In the previous article, I discussed the four stages I faced in time management 🧵. Ultimately, we concluded that while the core of time management for me is prioritization, it remains an extremely challenging topic.
What I’m going to talk about next is what I’ve learned in the past six months.
🌟 Lesson 1: I’ve always thought about time management, but “energy management” is actually more important.
Reflecting on the mistaken belief I mentioned in Stage 3: “There exists a brilliant optimization method that can complete all tasks perfectly.” It took me a long time just to realize and accept that this belief was wrong.
I found that many times it’s not that I “don’t have time to do things,” but rather that I’m “procrastinating” or “don’t want to do them”! So, naturally, I thought it was just a matter of “lack of self-discipline”. ️This implied: if I just stopped procrastinating, I could get more done!
But I didn’t realize that “time” is not the most crucial factor affecting whether I can complete each task; “energy” is the key. Energy here can refer to both physical stamina and psychological energy.
When I don’t have energy, no matter how many tasks I try to take on, I just don’t have the energy. Realizing that human energy is limited, many times, it’s not “laziness” but rather a lack of energy that makes us unmotivated.
💡 You have already given your all, but you still think you have more to give.
Energy management can be a topic for another article, but in short, here are a few points:
- Context switching is very energy-consuming. Every time you switch task modes, it takes time and energy.
- Many tasks may take the same amount of time but consume vastly different amounts of energy. If you only look at the time aspect, you may easily overestimate what you can accomplish.
- Everyone’s way of gaining and consuming energy is different; you can’t directly replicate others’ behaviors because the energy flow is different. You might think, “But some people can be very efficient; I believe I can too.” But what you may not realize is that they might have a huge energy reserve supporting them, which you don’t. You don’t see that for them, doing many things is energizing, while for you, it’s draining.
Therefore, instead of thinking about endlessly optimizing time, try to optimize your energy 🔥!
🌟 Lesson 2: We always try to “add” to meet our needs, but is it possible that “subtracting” might be the answer?
A common misconception in the endless pursuit of efficiency is that your past achievements mostly came from “working hard” on “many” things, so naturally, you think that “trying a bit harder” will allow you to achieve more. If you don’t reach your goals, it’s because “you didn’t work hard enough,” or you lack certain skills or resources.
But my current life realization is that after optimizing life to a certain stage, “letting go” becomes key. Understanding yourself, knowing what kind of person you are, what you value, and what your beliefs are can help you identify your sticking points and what’s important to you.
- Let go of “thinking you can do everything.”
- Let go of “endlessly optimizing your life.”
- Let go of the idea that “hard work alone will get you everything.”
- Let go of the notion that “you have enough ability; you just need to work harder.”
- Let go of the desire to “quickly find a solution to everything.”
I think the idea of subtraction in life after 30 applies not only to social circles but also to personal beliefs.
I’m practicing awareness and understanding my habits, unconscious behaviors, and limiting beliefs. Discovering that my deep-seated emphasis on efficiency might be something I can reconcile with doesn’t mean giving it up completely, but understanding the possibilities that letting go might bring, which could make life more comfortable.
🌟 Lesson 3: Efficiency is not the ultimate goal, nor is productivity. What’s more important is what you are pursuing behind achieving high productivity.
I remember a story my coach once told me: He said that every evening he would go for a walk to relax, but when he came up with various ideas, he would stop to jot them down on his phone to avoid forgetting them.
One day, while recording an idea on his phone, he suddenly thought, what is the reason for interrupting his walk to use his phone?
- If it’s to avoid losing good ideas, then what’s the purpose of recording these ideas?
- If it’s for developing his coaching business, then what’s the ultimate goal of developing his coaching business?
- If it’s to make more money, then what’s the purpose of making all that money?
- If the purpose of making money is to avoid worrying about basic needs and to enjoy every moment, then when he goes for a walk now, shouldn’t he just enjoy the moment of walking and the feeling of living in the present?
Of course, real situations involve many complex factors, and the above is just a hypothetical scenario. But what I heard from the story is:
what are we ultimately trying to achieve behind pursuing a highly efficient and productive life?
Is it possible that even without high efficiency and high output, you can achieve that feeling?
I’ll leave the question to you all.
In conclusion, the pursuit of efficiency is deeply ingrained in my beliefs and thoughts. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, but my persistent pursuit of it hasn’t led me to the answers I seek. Seeing different possibilities, understanding things from a comprehensive perspective, and being aware of the life you want and the lifestyle that suits you are more important than merely chasing efficiency.
Of course, I think this is a very challenging issue, and I’m still learning and exploring it myself. I hope everyone can find the method that suits them best.
For those who want to explore together, feel free to schedule a chat with me wwww😉
