Battling Busyness? Don't Manage Your Time; Manage Your Energy.

lpachence

Oct 7

5 min read

Before I get to the punchline, take a moment and ask yourself this:

"Am I safe? Do I belong?"

To some extent, we are always scanning for the answer to these questions. It's biologically wired into our systems to seek safety and belonging in a group of humans since the beginning of human history.

And yet, the threat (perceived or real) to our safety and belonging is the seed of our deepest core fears, even in modern times. The fears of Not enough... Rejection... Abandonment... Being seen as too much... Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of standing out, fear of mediocrity, and so on.

The fall season is one of the busiest times of the year, with a combination of

New school year
The Q4 push
Businesses budgeting for the next year
Getting "everything in before the holidays"
The holidays themselves

And guess what? When we’re busy, we more quickly fall into automatic, which easily reverts to survival, which leads to a fight/flight/freeze/fawn state. And that state sends signals to our brains that we’re not safe, that we’re under threat, that we need to figure our way out or our lives are in jeopardy.

Thanks for sticking with me to the punchline - Busyness is an internal battle that leads to burnout because our basic brains are wired for survival, not happiness.

And we unintentionally reinforce the busyness and burnout trap by trying to strategize better, or have AI fix our calendars, or or just “survive” the busy times, or wait until next year, or or or.

Our fears drive much of our behavior. And our behavior directs our focus, our time, and our energy.

…Or lack thereof.

Getting Kicked Out of the Village

For the longest time, I thought I was a shy introvert. Turns out, I actually had leftover social anxiety and trauma from my young years.

Was I safe? Did I belong?

Yes. But I spent most of my time and brain space fearing that I didn't. I was so focused on fixing my weirdness, fitting in, being valuable (and valued), and overachieving, all to make sure I wouldn't "get kicked out of the village."

Not only was I constantly overcommitted due to an external striving of trying to achieve more (and more and more), but I would topple into overwhelm and burnout quite often. This didn’t get better when I became an entrepreneur ;).

Not only did the cycle of busyness sap my time, more importantly, it completely drained my…

ENERGY.

Your Most Precious Resource Isn't Time

Consider that time isn't your most precious resource. Your ENERGY is.

In The 7 Types of Rest, Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith names the real problem: we live in a "culture of high-achieving, high-producing, chronically tired and chronically burned-out individuals."

We all talk about the importance of time, but only in so much as it GIVES us something. More success, presence, satisfaction, achievement, value, money.

Managing time doesn't give us MORE of that. Managing our energy DOES.

And more specifically, fueling ourselves up with WHAT MATTERS gives us that. Where our intention and attention goes, our energy flows.

5 Under-Discussed Areas That Directly Impact Your Time and Energy

We are a notoriously BUSY and overwhelmed society these days. While there are many hacks and time management tips, usually these just rearrange the furniture on a crumbling foundation rather than look at the root of the issues.

Less talked about is the focus on energy and how to manage it ESPECIALLY in the busiest times of the year for coaches, business owners, leaders, and caregivers.

So where does one start to manage your energy? Take a look at the 5 under-discussed areas that can directly increase your energy, and keep you present when time is short.

1. SELF-AWARENESS

Self-awareness is the primary building block of emotional intelligence. Awareness is at the center of EVERYTHING. With awareness comes choice, and with choice comes responsibility and change. When you recognize your ability to choose and change, you close the energy leaks that come from feeling victimized, at effect, and out of control. When we get busy, our Awareness and Intention go out the window because we’re being driven by automatic, NOT our intended purpose. Exercise awareness, reflection, and intention to cut through the busy noise.

2. COMPASSION

In 2021, Forbes looked at the research on the most important leadership skill. The answer? EMPATHY, a sister to compassion. According to FastCompany.com, 48% of the workforce is leaving their jobs because of the lack of care they experience from their companies, and it's feeding their stress levels. Empathy and compassion are POWERFUL. They directly impact innovation, engagement, retention, inclusivity, cooperation, and work/life balance. When we show compassion to ourselves and others, the bar of energy immediately elevates as pressure to perform or be inauthentic decreases.

3. CONNECTION

Loneliness is a leading driver of burnout in the workplace, and it certainly holds true for entrepreneurs. If we're not surrounding ourselves with mentors, coaches, cheerleaders, champions, and challengers, our resources run dry. Literally, energetically, and spiritually. Connection is an energy turbocharger, and this holds true for introverts as well. Self-connection and connection to those who are “safe havens” boost energy.

4. PURPOSE

Self-actualization and finding work that's meaningful, is the top emotional intelligence skill needed for both success and happiness in your career (EQi 2.0). If we're not fueling our own passion, we're fueling someone else's, and draining ourselves if we're not intentional about our own path to fulfillment.

5. SELF-CARE

Caring for self. Something obvious, but under practiced. Designing rest times, days off, and moments to "digest" are key habits of high achievers. In High Performance Habits, Brendon Burchard's research shows that high performers actually GAIN energy throughout the day, because they're intentional about refueling constantly. 5 minutes count. A deep breath counts. Getting up and doing a lap around your office counts.

So, What's Available to You?

Awareness, compassion, connection, purpose, and care FUEL us.

They literally give us energy, creativity, and the grit to build the big lives we're up to. And they eliminate the need to constantly scan our environment for the answer to "Am I safe? Do I belong?" Rather, they put us back in the driver’s seat, elevate our energy, slow down our nervous system, and give us more moments where we feel like we have all the time in the world (even for just 5 minutes!).

So let me ask you this, in the busyness of the Fall season…

If you had no fear of "being kicked out of the village," and you were fully fueled up on time and energy… what would be available to you?