acts
Can you see how important time management is to accommodate our energy management? Just remember that this is not a to-do-list, but rather a way to acknowledge the ebb and flow of being human. Sometimes we can do a lot and other times we need to slow down and recharge.
