Rich in Energy

“Don’t tell me your priorities. Show me your calendar.” — Shane Parrish

CONTEXT

Most people think time is their most valuable resource. But I disagree. I think it’s energy.

Think about it— if your energy is drained (e.g., feeling under the weather), it’s impossible to use time well (even if you don’t have to go to work).

So… how do you increase your energy?

Stop doing things that steal it…

Here’s the best 3-step method to eliminate energy drains (and be more present for what truly matters):

METHOD

Step 1. Review

Look back on your calendar from the last 7 days. (Your meetings should already be in there. Easy.)

Add in some time blocks for any big activities you did (e.g., tasks at work, social events, workouts, etc).

Step 2. Rate

Reflect on each task and mark it as either Green (it gave you energy) or Red (it drained your energy).

For me, green might be:

• 2 hours of deep work on my top priority
• Getting lunch with an inspiring friend or mentor
• A morning workout

Red might be:

• Meetings with no agenda
• Household chores
• Events I said ‘yes’ to out of obligation

(There are no neutrals. Neutrals are red.)

Step 3. Remove

Notice the patterns. For everything red, ask yourself 3 questions:

1. Does this need to happen? Really?
2. If it’s not mission-critical, eliminate it. Make ‘no’ your default.
3. If it does need to happen… do you need to be the one to do it? Could you delegate it? (You’d be surprised how much can be outsourced: laundry, meal prep, scheduling meetings, etc.)
4. If you need to be the one to do it, how can you make the experience more energy-raising? (e.g, When doing chores, I listen to a playlist or audiobook I love. For all my meetings, I ask the owner for an agenda in advance).

CLOSING THOUGHTS

You’ll be shocked by how many energy-draining things in your calendar don’t actually need to happen.

The goal is to spend most of your time (75-80%) doing things that energize you. Keep eliminating, delegating, or optimizing the “reds” until you hit that ratio.

Hat-tip to Matt Mochary (one of the best executive coaches in the world). He makes all of his clients do this— including the CEOs of Reddit, OpenAI, Notion, among others.

You can actually check out Matt’s other productivity tips in this legendary google doc. (I kinda can’t believe he gave his whole technique away for free).

Until next week,

Jade

Fun side note: Happy birthday to my mom! Spending today with her is the kind of thing I’m prioritizing my energy for. ❤️

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