What is Energy Management, and How to Optimize Your Performance

Many leaders think they can do more by coming in to work early and staying late, but simply working more hours almost always leads to feeling overwhelmed, a poor work-life balance, and a difficulty disconnecting your work life from your personal life. 

In a recent Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, Pastor Craig talks about the art of energy management.

What’s Energy Management?

Energy management is a science and an art. Most people tend to understand the science: if you get adequate sleep, exercise, and eat a healthy diet, chances are you’re going to create more energy. But it’s also an art. What energizes one person may not energize another person, and conversely, what sucks the life out of someone might be a catalyst for someone else.

Start by acknowledging two big ideas: 

1. You are better at some things at some times than at others.
2. Different tasks take different amounts of energy. 

Next, determine and define two things: 

1. What drains you?
2. What sustains you?

One of the best ways to do this is through an energy audit. Make a list of regular tasks, responsibilities, and decisions, and assign higher or lower negative number values to what drains you (-1 or -2) and positive values to what energizes you (+1, +2). 

“Experiment to create the optimal environment and rhythms
for your peak production and fulfillment.” – @craiggroeschel

As you go through your audit results, try to do these three things:•

• When possible, delegate, eliminate, or automate what drains you.
• When possible, do more of what sustains and energizes you.
• Always create the rhythms for your peak production and fulfillment.