November 20, 2024 • 12 mins
#298 - Transform your productivity by focusing on energy rather than time! We dive into the art of energy management, where the true magic of productivity and well-being lies. Learn how to harness your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy by recognizing your natural daily rhythms. I'll discuss how identifying your energy peaks and valleys can empower you to handle significant tasks when your energy is at its peak and save simpler tasks for those inevitable slumps. Understand how the mental load impacts both adults and children and how these natural rhythms can help you feel more in control and less drained.
We'll explore techniques from the chi method, emphasizing the power of intentionality in boosting both energy and motivation. Often, we go through life on autopilot, but I'll share how creating a personal flow can energize and motivate you, making your actions more purposeful and fulfilling. From strategic breaks during energy dips to incorporating energy-boosting activities into your routine, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you experience life with renewed vitality. If you find this fresh approach beneficial, feel encouraged to share it with others who might be seeking a new way to enhance their productivity and daily interactions.
Mentioned in episode:
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon
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Connect with Teresa on: Instagram or Podcast Website
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey, my name is Teresa Hildebrand and this is
Organized Chaos.
We take a deep dive into livingwith intentionality, focusing
on what's important in our livesso we can truly feel our best.
It may feel chaotic at times,but with a little organization,
the right mindset and a ton ofself-love we can still thrive.
Join me as we talk to otherbusy moms and experts who will
(00:31):
share tips and strategies tohelp you reach your goals.
Hope you enjoy this episode ofOrganized Chaos.
Now on to the show.
Hey friends, welcome back toanother episode of Organized
Chaos.
So if you're juggling a millionthings right now, like work,
business, kids, laundry, theendless to-do list, you're in
(00:51):
the right place, because todaywe're actually flipping the
script a bit.
We talk a lot about timemanagement on this podcast and,
in fact, just a little plug ifyou go to
OrganizeChaosPodcastcom, you'llsee all of the episodes for this
podcast and a ton of resources.
But one of the things that I'vebeen doing is actually
categorizing my episodes.
(01:12):
So if you're looking forsomething specific like time
management, you can go andyou'll see most of the podcast
episodes that have to do withthat specific topic.
I'm still working on gettingall of the episodes because it's
almost 300.
So it's going to take me alittle bit of time, but if
you're looking for somethingspecific, you'll be able to go
there instead of just going to apodcast platform that doesn't
(01:33):
have it that way.
So if you're looking forsomething specific like mindset
or habits and routines, just goto my website and you'll be able
to find them right away.
So, like I said, we talk a lotabout time management on this
podcast, but what if I told youthat managing your energy is
actually way more important thanmanaging your time?
So you can have all the time inthe world, but if your energy
(01:57):
is on empty, nothing's going toget done and you'll just end up
feeling drained.
I've been there too, and you'lljust end up feeling drained.
I've been there too, trying topower through when my energy
tank is flashing red, like whenyour gas tank is empty, by the
way, does that happen toeverybody?
You wait until the last minuteand then you see, oh, I need gas
(02:18):
and you're far away from gasstation, anyway.
So that's kind of how we ignorethe fact that we don't put into
our energy management.
We're just thinking about time.
So today we're going to diveinto how to manage your energy
your physical, emotional, mentaland even spiritual energy so
you can feel more in control,more productive and just
(02:41):
generally better.
All right, so let's jump in.
So first things first.
What the heck is energymanagement?
It's pretty much exactly whatit sounds like.
It's about being intentionalwith energy rather than just
trying to squeeze more hours outof the day and yes, we know we
all have 24 hours in the day andit's what you do with your
(03:03):
energy really during those hoursthat makes a difference.
But let's think about it thisway we have different types of
energy that we use every singleday.
So there's the physical energy.
This is your body's ability tokeep up with the demands of the
day, so it's about how well youfeel and rest your body.
And then there's emotionalenergy.
(03:23):
This is how you're feelingemotionally, your mood and how
you react to the things aroundyou.
And then there's mental energy.
This is the ability to focus,concentrate and think clearly.
When you're feeling mentallydrained, even the simplest task
can feel overwhelming.
And then there's spiritualenergy.
This is kind of how I see it.
(03:44):
This is like the sense ofpurpose, your why.
It's that feeling of connectionto something bigger than
yourself.
So take a moment and just thinkabout that.
Which of these types of energyfeels the most depleted for you
right now?
For me, it's often mentalenergy.
Between running a business Imean keeping up with the kids
(04:05):
and like everything in between,it's easy for my brain to feel
like it's running on fumes.
Midday that slump that you feellike three o'clock, that is
because your mental energy issuper drained, and it's not
always the physical energy.
I mean, it could be acombination, but we think so
(04:27):
much and we have so much mentalload that it can create this
physical reaction that you feellike you need to take a nap
because it's just too much.
So first I want to talk aboutlike how can you identify what's
called energy peaks and valleys?
Have you ever noticed thatthere are certain times of the
(04:49):
day when you feel likeunstoppable and then there are
times when even getting up fromthe couch feels like an Olympic
sport?
That's because we all havenatural energy peaks and valleys
throughout the day.
For example, I wake up reallyearly in the morning and I
tackle certain things, andaround 9 to 11 am is when I feel
(05:13):
the most clarity and the mostphysical energy.
Like I'm sitting right nowdoing this podcast and you can
probably hear in my voice thatI've got a lot of energy and
I've got clarity and that is myuniversal prime time.
That's when you have the mostphysical and mental energy, like
the clarity, and you feel yourbest so you tackle the most
(05:35):
important task.
But as soon as like 2ish or 3pmthat's around when I pick up
the kids there's like thisdreaded slump that comes in.
That's when I need to switchgears and focus on tasks that
are less mentally draining.
And I have found that you know,we want to know how the kids'
(05:57):
days have gone.
Like we'll ask them like, hey,how was your day, how was school
?
And you know you'll get a Idon't know.
I was fine.
You get some of those answers.
But I kind of started to thinka bit on the flip side, where
the kids have spent I don't know, seven and a half hours at
school and they're mentallydrained, and then you start
(06:17):
asking them these questions.
They really don't wanna answer,they just wanna chill.
And then later on during thenight, like in the evening time,
when they have more energy,then they want to talk about
everything and that's when I'mlike I don't have the capacity
to do that.
But we all, as humans, gothrough this.
This is a really great exercise.
(06:38):
Take like a week and track yourenergy levels throughout the
day.
Notice when you feel the mostalert and when you feel like
you're dragging.
It can be super life-changingto like align your most
important task with your energypeaks.
Imagine trying to do your mostcreative work when you're
(06:58):
running on empty.
It's just not going to work.
So, find that universal primetime for you.
We all kind of have it, and wemay have.
Find that universal prime timefor you.
We all kind of have it, and wemay have you know more than one.
But just try and figure thatout by tracking your energy
levels.
Okay, let's move on to maybesome strategies that can like
boost or even protect yourenergy.
So, because we can't just leaveit up to chance, we need to
(07:25):
figure this out.
How do we actually boost thatenergy when we really need it?
But first let me go into how dowe replenish our energy.
So this can be as simple astaking a five-minute stretch
break, grabbing a glass of wateror going for a quick walk
outside.
I like to call these likemicro-recharges.
It doesn't have to be like abig deal, it doesn't have to be
(07:46):
this big event.
Even the tiniest break can makea big difference.
And then you want to guard yourenergy.
So think of this like puttinglike a fence around your energy
reserves.
One of the best ways to do thisis by setting boundaries.
Maybe that means saying no tothings that drain you, or
(08:06):
carving out time in your dayjust for you, without the guilt.
Let's talk about the energyvampires for a second.
Now I read this book, theEnergy Bus and I forget the
author's name, but I'll put itin the show notes and he talks
about energy vampires.
So these are people oractivities that just suck the
life out of you.
(08:27):
It's okay to limit yourexposure to these things.
Your energy is super importantand it's precious, and you need
to protect it.
And then you want to fuel yourenergy, so find those activities
that naturally give you a boost.
For me, it's going for a walkor spending a few minutes
journaling.
It sets a positive tone for.
(08:48):
So what about you?
Maybe it's dancing in yourkitchen or something, or maybe
it's calling a friend, or it'slistening to your favorite
playlist.
Whatever it is, make sureyou're building it into your day
, all right.
So let's move on to how we canactually put this all together
and create a plan.
So here's a simple three-stepplan for you so you can get
(09:12):
started with managing yourenergy.
Three-step plan for you so youcan get started with managing
your energy.
So step number one is trackyour energy peaks and valleys
Next week.
Jot down when you feelenergized and when you feel
drained.
You'll start to see kind oflike this pattern.
Step number two choose oneenergy boosting activity.
So pick one small thing you cando every day to give yourself a
(09:35):
boost.
It could be as simple as afive-minute breathing exercise
or a quick walk around the block.
Step three is set energyboundaries.
Protect your energy by settinga boundary as much as possible.
Maybe it's turning off yourphone an hour before you go to
bed or saying no to somecommitment that's going to drain
(09:55):
you.
It's all about, like, thereally small changes that make
the big impact over time.
You don't have to overhaul yourentire day to see results.
You just start with one thing.
All right, so let's recap.
Today we talked about thedifference between time
management and energy management, about the difference between
(10:17):
time management and energymanagement.
So we talked about that.
There's physical, emotional,mental and spiritual energy, and
how to identify your naturalenergy peaks and valleys, like
your universal prime time, andhow that can help you work
smarter and not harder, and weput together a simple little
plan that can help you startmanaging your energy, starting
today.
Imagine if you could gothroughout your day feeling
(10:40):
energized and capable instead ofdrained and overwhelmed.
It's totally possible and itall starts by being intentional
about how you're using yourenergy.
Now, this is part of my chimethod, it's the I part
intentionality, and I do thiswith my clients and we go
(11:00):
through kind of like this energymanagement and it goes along
with motivation, because so manytimes we go through life just
going with the flow.
Now we want to create a flow,but we don't just want to go
with the flow.
We want to feel energized andwe want to feel motivated.
So I do this specificallybecause many times when I get on
(11:22):
sessions, people are takingaction.
They're just not taking eitherthe right actions or they're
taking actions with very lowenergy, and that makes a
difference.
It's not just about takingactions, it's about the way that
you take those actions and thereason why behind you taking
those actions.
(11:42):
So I challenge you to try oneof these strategies today.
Maybe take a break when you'refeeling an energy dip, or pick
an energy boosting activity toadd to your routine.
All right, well, I hope thatwas helpful.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
If you found this episodereally helped you, please take a
(12:02):
moment to follow or leave areview, or send it to a friend.
Remember you manage your energy.
You're not just managing yourday, you're changing the way you
experience life.
All right, I hope you have anamazing rest of your day and
I'll see you next week.
Hey, my name is Teresa Hildebrand and this is
Organized Chaos.
We take a deep dive into livingwith intentionality, focusing
on what's important in our livesso we can truly feel our best.
It may feel chaotic at times,but with a little organization,
the right mindset and a ton ofself-love we can still thrive.
Join me as we talk to otherbusy moms and experts who will
(00:31):
share tips and strategies tohelp you reach your goals.
Hope you enjoy this episode ofOrganized Chaos.
Now on to the show.
Hey friends, welcome back toanother episode of Organized
Chaos.
So if you're juggling a millionthings right now, like work,
business, kids, laundry, theendless to-do list, you're in
(00:51):
the right place, because todaywe're actually flipping the
script a bit.
We talk a lot about timemanagement on this podcast and,
in fact, just a little plug ifyou go to
OrganizeChaosPodcastcom, you'llsee all of the episodes for this
podcast and a ton of resources.
But one of the things that I'vebeen doing is actually
categorizing my episodes.
(01:12):
So if you're looking forsomething specific like time
management, you can go andyou'll see most of the podcast
episodes that have to do withthat specific topic.
I'm still working on gettingall of the episodes because it's
almost 300.
So it's going to take me alittle bit of time, but if
you're looking for somethingspecific, you'll be able to go
there instead of just going to apodcast platform that doesn't
(01:33):
have it that way.
So if you're looking forsomething specific like mindset
or habits and routines, just goto my website and you'll be able
to find them right away.
So, like I said, we talk a lotabout time management on this
podcast, but what if I told youthat managing your energy is
actually way more important thanmanaging your time?
So you can have all the time inthe world, but if your energy
(01:57):
is on empty, nothing's going toget done and you'll just end up
feeling drained.
I've been there too, and you'lljust end up feeling drained.
I've been there too, trying topower through when my energy
tank is flashing red, like whenyour gas tank is empty, by the
way, does that happen toeverybody?
You wait until the last minuteand then you see, oh, I need gas
(02:18):
and you're far away from gasstation, anyway.
So that's kind of how we ignorethe fact that we don't put into
our energy management.
We're just thinking about time.
So today we're going to diveinto how to manage your energy
your physical, emotional, mentaland even spiritual energy so
you can feel more in control,more productive and just
(02:41):
generally better.
All right, so let's jump in.
So first things first.
What the heck is energymanagement?
It's pretty much exactly whatit sounds like.
It's about being intentionalwith energy rather than just
trying to squeeze more hours outof the day and yes, we know we
all have 24 hours in the day andit's what you do with your
(03:03):
energy really during those hoursthat makes a difference.
But let's think about it thisway we have different types of
energy that we use every singleday.
So there's the physical energy.
This is your body's ability tokeep up with the demands of the
day, so it's about how well youfeel and rest your body.
And then there's emotionalenergy.
(03:23):
This is how you're feelingemotionally, your mood and how
you react to the things aroundyou.
And then there's mental energy.
This is the ability to focus,concentrate and think clearly.
When you're feeling mentallydrained, even the simplest task
can feel overwhelming.
And then there's spiritualenergy.
This is kind of how I see it.
(03:44):
This is like the sense ofpurpose, your why.
It's that feeling of connectionto something bigger than
yourself.
So take a moment and just thinkabout that.
Which of these types of energyfeels the most depleted for you
right now?
For me, it's often mentalenergy.
Between running a business Imean keeping up with the kids
(04:05):
and like everything in between,it's easy for my brain to feel
like it's running on fumes.
Midday that slump that you feellike three o'clock, that is
because your mental energy issuper drained, and it's not
always the physical energy.
I mean, it could be acombination, but we think so
(04:27):
much and we have so much mentalload that it can create this
physical reaction that you feellike you need to take a nap
because it's just too much.
So first I want to talk aboutlike how can you identify what's
called energy peaks and valleys?
Have you ever noticed thatthere are certain times of the
(04:49):
day when you feel likeunstoppable and then there are
times when even getting up fromthe couch feels like an Olympic
sport?
That's because we all havenatural energy peaks and valleys
throughout the day.
For example, I wake up reallyearly in the morning and I
tackle certain things, andaround 9 to 11 am is when I feel
(05:13):
the most clarity and the mostphysical energy.
Like I'm sitting right nowdoing this podcast and you can
probably hear in my voice thatI've got a lot of energy and
I've got clarity and that is myuniversal prime time.
That's when you have the mostphysical and mental energy, like
the clarity, and you feel yourbest so you tackle the most
(05:35):
important task.
But as soon as like 2ish or 3pmthat's around when I pick up
the kids there's like thisdreaded slump that comes in.
That's when I need to switchgears and focus on tasks that
are less mentally draining.
And I have found that you know,we want to know how the kids'
(05:57):
days have gone.
Like we'll ask them like, hey,how was your day, how was school
?
And you know you'll get a Idon't know.
I was fine.
You get some of those answers.
But I kind of started to thinka bit on the flip side, where
the kids have spent I don't know, seven and a half hours at
school and they're mentallydrained, and then you start
(06:17):
asking them these questions.
They really don't wanna answer,they just wanna chill.
And then later on during thenight, like in the evening time,
when they have more energy,then they want to talk about
everything and that's when I'mlike I don't have the capacity
to do that.
But we all, as humans, gothrough this.
This is a really great exercise.
(06:38):
Take like a week and track yourenergy levels throughout the
day.
Notice when you feel the mostalert and when you feel like
you're dragging.
It can be super life-changingto like align your most
important task with your energypeaks.
Imagine trying to do your mostcreative work when you're
(06:58):
running on empty.
It's just not going to work.
So, find that universal primetime for you.
We all kind of have it, and wemay have.
Find that universal prime timefor you.
We all kind of have it, and wemay have you know more than one.
But just try and figure thatout by tracking your energy
levels.
Okay, let's move on to maybesome strategies that can like
boost or even protect yourenergy.
So, because we can't just leaveit up to chance, we need to
(07:25):
figure this out.
How do we actually boost thatenergy when we really need it?
But first let me go into how dowe replenish our energy.
So this can be as simple astaking a five-minute stretch
break, grabbing a glass of wateror going for a quick walk
outside.
I like to call these likemicro-recharges.
It doesn't have to be like abig deal, it doesn't have to be
(07:46):
this big event.
Even the tiniest break can makea big difference.
And then you want to guard yourenergy.
So think of this like puttinglike a fence around your energy
reserves.
One of the best ways to do thisis by setting boundaries.
Maybe that means saying no tothings that drain you, or
(08:06):
carving out time in your dayjust for you, without the guilt.
Let's talk about the energyvampires for a second.
Now I read this book, theEnergy Bus and I forget the
author's name, but I'll put itin the show notes and he talks
about energy vampires.
So these are people oractivities that just suck the
life out of you.
(08:27):
It's okay to limit yourexposure to these things.
Your energy is super importantand it's precious, and you need
to protect it.
And then you want to fuel yourenergy, so find those activities
that naturally give you a boost.
For me, it's going for a walkor spending a few minutes
journaling.
It sets a positive tone for.
(08:48):
So what about you?
Maybe it's dancing in yourkitchen or something, or maybe
it's calling a friend, or it'slistening to your favorite
playlist.
Whatever it is, make sureyou're building it into your day
, all right.
So let's move on to how we canactually put this all together
and create a plan.
So here's a simple three-stepplan for you so you can get
(09:12):
started with managing yourenergy.
Three-step plan for you so youcan get started with managing
your energy.
So step number one is trackyour energy peaks and valleys
Next week.
Jot down when you feelenergized and when you feel
drained.
You'll start to see kind oflike this pattern.
Step number two choose oneenergy boosting activity.
So pick one small thing you cando every day to give yourself a
(09:35):
boost.
It could be as simple as afive-minute breathing exercise
or a quick walk around the block.
Step three is set energyboundaries.
Protect your energy by settinga boundary as much as possible.
Maybe it's turning off yourphone an hour before you go to
bed or saying no to somecommitment that's going to drain
(09:55):
you.
It's all about, like, thereally small changes that make
the big impact over time.
You don't have to overhaul yourentire day to see results.
You just start with one thing.
All right, so let's recap.
Today we talked about thedifference between time
management and energy management, about the difference between
(10:17):
time management and energymanagement.
So we talked about that.
There's physical, emotional,mental and spiritual energy, and
how to identify your naturalenergy peaks and valleys, like
your universal prime time, andhow that can help you work
smarter and not harder, and weput together a simple little
plan that can help you startmanaging your energy, starting
today.
Imagine if you could gothroughout your day feeling
(10:40):
energized and capable instead ofdrained and overwhelmed.
It's totally possible and itall starts by being intentional
about how you're using yourenergy.
Now, this is part of my chimethod, it's the I part
intentionality, and I do thiswith my clients and we go
(11:00):
through kind of like this energymanagement and it goes along
with motivation, because so manytimes we go through life just
going with the flow.
Now we want to create a flow,but we don't just want to go
with the flow.
We want to feel energized andwe want to feel motivated.
So I do this specificallybecause many times when I get on
(11:22):
sessions, people are takingaction.
They're just not taking eitherthe right actions or they're
taking actions with very lowenergy, and that makes a
difference.
It's not just about takingactions, it's about the way that
you take those actions and thereason why behind you taking
those actions.
(11:42):
So I challenge you to try oneof these strategies today.
Maybe take a break when you'refeeling an energy dip, or pick
an energy boosting activity toadd to your routine.
All right, well, I hope thatwas helpful.
Thank you so much for tuning in.
If you found this episodereally helped you, please take a
(12:02):
moment to follow or leave areview, or send it to a friend.
Remember you manage your energy.
You're not just managing yourday, you're changing the way you
experience life.
All right, I hope you have anamazing rest of your day and
I'll see you next week.
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