Why energy management is more important than time management

We know that it is important to spend our time wisely. But we don’t often consider how the management of our energy determines how we spend our time and to what effect.

“The challenge is that the demand in our lives increasingly exceeds our capacity . . .,” Tony Schwartz writes in Manage Your Day to Day (edited by Jocelyn Glei). “Unlike computers, however, human beings aren’t meant to operate continuously, at high speeds, for long periods of time. Rather, we are designed to move rhythmically between spending and renewing our energy.”

“The good news,” Schwartz adds, “is that we can influence the way we manage our energy. By doing so skillfully, you can get more done in less time, at a higher level of quality, in a more sustainable way.”

To that end, Schwartz suggests two basic but essential ways we can improve our personal energy:

• The first is to do whatever is necessary to get sufficient sleep, which Schwartz says is even more vital for performance than food.

Tip: Disconnecting from digital sources of stimulation an hour or so before bedtime is an important way for hyper-connected educators to increase the likelihood of a good night’s sleep. (“No screens in the bedroom,” can be a helpful rule of thumb.)

• The second way is to take a 10-minute energy-restoring  break every 90 minutes.

Tip: A short, brisk walk during that break will do more to restore energy than a candy bar or a cup of coffee.

In addition, Schwartz recommends that we:

• Eat breakfast.

• Engage in regular exercise.

• Begin the day by focusing on tasks that add long-term value.

• Build learning and other forms of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual renewal into our days.

While many of us know about most of those things, we don’t do them habitually. As someone once said, “Common sense isn’t necessarily common practice.”

What methods or tools do you use to create a positive flow of energy throughout the day?

Managing personal and organizational energy

Successful school leadership is as much about managing energy – both personal and organizational energy – as it is about managing tasks and people.

Without an even flow of energy throughout the day, even routine responsibilities can feel overwhelming and create stress for leaders and for those with whom they interact.

In a popular 2012 blog post, Tony Schwartz offers a number of valuable tips related to energy management of which two, in my experience, seem particularly noteworthy: (1) “Do the most important thing first in the morning, preferably without interruption, for 60 to 90 minutes, with a clear start and stop time,” and (2) “Establish regular, scheduled times to think more long term, creatively, or strategically.”

Regarding the first suggestion, he writes, “If possible, work in a private space during this period, or with sound-reducing earphones. Finally, resist every impulse to distraction, knowing that you have a designated stopping point.”

About the value of regularly-scheduled time to think, he says, “If you don’t, you’ll constantly succumb to the tyranny of the urgent. Also, find a different environment in which to do this activity — preferably one that’s relaxed and conducive to open-ended thinking.”

Both suggestions promote leaders’ focus and clarity regarding purpose and priorities, and either one of them, implemented daily, could make a substantial difference in both the quantity and quality of leaders’ work.

I also appreciate another of Schwartz’s recommendations, one that flows from the first two and affects both personal and organizational energy – “maintain meeting discipline.” Disciplined meetings, he says, would not exceed 45 minutes in length and would begin and end precisely on time. To maintain focus, digital devices would be turned off throughout the meeting.

Taken together, these recommendations and others Schwartz makes would enable school leaders to attend to important responsibilities with a sense of energy and enthusiasm that would flow outward to fuel continuous improvement in the quality of teaching, learning, and relationships within the school community.