The Wrong Resource

We've all been told a lie.

We've been told, likely our entire lives, that productivity is all about getting more done in the time we have. Maybe even in less time. Stephen Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and First Things First) and David Allen (Getting Things Done), amongst many others, have convinced us that there is a key to being more productive. And that key is simple:

We must manage our time.

It is so baked into modern culture that the idea that time is one of, if not the, most precious resources available to us goes back centuries. Millenia even. Greek philosophers emphasized this point, and in modern times, people such as Warren Buffett have emphasized that our time is more important than money. Time blocking has become de rigueur, with entire apps, courses, and books available to teach you how to completely fill every spare moment in your calendar.

And, for their price, they will convince you why it is the key to unlocking your life.

Should we believe them?

From the outside, many of these hustle gurus have found the answers. Their lives are evidence that their systems "work". They have apparent credibility.

Too much of modern productivity and time management focuses on the exact wrong resource. Sure, we can fill our calendars. We can have meeting after meeting. We can run around madly, every spare second filled. We all know those people. Maybe we are those people.

You know, those people who are so busy. All the time. We see them doing, well, something constantly, and we are impressed at how productive they are. It is an accusation that has been levied against me on many occasions. We see these people with no time to even catch their breath, and we marvel at their productivity.

But I think we've been sold a lie.

Time is not our most precious resource. Time management shouldn't be the productivity goal we chase. There is a resource that is far more valuable than our time. It's also one that will run out before we run out of time.

That resource is our energy.

Our most valuable, most finite resource that must be managed is our energy. It is fleeting and fading and will be exhausted before we run out of time. Unless you have access to large amounts of cocaine, I suppose.

Productivity, therefore, must be rethought. Time management isn't the goal.

Energy management must be.

It is easy to dismiss this difference at first. But we can't. It is too important. When we begin to think about managing our energy rather than our time, we start to approach life differently. How often have we said yes to something because it fit in our calendar, only to regret it, crash out, or simply go through the motions because we didn't have the energy to dedicate to it?

(Raises hand awkwardly.)

For years, I've said yes too often. It was always well-intentioned. I didn't want to disappoint someone. I didn't want to miss out. I thought I would get behind if I didn't say yes. Whatever the reason, the end result was the same. I said yes.

And I crashed out.

When I started Imperfect Practice, I had the epiphany that much of my burnout was because I had given up on creative pursuits. This was a mistake born out of the time management fallacy. I didn't have time for those activities. They either didn't fit in my schedule or weren't priorities.

Since I first wrote that, I have come to understand it was more than that. I was giving time more importance than energy.

Creative work energizes me. It always has. That was why, as a child, I painted with my grandma or made (really bad) movies with my cousins. It was why, as a teenager, I wrote stories.

It was why, all my life, I have been a dreamer, going on fantastical voyages in my own mind.

Do these activities require energy? Of course they do. But for me, they gave back as well.

But being productive meant I forsook those activities in favor of "higher-priority" ones. The activities that would let others see how busy I was. Those are the ones that made the calendar. The task list.

Those were the ones that took far more energy than they could ever replenish. Those activities were the energy vampires.

Managing my time, not energy, was bleeding me dry.

Managing energy over time is a mindset change. It doesn't come naturally or easily. The reason is simple: The system punishes inefficiency.

The world tells us we need to do more with less. Hustle culture convinces us that the secret to fulfillment is found in embracing the grind. That is where we find ourselves, our purpose. The more full our time is with what the world considers valuable, the better people we are.

This isn't some hypothetical, either.

The US work ethic isn't one of getting things done. Instead, it endlessly emphasizes business. The appearance of productivity is (little g) god. Spend more time doing. Fill that schedule.

Studies have shown that in the US, we work, on average, about 350-400 more hours a year than people in most other 1st world countries. That is a staggering number. But more staggering is this: that doesn't translate to any measurable increase in productivity. In the US, despite working those extra hours, we don't produce, per worker, more GDP, more products, more demonstrable results.

We work more, but don't get more work done.

I've seen it, lived it, and continue to exist in that system. I've seen professionals be incredibly inefficient, doing in 8 hours what could (and maybe should) be done in 4. And the system heaps praise on them. I've seen others (and am one such) who can get done in 6 hours what others will do in 8-10. And then been criticized and punished for not being sufficiently "productive".

This system is failing us.

So we need to improve our own systems.

There is incredible power in prioritizing your personal energy. Learning to manage that, building systems that focus on that, is a freeing change.

Saying "no" becomes an essential tool. Setting boundaries liberates us. Rather than considering our time, considering our energy allows us to say no to unnecessary activities. These boundaries improve our lives and our work.

That doesn't give us license to say no to everything. In fact, we learn to hone our priorities, allowing us to recognize unimportant things, while improving our ability to engage in what matters more. We understand that saying yes requires our limited energy, and learn how best to use that precious resource.

Consider the following scenarios:

Meaningful exercise takes time. Time that could be spent on our task list. A time-first mindset tells us not to waste it working out. But an energy-first mindset recognizes that, with consistency, regular exercise improves and increases our energy.

The priority becomes obvious.

Time-first productivity tells us we should burn the midnight oil. Put in those extra hours. Sleep is for suckers. Energy-first productivity understands that adequate, good-quality sleep makes us more able to perform in every aspect of our lives, so we head to bed at a decent time.

Hustle culture urges us to stay in the office late, send those emails, finish that report (or clinic notes in my case). Recognizing the importance of energy management helps us understand we will be better at work and at home if we set and respect reasonable boundaries.

Yes, there will still be times we need to push, to extend beyond our normal limits. Those times are important and essential.

But they must be exceptions.

And with practice — and better systems for ourselves — those times become less frequent or urgent.

This mindset shift — from a time-first mindset to an energy-first one — isn't easy. The modern world pushes against it. Between constant work demands, constant attention demands (from our phones, social media, endless entertainment at our fingertips), and a drive to do more with less, we have to advocate for ourselves.

We have to be our own stewards. Your energy is your most personal, most fleeting, and most in-demand resource. Every day has the same 24 hours. But we won't have the same energy every day.

The first step is recognition. Recognition that every ask, every activity, will affect our energy. Once we understand that, the next steps become more clear. Our task list takes on a different meaning. Our calendar as well. We no longer see empty space on that calendar as a condemnation. It becomes an invitation.

An invitation to energize yourself.

And that is true productivity.