Protect your energy like you protect your time

There is a common rule in professional life to “protect your time”. The aim is that you maximises your time on value-producing activities thereby maximising value.

I think we can rephrase/expand this rule to include someone’s energy. I am talking about the mental energy that you draw on to focus and do work. Even if you have the time available, you can’t be productive if you don’t have the energy.

Things that drain energy include long work days, staying still and boring tasks. Things that produce energy are stimulating ideas, blue-sky thinking and exercise.

There you go!!