Energy management for better productivity

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May 14, 2025

Many believe that good time management alone can boost energy and simplify daily life. While helpful, true energy management goes deeper. Time-tracking tools can’t undo the energy lost to stress or poor eating habits. Let’s explore what energy management really means and how it can improve your daily routine.

Key takeaways

Manage energy, not time — energy is renewable, time is not

Take care of four types of energy — physical, emotional, mental and spiritual

Implement regular recovery rituals and work in alignment with your energy cycles

Why energy matters more than time

Well, not exactly "more important" — both are two sides of one very slippery coin. Time management is all about when you do things, while energy management is more concerned with how you’ll do them. So yes, it’s fair to say that these two can’t really function without each other.

What you need to understand, though, is that today’s productivity culture is heavily focused on time management. Just remember all the crazy folks showcasing their “5 am routines” on social media — are these schedules absolutely realistic and achievable? No. Will your chaotic day magically fix itself if you start your day at 5 am and rub banana peels all over your face? Believe it or not — also nope.

So when you start thinking about your schedule and drawing up those nice tables with color-coded elements, do keep your energy levels in mind. These are important for a whole range of reasons:

How focused you are
How quickly you make decisions
How you respond to stress
How well your brain functions throughout the day

Think of a situation: you sit in front of a screen for an hour, trying to solve a problem, but your brain just "isn't working." Then, after a short walk or quality rest, you come back and solve the same problem in 15 minutes. It’s not about time — it’s about the quality of your energy in that moment.

Key types of energy to manage

There’s some complexity to energy management — it’s not just one progress bar with HP points that you should fill up regularly. There are 4 different dimensions to it:

1. Physical Energy: The Foundation of Your Productivity

Let’s start with the basics. Your body is not just a vehicle for your brain (although that’s a funny thought) — it’s a complex biological system that directly affects all aspects of your work. Here’s what helps maintain physical energy at an optimal level:

Mindful nutrition. Forget rushed snacks and random meals. Include proteins, complex carbs, and healthy fats in your diet. A simple life hack — keep nuts or fruit on hand instead of cookies or candy. A diet soda or some chips won’t make you explode in calories, as long as their consumption is regulated, so not all is gloom and doom.
Movement as medicine. Even 10 minutes of physical activity can boost your energy for hours. And believe us, “physical activity” is a very broad concept. Walking to the park, playing with your dog, or even just standing for 15 minutes and lightly shaking your arms can make a big difference.
Sleep cycle management. Quality sleep isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. Create a bedtime ritual: turn off notifications, read a book, or take a warm bath. Your goal is 7–8 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

2. Emotional Energy: Managing Your Inner State

Our emotions can either fuel us or drain us. Negative emotions sap our strength, while positive ones energize us.

Gratitude practice. Start your day by listing three things you’re grateful for. This reprograms your brain for a more positive outlook.
Stress management. Learn to distinguish between productive stress, which motivates, and destructive stress, which depletes. Use mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises to lower cortisol levels.
Social connections. As tech people, we often forget the importance of communication. Regularly engage with those who support and inspire you. Even a short conversation with someone close can boost your emotional energy.

3. Mental Energy: Optimizing Cognitive Function

Your brain isn’t a computer that can run 24/7. It needs periods of intense work and recovery.

Deep work. Set aside focused blocks of time (60 to 90 minutes) without distractions. Turn off notifications, close unnecessary tabs, and use the Pomodoro technique.
Strategic breaks. Our brains work in 90–120 minute cycles and need rest afterward. Take short breaks for a walk, meditation, or simply a change of activity.
Information diet. Limit your intake of news and social media. Information overload depletes mental energy even faster than complex tasks.

4. Spiritual Energy: Connection to Something Greater

Spiritual energy is about having a sense of purpose and meaning in your work. When you see purpose, energy flows naturally.

Define your “why”. What is the higher purpose of your business or work? How are you contributing to the world? Keep these answers visible.
Values alignment. Make sure your daily actions align with your core values. Misalignment drains spiritual energy.
Mindfulness practice. Incorporate moments of silence and reflection into your day. This could be meditation, a walk in nature, or simply quiet contemplation.

Practical advice

All that spiritual and mental mumbo-jumbo will help you only to a certain extent. Want long-term results? Practice!

Energy Audit. Track your energy levels throughout the week. Rate how you feel on a scale from 1 to 10 every 2–3 hours. This will help you identify patterns and understand what gives you energy and what drains it.
Renewal Rituals. Introduce micro-rituals for recovery during the day: Morning ritual (10–15 minutes of meditation, planning, or physical exercise), midday ritual (a short walk after lunch), evening ritual (reflecting on the day and preparing for the next)
Working with Energy Cycles. Learn your personal energy peaks and schedule your most important tasks during those times. For example, if you’re a morning person, plan strategic work for the early hours and save routine tasks for the afternoon.

How enemy management affects your work

And then, after some time, you’ll feel wonderful things happening to your mind and body. All those TikTok gurus with their cold showers and expensive productivity courses will suddenly seem like total blocks, and an entirely new stage of your life will begin. Well, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but the point is — there are plenty of benefits:

You start doing less, but more effectively
The constant feeling of fatigue fades away
There’s space for creativity and strategic thinking
You become more resilient to stress and burnout

And most importantly, work stops feeling like a struggle and becomes a process of growth.

Interesting fact

A study published in Harvard Business Review showed that training employees to manage their energy, including physical activity, regular breaks, and mindfulness, leads to a sustainable increase in productivity and a reduction in burnout.

Related articles:

To maintain momentum in long-term projects, check out How to stay motivated during long projects.

Learn how to cut task completion time by 35% in the article Identifying bottlenecks in workflows.

To prevent burnout, read How reflection helps your career.

Conclusion

In an era of digital noise and constant hustle, those who know how to recover and manage themselves win in the long run.

Energy management is not a sign of weakness — it’s a reflection of awareness and resilience. You are not a machine. You are a human being. That means your energy is not infinite. Introduce these practices gradually, track the results, and adapt them to fit your needs.

And remember: the most important asset in your business is you.

Invest in your energy, and the results will follow.