Energy Management

from Tim:

Between work and life, I don't believe balance can be maintained. In a worldly society — “worldly” is not a pejorative here — people strive to live well and achieve more. I believe those achievements are reasonably measured by worldly standards: how many people you impact, how much economic value you generate. These are sensible metrics for measuring accomplishment. China has not fully prospered yet; we are not a developed country. Use the first dozen or so prime years when your creativity and work drive are strongest to work hard and reach a good stage in life.

If you manage your time well and are effective, it doesn't necessarily have to be exhausting. I want to say that diligence isn't even among the top few factors on the path to success — it may not be in the top three or five. You don't need to rely solely on brute force. The key is effectiveness: your work must be effective, focused on results and contribution.

How to manage time well? One suggestion I have is:Don't deliberately try to micromanage your time; just record it.If you don't record how you spend your time each day or month, your self-awareness will differ greatly from reality. If you record your time, you'll naturally manage it. This is something I didn't do well when I was younger; if I could do it again, I would start tracking my time much earlier.

Now I want to talk about interest versus competence.Sometimes what you're interested in isn't what you're good at, and what you're good at isn't necessarily what you're interested in.You might deeply enjoy something that many others also do — and many of them may be far more talented. No matter how hard you try, you may not make a mark there, so treat it as a hobby, not a career. Conversely, you might be good at a field with few competitors, where your execution is strongest; as a profession you'll have an advantage. Some people both like something and excel at it, but they are rare. Objectively, few people can choose to make their interests their profession.

My advice to you is still:Find what you're good at and do it well; don't rely solely on interest.Look at where you personally have strengths and extend appropriately upstream or downstream within that field. Don’t define too early what you’re good at — spend some time in a field to see what you truly excel at. Companies encourage fresh blood and rotations, but they don't endorse baseless choices made from subjective impressions like “that looks easy” or “that seems interesting” without accumulation.

At the year-end review I had a TODO to share time-management methods. I found out I already shared this last year —W09 - Practice and Insights on Energy Management — that may need an offline focused discussion. The basic viewpoint remains: start with the systemic issue of energy management. Two formulas still hold: Benefit = Goal * Efficiency * Time, and Full Engagement = Physical Vigor + Emotional Connection + Clear Thinking + Firm Will.

This year there's been iteration — another layer of buff — taking the abstraction even further.

Energy management is essentially managing one’s energy.

Matter, energy, and information are the three fundamental components of the world. Asimov said that control of energy determines the level of civilization: the more a society can acquire, convert, and use energy, the more advanced it is.

For individuals, allocating time is also allocating energy. Sometimes it’s energy intake (eating, sleeping), sometimes energy recovery (entertainment, meditation), sometimes energy expenditure — for example dissipative activities that strengthen (exercise), or productive use (work).

There are countless time-management techniques; the most important is solving the motivation problem. Whether we call it energy or vigor, I hope different perspectives prompt reflection: why manage time? Let principle guide technique.

Move from abstract to concrete, cut costs and increase efficiency, get practical. There is an excellent article on Xuecheng (Learning City):Efficient Time Management — it summarizes things comprehensively. Below I list four of my own experiences, aiming to be concise and specific.

Best tool — the Important/Urgent four quadrants

This tool is widely known and, in my view, the most useful. The difficulty lies in judging importance and urgency, which requires close connection to practice and constant practice.

Time management is also task management — cut some tasks, reuse some, make some asynchronous

Trim the information you consume — yes, trim. You can also cut back on clothing choices or entertainment styles, but those involve personal value judgments, so I won’t prescribe them.

One interesting experience: when I wanted to do something before, I felt the need to create ritual, atmosphere, or mental preparation. For example, reading needed a sunny, quiet, warm, comfortable place; exercise needed proper gear, suitable venues, and ideal timing. Under the rhythms of internet work, there isn’t time to craft such conditions. Be flexible: when you want to do something, start directly.

Use fragmented time well; reusing time is like leveraging. Commutes, meal breaks, and waiting in line are great opportunities to leverage time.

Think of yourself as a hub and avoid becoming a bottleneck. If you can process something immediately, act right away; if you depend on others, push things forward early; handle what can be done asynchronously in that way.

Energy conservation is biological instinct — energy is quantifiable

Why use oxen rather than horses for plowing? Because under equal labor intensity, oxen require less energy than horses. Horses have higher power but need better feed.

We, like oxen and horses, should also save energy; finding the right tools matters.

Calendars, to-do lists, etc. I’m also fond of efficiency tools — choose software by personal preference. The key is to jot things down instantly — emphasize anytime, anywhere capture. Writing and retrieving information from the brain costs energy; offload to a drive and record thoughts quickly. This saves energy and time (recall and organization), and preserves inspiration. Use the saved energy for creative tasks. Time management is not about strict discipline — relaxation is the best state

A comfortable, at-ease state is ideal, regardless of whether your work has universal value. I once fell into the trap of managing everything and became rigid and tense. After awakening, I know I can’t always be relaxed, but I do know the state I should pursue.

Persisting with something — a sport, a habit, a time-management method — will require willpower as an energy source, but psychological energy is finite; don’t always blame your willpower. Pay attention to your body; it will give you answers.

Finally, some parting encouragement. We're already tired enough; may time not manage us. The best state for a person is to be loved, to have meaningful work, and to have things to look forward to.