We all strive to be better. If you’re setting goals to improve your relationships, career, and overall wellness, time management usually pops up as a topic of coaching . . . “How do I manage my time more effectively so that I meet the expectations of my job and still have time for my family and friends?”

Lohrer & Schwartz say in their book, The Power of Full Engagement, that it’s really NOT the management of TIME, but rather the skillful management of ENERGY that is the key to high performance, health and happiness. In order to have what we want in our lives, we must be physically energized, mentally focused, emotionally connected, and spiritually aligned. To build either our individual capacity or organizational capacity we must exercise the muscles in each of these areas of our lives.

However, Bryan Robinson notes in Chained to the Desk, that “we have become a nation that enables workaholics—unbalanced and out of control and unable to slow down and nurture ourselves and our loved ones.” The “push” to work is seen in all of our work places.

Two studies in 2001 Public Agenda for the National Association of Secondary School Principals indicated that the average work week of administrators is 62 hours. With the continuing decline of financial support and increasing demands from government mandates, administrators feel pressured to increase work time even more. In the process of meeting the demands of the job, it’s very easy to sacrifice some of our basic needs, especially those that involve family and friends.

Given we all have the same number of hours in a day, managing our energy vs. our time offers us a different vantage point for how we view and spend the hours we have. It invites us to consider our life’s priorities and how we allocate our energy to align with what is most important to us. It asks, “Is all my energy going to my job with little, or no energy, left for my family?” These are interesting questions for our consideration in this New Year.

So, what is it for YOU?
Time management or energy management?