How To Use "Energy Mapping" To Explode Your Productivity

10 replies
What if I said you could radically improve your IM productivity just by making a few small tweaks to your daily work schedule?

When I adopted the simple strategy I'm about to show you, I saw HUGE gains in my personal productivity, not to mention the enjoyment level of my work day.

I got the idea after reading what has become one of my favorite time management books - "The Power Of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. The biggest takeaway for me was the authors' idea that "time management" is, in fact, an illusion. Time passes at a fixed rate and is therefore impervious to our attempts to control it. What we should focus on instead is "energy management." THAT is the biggest lever we have when it comes to making the best use of the time allotted to us.

In the book, the authors give some very helpful examples of ways to manage your energy, the basic foundation being more frequent meals, working in 90 minute "sprints", creating clear boundaries between work and play, and making rest and rejuvenation a much larger priority than traditional time management theory does.

Based on the ideas in this book, I asked myself what would happen if I made a record of how my own personal energy levels fluctuate throughout the day, then re-arranged my work schedule based on the "energy map" this created.

Well, I found that when I did this, my productivity went through the roof. I was getting twice as much done in the same timeframe, and without the "grind it out" feeling I typically experienced.

If you'd like to try it, I've created a simple "energy map" in excel for you to download and use.

Here's how it works. Start by rating your energy levels on a scale of 1 - 10 for each hour of the day. Once you fill this information in, the chart will display your personal "energy map." Once you see how your energy fluctuates throughout the day, the key is to shift your work schedule around to take advantage of these changing energy levels.

For example, if your creative energy is highest in the early morning, as it is for me, make sure to schedule your product creation, article writing, and other more right-brain, creative tasks for that time of day. If your analytical energy is highest in the afternoon, then you'll want to leverage that by scheduling your book-keeping, reporting, and other more left-brain, analytical tasks for that time of day.

The beauty of this strategy is that you aren't adding more work to your plate... you're simply shifting it around to make better use of your own personal energy patterns!

Here's the download link for the spreadsheet:
http://www.eyeballs2offers.com/free/EnergyMap.zip

I hope that's helpful!

-Bryan
#energy mapping #explode #productivity #time management
  • Profile picture of the author deertrail
    ...And if you haven't read "The Power Of Full Engagement" yet, do yourself a favor and grab a copy asap.

    Here's the Amazon link: Amazon.com: The Power of Full Engagement:...Amazon.com: The Power of Full Engagement:...

    -Bryan
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  • Profile picture of the author iDevSpot
    hmm..this sounds very interesting.

    It is amazing how much time we waste by not using our energy correctly. I find that multi-tasking can actually make me less productive, but it is rather hard to stop doing it, especially while working at home.

    any thoughts on multi tasking?
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    • Profile picture of the author raj.uk
      thanks for sharing
      Raj
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    • Profile picture of the author deertrail
      Originally Posted by iDevSpot View Post

      hmm..this sounds very interesting.

      It is amazing how much time we waste by not using our energy correctly. I find that multi-tasking can actually make me less productive, but it is rather hard to stop doing it, especially while working at home.

      any thoughts on multi tasking?

      I'm NOT a fan of multi-tasking (much to my wife's chagrin...).

      Based both on what I've read, along with my own personal experience, we are much more effective when we "divide and conquer" tasks sequentially - one at a time.

      In his book "The Four Hour Work Week," Tim Ferris refers to a study in which a group of people facing multiple interruptions during a task scored LOWER than another group who performed the same task while high on marijuana!

      Bottom line, focused and sequential work trumps multi-tasking any day.

      -Bryan
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      • Profile picture of the author s4nt0s
        Originally Posted by deertrail View Post

        I'm NOT a fan of multi-tasking (much to my wife's chagrin...).

        Based both on what I've read, along with my own personal experience, we are much more effective when we "divide and conquer" tasks sequentially - one at a time.

        In his book "The Four Hour Work Week," Tim Ferris refers to a study in which a group of people facing multiple interruptions during a task scored LOWER than another group who performed the same task while high on marijuana!

        Bottom line, focused and sequential work trumps multi-tasking any day.

        -Bryan
        Thanks for sharing! I've been looking for something new to check out because I've just finished Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence People. (both were great)

        Just ordered the new version of 4 Hour Work Week on Amazon and also preordered his new book, The 4 Hour Body. After reading through his amazing blog, I had to bite the bullet and grab his books.

        Thanks again,
        Devin
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        • Profile picture of the author GerberDeLange
          Thank's Bryan!

          I already knew I am more productive in the early morning, but I haven't look at this in this much detail.
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          Gerber de Lange
          Personal Development Blog

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    • Profile picture of the author VeitSchenk
      multi-tasking is bad for you. The end.

      ok, here's why: every time you switch from one activity to the next, your brain next to switch states. And that takes time.
      Similarly with interruptions, you allowing interruptions (like email, wife, ...) into your work-routine, sets you back by up to 20mins until you're back "fully in the zone".

      Another way to look at multi-tasking is to pretend your individual activities are projects that make you money (and you need the cash-flow of a project that makes you money):

      let's assume your have 3 projects A,B and C, and they each take 5 steps to complete. Then, and only then do they start making money (or whatever they're supposed to achieve)

      Let's take the multi-tasking approach:

      ABCABCABCABCA

      it's taken 13 steps until project A starts making money.

      the better approach is of course

      AAAAA and A is ready to make money, so you can now fully focus on B, then C.

      hope that makes sense

      Veit

      PS: I love the idea of mapping the energy states, already in my diary...


      Originally Posted by iDevSpot View Post

      hmm..this sounds very interesting.

      It is amazing how much time we waste by not using our energy correctly. I find that multi-tasking can actually make me less productive, but it is rather hard to stop doing it, especially while working at home.

      any thoughts on multi tasking?
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      Connect with me on FB: https://www.facebook.com/veitschenk

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  • Profile picture of the author smonline
    Well I had already known about this technique.

    But I think you have explained it better than what I read elsewhere.

    Thanks deertrail.

    One question ... how to differentiate between energy levels having
    shorter difference... like between "energy level 3" and "energy level 4"...I
    mean to say is it that easy to measure your energy level by
    yourself, without the help of any instrument? Any idea?
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    • Profile picture of the author deertrail
      Originally Posted by smonline View Post

      Well I had already known about this technique.

      But I think you have explained it better than what I read elsewhere.

      Thanks deertrail.

      One question ... how to differentiate between energy levels having
      shorter difference... like between "energy level 3" and "energy level 4"...I
      mean to say is it that easy to measure your energy level by
      yourself, without the help of any instrument? Any idea?

      Yeah, it's going to be a subjective process. You just have to make your best guess so you can see some useful patterns on the chart.

      -Bryan
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  • Profile picture of the author DannyDarwin
    Interesting. Managing your inner energy is the key to living in harmony with your self.

    Sounds familiar? A couple of years ago, I used to focus 200% on any new project. That's what we've all been taught, right? "Do your best". But then reality hits you and you get burnt out on that project when the initial passion fades away.

    So, I changed my way of thinking. Why go from 200% to 0%, when it's smarter, more productive and twice as fun to maintain a 80% energy level until it's finished. And actually finish. Sure, it takes massive amounts of self control, but the results... oh my, the results.

    Great explanation Veit, the cashflow thing.
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