Energy management is similar to time management, and in many ways they pair well together when looking at productivity, personal awareness, and team efficiency.

Today I want to talk specifically about energy management, though, because it often gets overlooked when we make decisions about our work, specifically when we set expectations (for ourselves and others) on when and how we’re showing up.

If you have the flexibility to create your own work schedule, this topic of energy management may offer you extra benefit as you look for ways to work smarter, not harder (as the saying goes).

Even if you have expectations from an employer on what your work schedule looks like, you can still utilize your awareness of energy management to be intentional with the control you do have over your workday tasks.

Let me pause for a moment. When I say energy I’m talking about the natural ebb of focus and flow that propels us through the day. Typically we ride this stream of energy to focus on work tasks, personal and household care, social engagements, and anything else that takes up time throughout the day.

This is where time and energy intermingle. The energy that we spend on tasks occurs in time. When we have high levels of energy and focus, the task at hand may take less time to complete. But when we have low energy, the task may drag on and on as we lose focus, refocus, and lose focus again. (And usually this comes with a bit of guilt and frustration because we know we don’t actually need to take this much time to complete this task.)

Does this sound familiar to you? It’s entirely natural to go through energy peaks and dips throughout the day (if we only existed in peaks or only in dips, either way would exhaust us).

Instead of trying to find ways to exist only in energy peaks, it’s important to recognize that those energy dips, where we aren’t intensely focused on a thought or task or idea, are important to counterbalance the sharp focus of our energy peaks.

Thus, it’s important to recognize when we are in energy peaks and dips. Interestingly enough, these tend to occur in patterns throughout our days. When we understand these patterns, we can better shape our days to mesh well with our energy levels.

Here are two questions to ask yourself as you think about your energy management:

At what time of the day do I have energy peaks?

At what time of the day do I have energy dips?

I challenge you to take the next week or two to gather data on this. As you go through your regular schedule, keep a notebook or notes document on your phone/computer ready. Title this, “Energy Observations.”

Take note of high points of energy throughout each day. Jot down when those energy peaks occur. Similarly, take note of low points of energy, when you find your mind wa…nder…ing and your productivity and focus waning. Again, write down when these energy dips happen throughout the day.

By the end of these two weeks (or just one if you feel it gives you a good sample to work with), create a new section in your notes. Title this, “Energy Patterns.” Make a section labeled, “Energy Peaks,” and a section labeled, “Energy Dips.”

Now, go back to your energy observations and look for all the peaks. Look for (you guessed it) patterns of when these peaks occur. Does your energy peak in the early morning? Or maybe you get a midday rush? Perhaps you find yourself amped up during the evening or later into the night.

If you want to be specific with hours (“My energy tends to peak between 8am and 10am and then again from 4pm to 6pm.”) go for it! Otherwise, try to at least narrow down a time of day where you see a pattern of energy peaks.

Go ahead and do the same thing for your energy dips. Again, you can note specific time ranges (these probably won’t be longer than two or three hours at a time for peaks or dips, and don’t worry if they’re shorter than that!).

What are your notes telling you? Do you have some consistent patterns in your energy levels throughout the day?

I’ll talk more about this later, but for now, think about the obligations you have that take a lot of energy and focus. How can you redirect these tasks away from your energy dips and align them with your  times of peak energy?