W09 - Practice and Insights on Energy Management

Last week I chatted with Yunfei about work updates, and he asked me again where I find the time. I recall several colleagues have asked me this more than once. I've given brief verbal answers before; this time I'll provide a systematic reply about my understanding and practice on this question.

Last year I went through an iteration: shifting from managing time to managing energy.How to understand the difference between time and energy? Personal productivity is determined not only by time but also by health, family, life, worldview and other factors. It's a systemic issue; showing off in time management alone isn't sustainable.

I summarized a formula:Effectiveness = Goals * Efficiency * TimeFor an individual to achieve good effectiveness, there must be clear goal setting, scientific efficiency improvements, and reasonable time allocation. Time is a scarce resource, and good time management means good investment. Making invested resources run efficiently may be the key lever of this formula. Scientific, sustainable efficiency measures are what energy management must solve. To give an extreme example: under a 007 work regime, no matter how excellent the time management, you can't avoid eventual physical collapse and family breakdown, and overall effectiveness becomes zero.

If you search for "energy management," you'll mostly find methods derived from Jim Loehr's Energy Management. Loehr breaks energy management into four levels. If efficiency at maximum equals being "fully engaged," then full engagement = abundant physical energy + emotional connection + clear thinking + strong will. It involves consciously changing and adjusting life habits to build balance and achieve fulfillment in both work and personal life.

Below are my practices and experiences with this approach.

Level 1: Physical energy. The body is the capital of any undertaking. Some people succeed simply by living a long time.

• Develop health awareness, learn basic nutrition and medical knowledge, sense what your body needs, and respond proactively.

• Create flexible plans, use fragmented time well, and prepare for interruptions by random events. Don't create large reserved blocks of time with hour-level precision, because at big companies you often lack the conditions to execute them. Every company has its own inertia and rhythm; don't fight against it. Being rigid is unsustainable and only increases frustration. Face reality and adjust proactively. Use lunch breaks, commute time, etc., to find a schedule that works for you. Take exercise (aimed at maintaining healthy fitness) as an example. Here is a plan I don't recommend: exercising Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8 p.m. for one hour each time. The plan is too granular, and you shouldn't cling to it rigidly—build in some tolerance for randomness. For example, aim for three hours of exercise per week with no fixed number of sessions and a minimum of 15 minutes per session. If someone says 15 minutes isn't enough to go to the gym and change clothes, find ways to eliminate those preparation steps; our goal is to improve efficiency.

Level 2: Emotions. A person's reality is essentially the sum of all social relationships. Manage your social relationships well and guard against fires in the backyard.

• Emotions affect judgement. Learning some basics of psychology and sociology and widening your humanistic perspective helps cultivate resilience and increase tolerance. Accept the existence of things you disagree with and accept your own flaws.

• Social relationships are complex, especially the multiple layers within a family. You need to manage intimate relationships and relationships with your family of origin. Also pay attention to the social environments of your partner and parents. For example, understand whether your partner's workplace culture is upright or toxic. We can't avoid being disgusted by dirty things, but we must ensure we are not contaminated.

Level 3: Thinking. Use tools well. Thinking skills are trainable.

• Learn some neuroscience and brain-health knowledge to better use tools and free up your mind. A good thinking state is self-perceptible. To give an extreme example: in bipolar disorder mania, patients' thoughts can be extremely active and creative, with a heightened self-awareness. It's hard for normal people to experience such clarity; it's said that through spiritual practice one can sustain such a state. We only need to know such a state exists as a goal—most of the time, it's enough for the mind to be clear. Working memory is scarce; using a note-taking app that suits you (Omni series, OneNote, Evernote, Agenda, etc.) can free you from trivial temporary memory burdens. The brain needs multi-domain switching to recover and rest; rushing from one meeting to another every day won't produce a good thinking state. Appropriate solitude (walking), meditation (apps like Tide), and engaging with humanities content (platforms like Li Xiang, Wenhua Zongheng) may spark creativity at work.

• Time management. The core of time management is subtraction. Gradually reduce trivial tasks to improve efficiency and free up more time for high-value activities. "Subtraction" is an art that requires letting go—giving up leisure time, low-priority tasks, and some people's expectations of you. When to let go and how to let go takes practice and growth to learn; I'm still feeling my way through it.

Level 4: Willpower. Persistence depends on determination, and determination comes from a sense of meaning.

• Work that lacks a sense of meaning leads to emotional exhaustion and burnout. This level feels somewhat mystical; I don't think it can be reliably trained by method alone, because seeking meaning is closely tied to one's worldview and values. If there were training methods, they'd likely be found in the military. My own practice here is only at the door—I don't have many insights. Practical suggestions are to broaden your horizons scientifically—expand your sources of meaning. If in the future we achieve technological breakthroughs like a "thought seal," this level could be materialized.