10 Time Management Strategies to Boost Your Energy for Greater Success

If you work in the high-stress, fast-paced alternative investment industry, you know just how important it is to approach your work with optimal energy and mental clarity — every decision counts. However, the stress and fast pace of the job might not always promote the energy and mental clarity you need. If you don’t pay careful attention to your well-being, you can find yourself in an even worse spot, trying to juggle your demanding daily routine with a lackluster supply of energy.

Luckily, with the right time management skills, you can seamlessly integrate habits into your daily routine that will help boost your energy, productivity, and mindfulness. Here’s what you need to know.

The 4 Types of Energy

First, it’s important to recognize that there are four types of energy.

1. Physical Energy

Physical energy fuels your physical health and all the activity throughout your day. To have more physical energy, you must get proper nutrition, exercise, and rest.

2. Mental Energy

Mental energy is necessary for all strenuous mental tasks—problem-solving, analysis, creativity, innovation, etc. Ever notice how a particularly stimulating conversation, learning something new, or completing a challenging puzzle makes you feel ready to take on more of the same? It’s because tasks like these build up your mental energy, allowing you to take on more mentally challenging tasks over time.

3. Emotional Energy

If you’ve ever felt like you just can’t deal with the people or circumstances around you and need to get away from it all, your emotional energy might not be in a great place. This can negatively impact your mental energy and, eventually, your physical energy. Ensuring your emotional energy remains positive requires engaging in proper stress management techniques, cultivating positive relationships, and practicing mindfulness.

4. Spiritual Energy

Easy to overlook, spiritual energy drives your purpose, values, and passions. If your spiritual energy is in a good place, you’ll have more motivation to follow your passions and greater resilience in the face of hardship. Maintaining your spiritual energy requires reflection, connection, and meaningful activities.

10 Time Management Strategies for Sustained Energy

While all four types of energy are different and require different measures, there are some actions you can take to increase your energy overall. These ten tactics are easy to incorporate but provide big benefits.

1. Prioritize Sleep for Restoration

You won’t have enough energy without enough sleep (seven-plus hours per night for the average adult). Poor sleep particularly affects your mental and physical energy but can also negatively impact your emotional and spiritual energy.

Establish a consistent sleep schedule (even over the weekends or during a vacation) and make small changes to improve your sleep hygiene, such as not looking at electronic devices for an hour or two before bed, engaging in relaxing activities like meditation, or creating a more comfortable sleep environment. Sleep is a major investment in your cognitive capital.

2. Schedule High–Focus Tasks for Peak Energy Times

No matter the type of energy, pay attention to when and where your energy is highest, and then schedule tasks that require that energy for those times and places.

For example, if your physical energy is at its highest first thing in the morning, exercise right when you wake up. If your mental energy peaks mid-morning, that’s likely when your focus is best, so complete high-focus tasks such as market analysis, strategic planning, and critical decision-making during that time. If your emotional energy is at its highest in the late afternoon, use that time to have hard conversations that require empathy and understanding or to build important relationships.

This will increase your productivity and ensure you’re getting the highest return from your energy reserves, no matter how high or low your overall energy levels are.

3. Manage Willpower and Distractions

Making changes to boost your energy may be easy but will still require willpower. Aligning your tasks with your natural energy fluctuations can boost your willpower, though, as it’s easier to complete tasks when your energy is high.

Distractions, however, will derail your willpower. As such, take measures to manage and minimize distractions so you can use your energy appropriately.

For example, if you’re tapping into your highest mental energy levels in the morning, you don’t want to be distracted by tasks that don’t require much mental energy at all, such as replying to routine emails or comments on social media; put the phone away and log out of your email so that you can focus on those high mental energy tasks. Likewise, if you’re trying to complete a task that must be done while energy reserves are low, block out these distractions so your energy isn’t wasted when you need it most.

4. Schedule Physical Activity into Your Day

As mentioned, physical activity can boost your overall energy levels. Getting in exercise means you’ll have more energy later in the day, and even into the next day, to exercise again and attack your tasks with greater mental clarity.

Do you struggle to find time for an hour-long trip to the gym every day? Short workouts, such as a brisk walk, a quick yoga session, or a 10-minute high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session, can work just as well to boost energy.

5. Meal Prep on the Weekends

You’ve probably noticed that a poor diet affects overall energy, which is why eating a carb-heavy meal at lunch leaves you craving a mid-afternoon snooze. Master the art of meal prepping on the weekends when you have more free time, so you always have a healthy, energy-boosting meal handy, even during busy workdays.

6. Utilize Technology for Efficient Scheduling

Use time management tools and apps to schedule your work to align with your highest energy levels. Then, stick to that schedule. You can monitor whether your schedule approach is working by using similar tech to track your progress on high-priority tasks and then adjust accordingly.

7. Take Short, Energizing Breaks

Sometimes, all you need to feel more energized, particularly for mental and emotional energy, is just a simple break from whatever is draining your energy. Step away from the desk and do some deep breathing exercises or go on a quick walk. You may be surprised at how well these short breaks recharge your mind and body throughout the day.

8. Embrace the Power of Positive Social Interactions

While it’s easy to see how positive social interactions provide a boost of mental, emotional, and spiritual energy, it’s also easy to forget to prioritize those social interactions to keep the good energy flowing.

Use your scheduling tools to prioritize incorporating such interactions into your life, whether scheduling a mid-week lunch with a friend or colleague, a coffee check-in with a coworker, or a social activity at the end of the week.

9. Set Realistic Goals and Deadlines

One thing that will quickly drain your mental energy is feeling like you’ll never reach an impossible goal. That’s why it’s so important to set achievable goals and deadlines. Be honest with yourself about what you can do so that you maintain energy and motivation. In the alternative investment industry, particularly, breaking large tasks into manageable segments and celebrating small wins can keep you motivated and focused on the end goal.

10. Incorporate Stress Management Techniques

Mindfulness and stress management can help you maintain your energy levels. Avoid and mitigate stress by practicing meditation throughout the day, delegating tasks so that you’re not overwhelmed, and developing a strong support network within the industry.

The Bottom Line

Keeping your energy levels high is key to success in the high-stakes world of alternative investments, but luckily, taking measures to do so won’t require you to give up any substantial amount of valuable time. By gradually using the above time management strategies, you can fuel your workday with sustained energy, sharper focus, and unwavering stamina — transforming the way you navigate the industry’s demands.

For more help holistically caring for your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health and, as a result, greater success in the industry, schedule a complimentary call with an Arootah executive coach.

Additionally, be sure to sign up for our upcoming Fireside Chat on Thursday, April 25th, with featured speaker and NY Times bestselling author Stephen M.R Covey to discuss time management principles.