Why you’re so bad at managing your time.
Summary
TLDRThis 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
🕒 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.
🔋 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.
📝 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Time Management
💡Productivity
💡Energy Management
💡Frederick Winslow Taylor
💡Jeff Bezos
💡To-Do List
💡Burnout
💡Peak Performance Periods
💡Rest
💡Flow State
💡Scheduling
💡Flexibility
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
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