Why you’re so bad at managing your time.

Summary

This video challenges the traditional time management approach, arguing that achieving goals isn't about better scheduling but managing energy levels. It highlights the limitations of the time management concept born during the industrial revolution and presents an energy management experiment that improved productivity. The script suggests identifying peak performance periods, understanding task energy requirements, prioritizing rest, and creating flexible to-do lists to align daily activities with one's energy fluctuations.

Takeaways

• 🕒 The common belief that poor time management is the primary obstacle to achieving goals is challenged; the script suggests that it's not time, but energy management that is crucial.
• 🏭 Time management originated from the industrial revolution with Frederick Winslow Taylor's methods, which were designed for factory workers and may not be suitable for modern work-life balance.
• 💡 The script emphasizes that everyone has 24 hours, but not everyone's 24 hours are the same due to varying responsibilities and energy levels.
• 📈 An energy management experiment by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy with employees of Wachovia Bank showed significant performance improvements when focusing on energy rather than time.
• 📊 The experiment revealed that energy-aware participants outperformed the control group and experienced positive impacts on their personal and professional lives.
• 🌗 The script points out that energy levels fluctuate and are not constant, unlike time, which is a fixed resource.
• 🔍 Identifying peak performance periods is key to effective energy management; these are the times when focus and productivity are naturally at their highest.
• 📝 Keeping a productivity journal can help determine when an individual's energy is at its peak and when they are most likely to accomplish quality work.
• 📉 Understanding the energy requirements of different tasks is essential for effective scheduling and prioritization throughout the day.
• 🛋 The importance of rest and downtime for replenishing energy and maintaining productivity is highlighted, countering the glorification of burnout in some cultures.
• 🔄 Creating flexible to-do lists that account for the unpredictability of energy levels and unexpected events is recommended for a more realistic approach to daily planning.
• 🔄 The script concludes that managing energy, rather than strictly adhering to time management techniques, can lead to more realistic expectations and a healthier work-life balance.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented in the video script against traditional time management?

The main argument is that traditional time management, which originated from the industrial revolution, may not be effective for modern productivity. The script suggests that instead of focusing on time, one should focus on managing energy levels throughout the day.

Why did Frederick Winslow Taylor develop time management techniques?

Frederick Winslow Taylor developed time management techniques during the industrial revolution to help factory workers live by the clock rather than by the sun, aiming to increase efficiency and productivity.

What is the core idea behind the concept of energy management presented in the script?

The core idea behind energy management is that individuals have varying energy levels throughout the day, and by understanding and leveraging these energy fluctuations, one can be more productive and efficient.

What was the outcome of the energy management experiment conducted by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy with Wachovia Bank employees?

The experiment showed that participants who went through the energy management program had a 13% year-over-year increase in performance compared to non-participants and consistently outperformed the control group throughout the year.

How did the energy management program influence the employees personally, according to the script?

The program had a positive impact on the employees' relationships with clients and their productivity and performance. 68% reported improved client relationships, and 71% reported increased productivity.

What is the first step in managing energy effectively as suggested by the script?

The first step is to find your peak performance periods, which are the times of the day when you are naturally more focused and your energy is at its maximum.

How can one determine their peak performance periods?

One can determine their peak performance periods by keeping a productivity journal for a week, noting when they feel most sharp, or by using a time tracking app like RescueTime.

What is the significance of understanding the energy requirements of different tasks?

Understanding the energy requirements of tasks helps in organizing the day effectively, ensuring that high-energy tasks are tackled during peak performance periods and less draining tasks are scheduled for times when energy is lower.

Why is rest considered productive according to the script?

Rest is considered productive because it enhances the brain's ability to be more creative and productive. It is essential for replenishing energy and preventing burnout.

What is the importance of making flexible to-do lists as highlighted in the script?

Flexible to-do lists are important because they allow for spontaneity and unexpected events. They help in managing energy effectively by not being overly rigid and accounting for fluctuations in energy levels.

What is the role of downtime in enhancing productivity and creativity, as mentioned in the script?

Downtime plays a crucial role in enhancing productivity and creativity by allowing the brain to rest and recharge. It is necessary for maintaining a sustainable work-life balance and preventing burnout.

How does the script suggest dealing with tasks that are energy depleting?

The script suggests scheduling energy-depleting tasks during peak performance periods when energy levels are high. This approach helps in managing energy effectively and getting more important tasks done efficiently.

Outlines

00:00

🕒 Time Management Misconceptions

The script challenges the conventional wisdom of time management, suggesting that the inability to reach goals is not due to poor time management but rather a different factor. It delves into the history of time management, tracing its origins to Frederick Winslow Taylor's efforts during the industrial revolution to make factory workers adhere to clock schedules. The narrative criticizes modern productivity advice that compares everyone's 24 hours, ignoring individual differences and responsibilities. It introduces the concept that energy management, not time management, is the key to achieving goals, citing an experiment by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy that demonstrated significant performance improvements when employees managed their energy rather than their time.

05:00

🔋 Prioritizing Energy Over Time

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of energy management by outlining strategies to identify peak performance periods, understand the energy required for different tasks, and the necessity of rest and downtime for productivity. It discusses how energy levels fluctuate and suggests organizing tasks based on the energy they demand, as well as the importance of aligning high-energy tasks with peak performance times. The paragraph also highlights the cultural glorification of burnout and the need for discipline in rest to maintain energy levels, advocating for flexible work environments and the recognition of personal energy patterns.

10:01

📝 Adapting to Energy Flows and Embracing Flexibility

The final paragraph discusses the importance of adapting to the natural ebb and flow of energy throughout the day and the necessity of creating flexible to-do lists that account for unexpected events and fluctuations in energy levels. It encourages accepting imperfection and the reality that a bad day does not diminish one's self-worth. The script concludes by advocating for a shift from time management techniques to energy management, emphasizing the uniqueness of each person's 24 hours and the need to plan according to individual energy cycles.

Keywords

💡Time Management

Time management refers to the process of organizing and planning how to spend time effectively and efficiently to achieve goals. In the video's context, it is initially presented as the common approach to productivity, with the idea that managing time better can lead to achieving more. However, the video challenges this notion, arguing that time is a fixed resource, and instead, energy management is more crucial for productivity.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of an individual or system in converting inputs into desired outputs. The video script critiques the traditional time management approach to productivity, suggesting that it is not the best way to increase output. It implies that understanding and managing one's energy levels can lead to more effective productivity.

💡Energy Management

Energy management, as discussed in the video, is the practice of understanding and optimizing one's personal energy levels to perform at peak capacity. The video emphasizes that unlike time, energy fluctuates and can be managed to enhance productivity, making it a more effective strategy than traditional time management.

💡Frederick Winslow Taylor

Frederick Winslow Taylor was an engineer who is known as the father of scientific management. The script mentions him as the originator of time management concepts during the industrial revolution, which were designed to increase efficiency in factory workers by aligning their work with clock time rather than natural rhythms.

💡Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is used in the script as an example of someone who is often held up as a model of productivity. The video challenges the idea that comparing one's productivity to Bezos' is fair, given that he has resources to outsource many tasks, which is not a privilege most people have.

💡To-Do List

A to-do list is a record of tasks that need to be completed. In the video, it is mentioned as a common tool for time management, but the script suggests that having an overly long to-do list can lead to feelings of exhaustion and burnout, rather than increased productivity.

💡Burnout

Burnout is a state of chronic stress that can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion. The script warns against the glorification of burnout in certain cultures and emphasizes the importance of rest and downtime to prevent it, aligning with the theme of energy management.

💡Peak Performance Periods

Peak performance periods refer to the times of day when an individual is most alert and capable of high-quality work. The video encourages identifying these periods and scheduling the most demanding tasks during them to make the best use of one's energy.

💡Rest

Rest is the act of ceasing activity to recover strength and energy. The video script argues that rest is not just a break from work but a productive activity that enhances creativity and productivity, challenging the traditional view of rest as wasted time.

💡Flow State

A flow state is a mental state in which a person is fully immersed in an activity, experiencing heightened focus and enjoyment. The script mentions flow state as a desirable condition where tasks are completed with ease during one's peak performance periods.

💡Scheduling

Scheduling is the process of planning and arranging events or tasks in a chronological order. The video suggests that instead of scheduling by the clock, individuals should schedule tasks according to their energy levels and peak performance times for better productivity.

💡Flexibility

Flexibility in the context of the video refers to the ability to adapt plans and be open to changes. The script advises making flexible to-do lists that account for the unpredictability of energy levels and the occurrence of unexpected events.

Highlights

The misconception that poor time management is the reason for not reaching goals is challenged.

Frederick Winslow Taylor's time management concept originated during the industrial revolution for factory efficiency.

Comparing personal productivity to successful figures like Jeff Bezos overlooks the different demands on their time.

The importance of recognizing that everyone's 24 hours are not equally available due to varying life responsibilities.

An energy management experiment by Tony Schwartz and Catherine McCarthy with Wachovia Bank employees.

The experiment showed a 13% increase in performance for energy-aware participants compared to a control group.

The significance of managing energy rather than time for better productivity and performance.

The idea that having a fixed number of hours is not the same as having the energy to utilize them effectively.

The need to understand energy fluctuations throughout the day and their impact on productivity.

Identifying peak performance periods in the day for optimal task completion.

The suggestion to keep a productivity journal to discover personal peak performance times.

Categorizing tasks by energy required rather than time management principles for better scheduling.

The importance of rest and downtime for enhancing creativity and productivity.

The cultural glorification of burnout and the need to prioritize mental health and rest.

Making both small daily and significant life changes to create space for rest and energy replenishment.

The necessity of flexible to-do lists that account for unexpected events and energy levels.

The video's sponsorship by Squarespace and its features for building a professional website.

The need to adapt to the reality of daily ups and downs rather than strictly following time management techniques.

Transcripts

[Music]

when we don't reach our goals we often

blame time if i'd only had more time you

know time really slipped away from me if

i just manage my time a little bit

better and so we tell ourselves that

we'll get it right next time and we

commit to finally figuring out this

whole time management thing but what if

i told you that you were going about it

all wrong and the reason that you're not

reaching your goals isn't because of

poor time management but something else

entirely frederick winslow taylor

birthed time management during the

industrial revolution because he wanted

factory workers to learn to live by the

clock rather than by the sun and today

that approach to productivity has taken

on a life of its own books blogs and

social media posts are filled with the

next best time management hacks

including gems like jeff bezos and you

both have the same 24 hours if he can

get done why can't you but it

doesn't really work like that it's true

that everyone has 24 hours but everyone

doesn't have the same 24 hours bezos

doesn't have to do his laundry make

dinner call the plumber or take his

attention-seeking dog to the vet he can

outsource all that who's daddy doesn't

care about the little guy

is your daddy and even if you have

enough money to outsource all of these

things this story might still sound

familiar to you you jot down a lengthy

to-do list for the day you copy the

morning routine of the world's most

successful people and you sit down in

front of your laptop to tackle your

tasks like a youtube self-help guru

but then the tap starts leaking your

kids need something brian accidentally

deletes an entire years of work and

you're totally exhausted by the time 3pm

rolls around you think that you're

procrastinating because all 65 items are

still on your to-do list and so you beat

yourself up for wasting time that you

could have spent working and even worse

you think tomorrow will be different

you'll employ a new time management hack

you found on instagram try a new morning

routine and finally get caught up on all

that work and more until the same exact

thing happens the next day which gets

you thinking someone really needs to

have a conversation with brian also

there's probably a more effective way to

plan our days and there is

the problem isn't your lack of effective

time management because time is a fixed

resource however energy is a different

ball game

in 2006 tony schwartz and catherine

mccarthy ran an energy management

experiment with 106 employees of

wachovia bank they took the employees

through a curriculum of four modules

body emotion mind and spirit focusing on

strengthening these four dimensions of

energy then they measure their

performance against a control group in

the first three months the energy aware

participants showed a 13 year-over-year

increase compared to non-participants

and the participants consistently

outperformed the control group for the

entire year after completing the energy

management program when asked how the

program influenced the employees

personally 68 said it had a positive

impact on their relationships with

clients and 71 reported a positive

impact on their productivity and

performance it turns out that cramming

65 items onto your to-do list and

scheduling five meetings in one day

might seem like a good idea in theory

but it doesn't account for the reality

you might have enough hours in the day

to do all the things that you want to do

but you don't have enough energy unlike

the predictability of the clock our

energy can swing wildly from one hour to

the next and if you continue to take the

advice from factory labor days and apply

it to our modern working environment

you're going to only be disappointed

frustrated and burned out it's time to

stop hunting for time management

techniques and to start managing our

energy instead but first this week's

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alright so if you want to start managing

your energy better there are four things

you need to start doing

first you need to find your peak

performance periods there's a time of

the day when you're naturally more

focused maybe it's in the quiet mornings

before your kids wake up perhaps it's in

the late afternoon lows or it could be

late into the night when the world goes

silent during these hours your energy

seems to be at its maximum getting into

a flow state is effortless and tasks

that would otherwise cause you a crisis

get checked off with ease find these

hours in the day where your focus is at

its peak when do you tend to get the

most quality work done in less time keep

a productivity journal for a week and

take note of when you're feeling most

sharp you could even combine this with a

time tracking app like rescuetime to see

if you're actually making the most of

the periods where you have your optimum

energy and this might change as you age

i became a morning person at 30 years

old before this time i'd get most of my

work done well into the night i'd often

stay up past 1am working on projects and

i pulled way too many all-nighters than

i'd care to admit although i'd blame

that more on my impressive

procrastination skills than the fact

that i was better working at night but

now i find that the first three hours

after i wake up is really my window of

peak performance that's why after i wake

up at around 7 or eight am i try not to

let too much get in between my work and

myself the mornings when i overcome

resistance and i sit down at my desk as

soon as possible are the days where i'm

most likely to make significant progress

on my projects and towards my big goals

next find out how much energy a task

requires your energy isn't constant it

ebbs and flows according to how much

sleep you've had how much you've eaten

and the quality of your downtime instead

of using time management principles to

organize your day organize your tasks by

the amount of energy that's needed to

complete them so when i think about my

life there are definitely those items

that require little effort and those

that seem to drain my battery way faster

my most energy depleting tasks include

filming like this phone calls meetings

writing and video editing and my lower

energy tasks include reviewing work

checking emails replying to messages and

i would even put household chores down

at the bottom as well like making dinner

doing laundry and cleaning up you can do

this practice yourself by creating a

list of the most common tasks you have

to do in a week and then order them from

the most draining to the least and then

from there you need to figure out how to

prioritize your tasks and schedule them

into your day remember just because

something takes up a lot of energy

doesn't mean that it's necessarily an

important thing you need to do so during

your peak performance periods tackle the

tasks that have the biggest crossover

between most important and high energy

for me i do most of my writing filming

and my video editing in the morning and

then i schedule my administrative items

that are a little bit less important and

require less energy outside of that peak

performance window this is when i check

email i schedule most of my phone calls

and i do my chores even though i could

blaze through my chores first thing in

the morning it's just going to be a

waste of my limited energy

and then you need to refill your cup

regularly rest is productive i repeat

rest is productive research has

repeatedly proven downtime enhances your

brain's ability to be more creative and

productive and overall just less of an

none of us is built to run

non-stop and as corny as it sounds you

can't pour from an empty cup it can be

challenged to prioritize rest when we

live in a culture that glorifies burnout

and has done it for so long and while

the tide does seem to be turning and

more people are talking about the

importance of mental health and sleep we

still have a long ways to go when you're

always connected through work through

your phone it's a slippery slope from

responding to slack messages at midnight

to checking email while you're on the

toilet i'm not a businessman i'm a

business man

oh nope yep i'll be right out

sorry this is why you need to be

disciplined about rest to do this you

can make both big and small moves in

your life for the small moves find out

what helps you to replenish your energy

and make space for those things daily

maybe it's a morning walk an afternoon

workout session or 15 minutes of

meditation after work and don't just do

these things when you're already feeling

burnt out meditating after you've had a

full-blown mental breakdown isn't gonna

solve any of your problems and then of

course there are the big moves that you

can make if you're currently working a

job that doesn't value rest and downtime

if you don't get enough time off if you

don't have a flexible schedule or you

can't work from home it might be time to

start looking for a new job there's only

so much that you can do if your boss

expects you to be up at all hours of the

night checking email or even working

while on vacation this kind of work is

unhealthy and unsustainable and you

deserve better

and finally make flexible to-do lists as

much as you try to implement every

productivity technique out there from

color-coded calendars to pomodoro clocks

and hula-hooping to increase focus yes

apparently that's a thing some things

are just outside of your control and

your energy is often one of those things

you can do everything right and still

wake up feeling lethargic you can have

the best intentions in the world but

still have difficulty concentrating even

during those peak performance hours

well-structured daily plans are great

but they have to leave room for

spontaneity and unexpected events while

planning your day make sure to cut

yourself some slack when things don't go

according to plan and i'm mostly saying

this because this is advice that i need

to hear myself right now i know

personally how frustrating it can be to

have your entire day derailed by one

thing whether you can't log into your

online account because the server is

down or your printer won't connect your

laptop even though you've tried for two

hours and you connected and reconnected

it and then you called customer support

and they couldn't help and then you did

literally everything you could possibly

think of but your printer won't connect

to your laptop

um the point is you're not perfect and

the sooner that you accept that and add

some flexibility into your life you'll

realize that even if you have a shitty

day it doesn't need to affect your

well-being or your self-worth time

management techniques and tactics aren't

all that bad in fact some of them are

really helpful but until we start to

prioritize our work and life around the

ups and downs that we face on a daily

basis we will consistently disappoint

ourselves organizing your life around

your energy can help you set more

realistic deadlines tackle complex tasks

and ensure that you don't drain your

battery clipping jeff bezos toenails

while we might all have 24 hours in a

day they aren't all the same 24 hours so

we should plan accordingly