5 Ways to Be More Productive By Managing Your Energy

Productivity is all about output. The more you achieve, the more accomplished you feel. But more isn’t always better. The quality of what you produce is just as important as the quantity. And one of the most powerful ways to maximize the quality of your output is to manage your energy.

Your energy is like the fuel in your car—an empty tank won’t take you far.

But the biggest difference between your car’s fuel tank and your own is that what refuels your car is universal. Unless you’re driving a high-performance vehicle, fuel is fuel. But when it comes to your personal fuel tank, what fuels or recharges you is specific to you.

To maximize your productivity, you’ll want to spend time getting to know yourself. Understanding your signals, your rhythms, and your greatest sources of energy will bump your productivity up exponentially.

When it comes to your personal fuel tank, what fuels or recharges you is specific to you.

5 tips for managing your energy to boost your productivity

Let me share some of my favorite tips on how you can keep your energy in the max productivity zone.

1. Know your low-energy tells

Let's go back to the car analogy. Imagine the feeling you get when you’re stuck in traffic. You look at your dashboard, and the emergency fuel light has come on. It’s a stressful moment to bear, but it’s also a gift. You never have to wonder how your car’s fuel tank is doing. Blissfully, it carries no emotional baggage. When the needle hits "E," it’s time to refuel.

You, on the other hand, are not always so clear in your signaling. I know, for example, that when my ten-year-old starts rolling on the floor like a toddler, her tank has hit empty. Her 12-year-old sister, on the other hand, sends a similar message through sass and attitude.

Know what behaviors tend to signal the need for an energy recharge.

What I’ve just described are my daughters' tells. You're an adult, so I'm guessing you don't tend to roll on the floor. But I’d bet there’s something you habitually do when your body is trying to send a signal. It may be reaching for a cookie, daydreaming, or experiencing a sudden intolerance for the lady in the next cubicle whose laugh is more like a cackle.

The advice here is to pay attention to you. Know what behaviors tend to signal the need for an energy recharge. We can’t solve a problem until we’ve spotted a problem. Consider keeping a journal for a couple of days and note the trends. You’ll spot your tells quickly.

You’ll never produce your best work on an empty tank. So, learn how to spot when it’s...

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