Should you be managing your time or your energy?

Far too often we find ourselves wondering where the time went. The same however, can be said of our energy. After a day’s hard work, chances are you’ve spent both. But what’s more important when it comes to doing what’s best for you? Should we be concerned with managing our time or should we be focusing on boosting our energy?

And the winner is…

One of the first things we learn when we grow up is that time equals money. And even though there might be a hint of a resemblance of it appearing so, it does not. Time is something you can’t acquire indefinitely because time machines simply do not exist. This makes it something you’ll run out of eventually. And for this reason, many people believe that time is the most precious commodity in life.

So how about our energy? Despite time being deemed the most important thing in life, it is often compared to the value of our energy levels. The comparison is made especially on the work floor, where we are constantly reminded of how we should be managing both. However, it’s not that black and white. If you’d have a constant flow of energy, you’d probably have fewer struggles with your time management. And if you had unlimited time, you’d probably have more energy because you could just finish tasks another day and take things really easy. And this exposes the core of the problem. There is no one over the other.

So, time and energy.

But if there’s not one over the other, what should we be focusing on then? The answer is actually quite obvious, as the key to managing your time and energy is to be smart about both, by finding your personal balance. We’re all individuals, so it’s all about what works for you and you only. You could be working 70 hours a week, getting home and feeling absolutely spirited to go to the gym for two hours, and love every moment of it. Or on the other hand, you could be working 30 hours a week and be satisfied with turning on the telly for a good series after work and love every moment of that as well. It’s all very personal. There is no right or wrong.

Be smart.

You have to be smart about both in order to achieve what makes you feel good and to find what you love to do. One solution is to buy time so you can focus on things you find important (hey, time might still be money after all!). Don’t want to waste the limited time you have on annoying tasks like cleaning, doing the laundry, or worrying about dust-bunnies? Get someone to do these tasks for you. If might feel like a waste of money at first, but if it allows you to do stuff you love, it’s not wasted at all. And besides, you can always make more money. You cannot go back in time to experience the good stuff you missed out on. By doing so, you’ll save yourself both time and energy. And don’t worry about that money, if you’re sharper and re-energised, odds are you’ll do better at work as well.

GTL, Baby.

Another solution is to work on getting your energy levels to a higher level by doing something you absolutely love. If you spent hours in the gym, hating every minute of it, just don’t do it.  Find something that you love. You’ll find that sooner than later it will cause you to feel more motivated and energised than ever, giving you the time to do extra stuff you love. And of course if you’re absolutely crazy about going to the gym and work on your gains, by all means do it. Once again, it’s all about what works for you personally.

Just relax and let go.

The last thing is to stop worrying so much. Worrying and stress can cause you to feel absolutely depressed, which usurps just about all of your energy and time. And while it might be impossible to just block those troubling thoughts out of your head, you can override them by doing the stuff that lets you forget about it. Everyone needs to blow off  steam every now and then. It’s absolutely essential to let go sometimes, constantly worrying about deadlines on your free time will not make them any less daunting. Just let go as soon as you shut down your computer.

Need to take your mind off of something, or do you want to do something that makes you feel good? We’ve got you. Take a look at our event calendar to see what we’ve got to help you unwind.