#57: From Time Management to Energy ROI

You've mastered your calendar. Colour-coded blocks, time-blocking, the works. Yet somehow you're working longer hours than ever and feeling less effective than when you started. Sound familiar?

Here's the thing everyone gets wrong about productivity: Time isn't your only constraint. Once you’ve managed your time down to the second, your energy expenditure is the next thing to focus on.

Cognitive science backs this up. Decision fatigue can degrade your judgment after making too many choices. Neural metabolic buildup literally forces your brain into low-power mode during prolonged mental work. Your attention span isn't infinite, and neither is your ability to think clearly.

The executives who crack this code optimise for Energy Return on Investment. They treat their mental and physical energy like a currency, measuring value created per unit of energy spent.

That's what we're diving into today.

Defining Energy-ROI

Think of energy as your daily operating budget. Just like capital, it's finite, fluctuates based on conditions, and demands strategic allocation.

Here's the formula: Energy-ROI = Value Created ÷ Energy Spent

I use "watts" as the unit of measurement. Writing a strategy memo might cost you 6 watts. Sitting through a poorly-run status meeting could drain 8 watts for minimal return. A focused problem-solving session with your team? Maybe 7 watts but with outsized value creation.

The key insight: energy cost isn't universal. The same task hits different people differently, and hits the same person differently throughout the day. A morning brainstorming session might cost an early riser 4 watts but cost a night owl 9 watts. An afternoon of back-to-back client calls could energise an extrovert while completely depleting an introvert.

This is why your personal energy calibration matters. You need to build a "watt ledger". Understand which activities drain you, which energise you, and when your energy peaks and valleys occur.

A lot of executives have no clue about their energy patterns. They schedule demanding work randomly throughout the day, wonder why they're exhausted by 3pm, then push through on fumes instead of working with their natural rhythms.

The solution starts with measurement. Track your energy levels alongside your tasks for one week. Note when you feel sharp versus when you're running on empty. This data becomes your competitive advantage.

Because once you know your energy economics, you can start investing your watts like a portfolio manager invests capital.

Mapping High vs. Low Energy-ROI Zones

Not all work delivers equal returns on your energy investment. To optimise your allocation, you need to map activities across two dimensions: energy cost and value output.

High-EROI Activities are your compound investments. Deep work sessions where you solve complex problems. Strategic thinking that shapes months of execution. One-on-ones that unlock a team member's potential. Writing that clarifies your thinking and drives decisions. These activities demand significant energy but create disproportionate value.

Low-EROI Energy Vampires are the silent killers. Constant email monitoring throughout the day. Slack notifications that fragment your focus. Meetings with unclear agendas where nothing gets decided. Administrative tasks you could delegate to someone who earns a third of your salary.

And there’s a trap: the most dangerous activities are high visibility but low value. They make you look busy while haemorrhaging your best energy. Responding to emails instantly feels productive because it's visible and gives you a dopamine hit. But it's often just elaborate procrastination.

The hidden killer is context switching. Every time you toggle between tasks, you pay an invisible energy tax. That quick Slack check costs you 15-20 minutes of focus recovery. Most executives pay this tax dozens of times per day without realising it.

Your homework: audit yourself for one week. Which activities leave you energised versus drained? Which creates lasting value versus just busy work? Which could you eliminate, delegate, or batch together?

The pattern will surprise you. Most people discover they're spending their peak energy on activities that any competent junior person could handle, while trying to work through the strategic work that only they can do, with depleted energy.

Execution Playbook

Now let's translate the Energy-ROI concept into how you actually plan and execute your days.

Watt-Budgeted Calendar

Stop scheduling based purely on available time slots. Start scheduling based on available energy.

First, identify your personal peak energy windows. For most people, it's the morning hours when cortisol naturally peaks. For others, it might be late morning or early evening. Protect these windows like you'd protect your most important client meeting.

Block out your high-energy periods for high-EROI work. Deep strategy sessions, complex problem-solving, creative thinking, these belong in your prime hours. Label your calendar blocks with expected energy costs: "Product Strategy - 8 watts" or "Team Reviews - 5 watts."

Reserve your lower-energy periods for routine tasks. Email processing, administrative work, and less demanding meetings can happen during your natural dips.

Recovery Buffers

Research on ultradian rhythms shows that cognitive performance declines after roughly 90 minutes of intense focus. Your brain needs reset periods to maintain peak output.

Insert 15-minute buffers between high-energy activities. Use these for breathwork, hydration, brief walks, or just sitting quietly. Don't pack your calendar like a game of Tetris. Leave space for your nervous system to recover.

The more intense the preceding activity, the longer your recovery buffer should be. Post-conflict resolution or high-stakes negotiation? Give yourself 20-30 minutes to reset.

Energy Arbitrage

Some small-time investments yield massive returns in energy. This is your arbitrage opportunity.

Power naps or non-sleep deep rest sessions of 10-15 minutes can restore 2-3 hours of peak cognitive performance. Stanford research shows that walking boosts creative output by 60% compared to sitting. A brief walk before a brainstorming session isn't time wasted.

Consider walking one-on-ones for ideation-heavy conversations. The movement and change of scenery often unlock insights that wouldn't emerge in a conference room.

Measurement Tools

Track your energy patterns with simple tools. A 1-10 energy journal noting what drained versus energised you. HRV wearables that measure nervous system recovery. Calendar colour-coding by energy cost.

The goal isn't perfect measurement. It’s to build awareness of your energy economics so you can invest your watts more strategically.

Delegation & Automation via the EROI Filter

Use Energy-ROI as your delegation triage system. Every task on your plate should pass through this filter.

Eliminate: Activities with high energy drain (7+ watts) and low output (4 or below). These are pure waste. Most "urgent" emails and status check-ins fall here.

Delegate or Automate: Medium energy cost (5+ watts) with medium value (6 or below). Calendar management, report compilation, and routine client communications. If someone else can do it 80% as well as you, they should.

Own and Protect: Low energy cost (4 or below) with high output (8+). These are your sweet spots. Strategic decisions, key relationships, and vision-setting work.

The hidden insight: even "easy" tasks carry interruption costs. A two-minute email response might cost you 20 minutes of focus recovery. Every small task creates cognitive residue that impairs your subsequent performance.

Reframe delegation as capital allocation. Every hour you spend on low-ROI work is an hour not invested in the leadership activities that only you can do. Most executives discover that 80-90% of their "critical" tasks aren't actually critical when examined through the Energy-ROI lens.

Your energy is finite. Protect it like the scarce resource it is.

Conclusion: Track Weekly EROI Delta, Not Hours

Stop measuring success by hours worked. Start tracking your Energy-ROI delta—the ratio of value created to energy invested.

Build a weekly energy audit habit. Every Sunday, ask: What energised me this week? What drained me? Where did I get the highest returns on my energy investment? Use these insights to rebalance your energy portfolio for the coming week.

Treat your energy like a hedge fund manager treats capital—constantly reallocating toward higher-yielding investments and away from energy vampires.

The best executives don't manage time. They curate energy. Your minutes are fixed, but your megajoules aren't. Invest in them like your results depend on it.

Because they do.