One of the biggest red herrings in most the productivity advice I see has to do with the relentless pursuit to control, wrangle, seek, carve out, or otherwise manage time.

Manage your energy, not your time. If you do that, time works itself out.

Smash your day…start with the clock

The new gurus suggest we should be waking up at 4am, undertaking elaborate morning routines, and twisting ourselves into intermittently-timed keto-friendly pretzels to tackle our to-dos in a 4-hour workday. As a result, people are literally exhausting themselves to make it all fit, getting more and more tired as they struggle.

What if we started responding more to the internal "I'm tired" signals over the external clock and calendar signals?

Here are small ways we can listen and respond to the things we actually need to be more productive.

Tiny actions to manage your energy

I'm always amazed how the smallest splinter at the tip of your finger can divert so much focus and can cause such suffering. And removing it brings about immense relief. That's the power of small changes.

Eliminating various energy drains of the day can be similarly rewarding. Try some of these tactics for surprisingly big energy gains:

• If you're feeling tired, shorten a call by 5–15 minutes. Think of it as giving yourself (and others) a small gift of self-care; permission to attend to needs, clear headspace, and prepare for the next thing. Or to simply sit and do nothing.
• Put off a task for later, when you know it'll be easier on you. For example, if doing all three errands means enduring soul-crushing traffic, delay one (or all) of them.
• Or do the thing, but in a way that gives you a bit more energy — with helpful sounds, in a nicer space, wearing comfier clothing, etc.
• Look around your space and make one small improvement that will either reduce energy drain or increase energy-giving. This could be removing a dish, closing a window (on screen or in person), getting more comfortable, or whatever else you come up with! There are no wrong answers here.

The key is to notice your energy state, give yourself headspace to think about options, and respond in a way that puts your needs at the forefront.

The feeling is the measure here. If we treat our feelings and bodily signals as information, we'll have greater clarity about what to do. For example, your emotional reaction to a meeting is telling you something. So is your Sunday night dread.

If you want to take this further, here are even bigger energy-splinters you can eliminate.

More impactful ways to manage energy (and increase productivity)

The suggestions below range from taking 2-minutes to a week or more. As with anything, do what's useful. When you feel you have got what you need, honour and appreciate that, then move on.

Turn your to-do list into a menu

Reframing can go a long way. Sometimes we get overwhelmed with all the tasks we've assigned ourselves. How could this all possibly get done in a day? In most cases, it can't.

What if we looked at our to-do list more like a menu of choices that we could select from?

Like going to a restaurant and expecting to eat everything they offer, giving ourselves the goal of completing everything on our task plate is a job only for the most seasoned and competitive hot-dog eaters. And even they feel terrible afterward.

So, if you can't whittle your to-do list down to a wholly consumable size, transform it into a more palatable offering. Allow yourself to fill a reasonable plate for the day and avoid the headache of your KPIs being bigger than your schedule.

Track your energy for a week and see what you notice

Do you know where your week went? Sure, you could look on your calendar. But that only tells you what happened. For most of us, it only shows what you intended to happen — very few people retroactively adjust calendar items to account for the distractions, delays, and other things that occurred.

Even more powerful than the post-week calendar review is actively tracking your energy throughout your week, as you do the work.

This doesn't have to be complicated. You can note this as you go about your day. Or, if you prefer to follow a more structured template, I made a weekly tracker you can download for free:

Regardless of which method you use, the process is simple:

1. After completing an activity, note it down.
2. Mark your energy during that time as high, medium, or low. Adding symbols or using highlighters can help.
3. Review the week and notice any patterns. For example, you may find that evenings are peak energy periods for you, no matter what you're doing. Or that a particular activity is energy-draining, regardless of when you do it.

Tracking your energy over time will give you insights that you can use to your advantage. You'll be able to more clearly see where your time goes and how your activities interact with your energy levels. From there, you can create a more productive, feel-good week.

Do a 2-minute calendar audit

Open your calendar and do a 2-minute energy check. Ask yourself:

• How many upcoming meetings challenge me? How many delight me?
• Which ones are fun and easy, like tossing a ball on warm day? Which ones fill me with dread, like dumping a bucket of ice on my head?

You will notice that some calendar events will drain you just by looking at them. Fortunately, some will energize you (I sincerely hope).

Noticing the patterns can often be enough to prompt a small but meaningful change. Go ahead and move, cancel, shorten or simplify what's not going to work for your wellbeing.

After you've made a change or two, look at your calendar again. How's that feel?

Take 5 minutes for the drainers & energisers exercise

I wrote about this activity in-depth in an explainer on affinity mapping.

To get started, grab a sheet of paper or pop open a document. Set a timer for 60 seconds. During that minute, come up with things that drain your energy, big and small. These can be…

• Senses — noises, textures, environments.
• Tasks and activities.
• Types of interactions. If a specific person comes to mind, what is it about them that is energy-draining? Try not to focus on who they are as a person, but rather what they do and how that impacts you.
• Anything else you notice.

Next, spend 60 seconds writing down what energises or replenishes you. Similar to drainers, these can be sensations, activities, interactions or more.

Looking at each category separately, spend another minute grouping similar items together. Maybe some items are themed around types of tasks. Or the design of things. Perhaps there are several sensations that go together. Whatever you find, doing this step will help you spot meaningful patterns.

Lastly, take another minute or two to reflect on what you've noticed. Then decide on any small steps you might take to improve the way you experience your days.

Use what you know to help future you

Now that you have an idea of what energises and drains you, you can use this info to help you out in future.

• Keep a list of what energises you, for reference whenever you need a pick-me-up — we can't always readily think of what helps us when we're tired, oh the irony!
• Also keep a list of what drains you, so you can spot patterns, "Why am I putting this next to that?!" Having those reminders handy can prevent some unwanted obligations and regretful decisions.

In sum, using the insights you gain is energy-giving in itself, because being clever and helping out future you feels good. Now and later.

In other words…

Raising your awareness about your energy will help you notice when you're unnecessarily wearing yourself out, e.g., doing the chore you hate, right after the long meeting, in the afternoon when you're always tired…that's a Bermuda Triangle of lostness.

However, doing those same tasks, strategically placed in your day with energy-giving embellishments will make the work easier, quicker, and less draining.

That's how you make the most of your time.

Kim is a life-long overthinker who has overcome many challenges to turn her mental energy into a super skill for getting things done and feeling great about it. She's on a mission to help others do the same. Join the expert thinkers who are gaining clarity and focus with weekly insights in the Hold That Thought newsletter