So What is Energy Management, Really?

Start here: what time of day are you most tired? … really. Think about it. Got your answer?

For most people, it’s typically in the 2-4pm range. It may seem obvious but that’s an indication that our energy fluctuates throughout the day. We each have our own peak energy time, a crash, and then a little bit of a rebound. According to research and Daniel Pink’s book, “When” the average peak is about 10-11am.

That said, many of us have an internalized belief that we can (or should) work like machines. Since the introduction of machines to factory work over 150 years ago, our culture has internalized the idea that more hours worked means more quality output.

Because for a machine that works constantly at the same level of output, it’s true. But as you just shared, humans get tired. We need rest. We reach a point of diminishing returns where our work quality goes down if, say, we pull an all-nighter. Or even try and do creative work when we’re crashing, energetically speaking.

So energy management is a system by which you can read your own energy levels and can work and plan accordingly. When your energy is naturally high, the goal is to use that time to schedule the most challenging work that requires analytical or creative ideation. Sitting in a boring meeting or using that time for scheduling or expense reports is poor management of energy.

By contrast, when your energy is low, there are two options. We can either lean into our body’s message telling us to stop and actually take a longer rest. Or we may have to continue working, in which case we should choose work that is easy, mindless, or more administrative. Your creative work will take longer, your deep analytical thinking will be more prone to mistakes.

Additionally, we can reduce the contrast of our peak and our crash (aka “trough”) if we learn to take restorative breaks throughout the day. Every 52-90 minutes, we can intentionally scheduling breaks to be activities that give us energy and restore our mental capacity. Think: going for a walk in nature, connecting with a friend, having a screen-free snack or meal, meditation or exercise, playing music.

Energy management is arguably more important, although more difficult to master than time management. And it starts with identifying our own energy peak and crash times.

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Jake Kahana is a cofounder of Caveday. Sign up for his personal emails, called “The Email Refrigerator” here.