Time vs. energy management for productivity
Time vs. energy
When we think about productivity we tend to think about time management. The Pomodoro Technique suggests working in 25-minute sprints with intermittent 3-5 minute breaks, and a longer break after 4 pomodoros. David Allen’s Getting-Things-Done methodology prioritizes your time in various to-do lists like waiting on, next action, and delegate. On the extreme end, Elon Musk and Bill Gates segment their day in 5-minute increments.
I use all of these tactics and more. But what’s usually missing from the equation is the quality of the energy you bring, and not just how you splice your time. When I spend 2-3 hours of my day doing non-work tasks (exercise, meditation, ukulele, reading, etc), I find my emotional, physical and spiritual energy way higher than it would be otherwise. In this state, the focus and creativity I can bring to a task like writing or decision-making, even for just 1 hour of work, is way higher than a full day of “work” being anxious, tired or annoyed.
The type of energy you bring everyday is arguably more important than how you chunk your schedule. The two can be interconnected (i.e., managing your time well can help boost your energy), but not always. You tend to lose track of time when you get into a state of flow. Time is the last thing on your mind when you're absorbed in deep work or acting on an intuitive spark.
This suggestion doesn’t always match up with the reality of how we’re expected to work; mandatory meetings, expectations to be online/in the office at a certain time, overly excited children at home, and so forth. These all make it a bit harder to manage both our time and energy. But at the least, you could find out what gives you energy, and then do your best to inject those into your life, and see how that feels. If life gets in the way, it’s okay. It’s less about having a “perfect day” and more about having mostly good days.
Questions to ask yourself: What are the categories of things that have depleted my energy versus the categories of things that have given me energy? What can I do to add in more of the things that give me energy?
What I found interesting
Vitalik Buterin (creator of Ethereum) and Naval Ravikant on understanding ETH vs. BTC. On the sovereign-resistant resilience of cryptocurrencies in the face of regulation and how some authorities are coming around to the idea that blockchain technologies can be useful. (podcast, 1.5 hours)
The Science of Senolytics. A new class of drugs designed to prune senescent cells to treat specific diseases and increase lifespan. (article, 10 minutes)
How to Find Out if Someone is Stealing your Wifi. (article, 2 minutes)
How to Run Your Business Like Elon Musk. 1) Vector alignment 2) First principles 3) Build the machine 4) Hire the best. (video, 20 minutes)
Why NFTs Are Attracting Everyday People to Crypto. NFTs allow creators to sell and license digital content to users in various ways, which opens up liquidity in previously non-tradable paper rights (podcast, 38 minutes)
Crypto Trump Vision NFT from Rarible
What I enjoyed
According to Attuned.ai, my top 3 intrinsic motivators are competition, progress, and innovation. My bottom three are financial needs, status, and security. (My full report here)
“Misha doesn't tolerate monotony, believing in trying out varied tasks and alternatives.” —> Yep, I like to try new stuff and get bored easily.
“Working for a well-known brand or in a position of prestige is not an overriding concern for Misha.” —> Agreed.
“Misha doesn't readily take part in debates where partners argue based only on data and facts.”
—> Ehh, less flattering, but true. I tend to go w/ my gut more.
More than a fun tool, this can be useful to determine what kind of work environment will naturally motivate you and what kind won’t. Check it out here to find out yours for free (takes about 10-15 minutes to fill out the questionnaire and results are instant).
What I read recently
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know
“Deciding to leave a current career path is often easier than identifying a new one. My favorite framework for navigating that challenge comes from a management professor, Herminia Ibarra. She finds that as people consider career choices and transitions, it helps to think like scientists. A first step is to entertain possible selves: identify some people you admire within or outside your field, and observe what they actually do at work day by day.”
“Research shows that in courtrooms, expert witnesses and deliberating jurors are more credible and more persuasive when they express moderate confidence, rather than high or low confidence.”
“Throw out the ten-year plan. What interested you last year might bore you this year—and what confused you yesterday might become exciting tomorrow. Passions are developed, not just discovered. Planning just one step ahead can keep you open to rethinking.”
Tweets I enjoyed
Quotes I'm pondering
“Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.”
— Jordan Peterson, Beyond Order