There are two tinted glasses through which we can look at our limited resources and faculties. One is precise, coordinated, and useful for science, but one aligns with the human experience.
We are not machines or experiments to be meticulously measured. We are complex, conscious beings. It is a mistake to apply only one simplifying framework when we manage our limited resources, disregarding the underlying force that actually gets things done.
Time Management
You’ve seen this term everywhere. Make the most of your hours! Every hour has a monetary opportunity cost, after all. Your greatest resource is time, because time is scarce and our lives are limited in length.
There are tons of techniques to cure procrastination and try to soak up the value of our time before it drips away. The Pomodoro technique. The 5-minute rule. Time blocking using a calendar.
I don’t fully disagree with these techniques, but rather their framing. We don't operate like machines and we shouldn't make ourselves into them either. Time can be a useful metric but it doesn’t account for humanity’s emotion, attention, or energy.
Energy Management
Unlike the linear nature of how we perceive time, energy is fluid, cycling, shifting from moment to moment. It can change in a given context, a time of the day with our circadian rhythms, or it can build momentum, depending on our long-term health. Just watch a student walk into their least favorite class - the energy seems to drain right out of them. Now watch this same student doing something they love - they are filled up with energy.
Energy is not spent in a linear fashion, like time is. Some things fill us with energy, and others may drain it. What determines this is a complex relationship between our health, worldview, and values.
This counter-intuitive idea leads to more insights and clues on where we should shift our attention.
For instance, Adam Grant’s book on the value of giving, *Give and Take*, recounts a case study where a teacher who worked tirelessly to support to her students was able to avoid burnout by spending *more time* helping students. Instead of giving more time in her daily job as a teacher, she decided to start a nonprofit where she volunteered 8 hours on Saturdays to connect disadvantaged honors students with learning opportunities.
After volunteering she should have LESS energy, not more, right? Her time and energy surely would be better rejuvenated by taking a break, and taking time for herself, right?
Wrong.
By giving *in a different way*, this teacher was able to see the direct impact she had on those honors students, who were very grateful. It felt more meaningful to freely volunteer for a whole day and see the results of her effort, unlike the habitual, draining, dispersed form of giving within her classroom for 8 hours every day. The time she spent aligned with her giving values, creating a beacon of energy that permeated the rest of her life.
If this teacher did not value giving and making an impact, this newfound energy would be inaccessible. This is how our values and our perception create our energy landscape. Our energy and curiosity in a context can be blocked by beliefs and aversions we hold onto.
I have experienced this myself. I used to be the kid who didn’t particularly like school as an experience, and would much prefer being at home and playing video games. Up until 9th grade, I valued entertainment and fun and school seemed like a bland place where I was forced to do monotonous things. My energy during those times trickled like a dirty pipe due to my perception of school.
Upon a splurge of self-improvement books, a newfound interest in philosophy, and an ongoing process of questioning my values - my worldview started to shift. I started to see school as an opportunity to learn and grow. I wanted my highest value to be learning for its own sake. I told myself the only thing holding me back from enjoying school was my view of it. I told myself and others I actually did enjoy school (even when I didn’t) until eventually, it became true. I found myself making the most of every day, filled with a vigor and access to energy I couldn’t have previously dreamed of.
I know my experience is not a special case, because I am still surrounded by hundreds of students today in high school who in one way or another take their education for granted, with little other reason than “it’s boring” or “too much work.” All that is holding them back is their perception of school as work and not as a potentially fun opportunity to grow and expand.
Energy is often driven by interest - relevance to what we see as ourselves: our values, our passions, our goals. When a subject is disconnected from ourselves, perceived as different, we lack a basic energy for it. Math is a common subject where many students fail to see its application to anything else. If interest carves the channels of energy, then our biggest obstacle is tearing down the perceived differences in different perspectives, subjects, and people, focusing instead on finding new connections. That way, our interest forms a network of deep and expansive energy channels that permeate many aspects of life.
If we can do this, we will engage with the world with a sharp focus and accessibility to energy nearly anywhere. And as for the monotonous things that inevitably drain our energy, we will just have to put up with them momentarily until we can keep exploring and learning.
This way of framing our existence is vital because if time is THE yardstick we measure our lives by, then the longer people lived, the richer they were - and this is just clearly wrong. I believe that the richest life is one of expansive depth, energy, and presence - an existence that opens up and actively engages with the world rather than hyper-fixating on a distant goal or materialistic aim and taking each moment for granted until there is no time left. To me, energy is life and a lack of presence is almost a form of death.
Sure, time is important, but energy is how we should measure our lives - for energy is what we need to make change and live deeply. The main purpose and value of my life is to catalyze the spread of this vital energy for others and myself, opening doors to advancements in health, agency, joy, curiosity, and creativity.
