Energy Management

from Tim:

Between work and life, I don't think balance is maintainable. We live in a worldly society—“worldly” is not a pejorative here—where people strive to live well and achieve more. I believe those achievements should be measured by worldly standards: how many people you affect, how much economic value you create—these are reasonable metrics for judging accomplishment. China isn't fully affluent yet; we're not a developed country. During the first decade or so when your creativity and drive are strongest, work hard and reach a solid life stage.

If your time management is good and your effectiveness is high, it doesn't necessarily have to be exhausting. I want to say that diligence alone isn't even among the top factors for success—perhaps not in the top three or five. You don't have to rely on brute force. The key is effectiveness: your work must produce results and contributions.

How to manage time well? One suggestion I have is,Don't try to micromanage time; just record it.Where your time goes each day and month—if you don't record it, your self-perception will differ wildly from reality. If you record your time, you will naturally manage it. This is something I didn't do well when I was young; if I could go back, I would start recording my time much earlier.

Now I want to talk about interest versus strengths.Sometimes what interests you isn't what you're good at, and what you're good at isn't always what interests you.You may love something that many people do and that many have much greater talent for; no matter how hard you try, you may not make significant progress—treat it as a hobby, not a career. Conversely, you might be skilled in an area with few competitors, where your execution is strongest and you have a professional advantage. Some people both love and excel at something, but they are rare. Objectively, few people can choose to turn something they love into a career.

My advice remains,Find what you're good at and excel at it—don't rely on interest alone.See where your personal strengths lie and extend appropriately along upstream and downstream roles in that field. Also, don't define your strengths too early; spend some time in a domain to understand what you truly do well. Companies encourage fresh perspectives and rotations, but not the kind of moves without any accumulation based purely on the subjective impression that “that looks simple” or “that looks interesting.”

At year-end reviews there's a TODO to share time-management methods. I realized I already shared last year—W09—Practice and reflections on energy management, which may require an offline focused discussion. The basic view stands: prioritize the systemic issue of energy management. Two formulas still hold: output = goal * efficiency * time; full engagement = robust physical energy + emotional connection + clear thinking + resolute will.

This year there's iteration again—another buff—advancing further along the path of abstraction.

Energy management is really about power management.

Matter, energy, and information are the three fundamental elements of the world. Asimov said that control of energy determines the level of civilization: the more a society masters the acquisition, transformation, and use of energy, the more advanced it becomes.

For individuals, allocating time is also allocating energy. Sometimes it's energy intake (eating, sleeping), sometimes energy recovery (entertainment, meditation), and sometimes energy expenditure—through dissipation to strengthen (exercise), or through use to produce (work).

There are countless time-management techniques; the most important is addressing motivation. Whether you call it energy or vitality, I hope this perspective provokes thought: why do we manage time? Let principle guide technique.

Move from abstraction to practicality, reduce cost and increase efficiency—let's be practical. There's an article on Xuecheng calledEfficient Time Managementthat summarizes things comprehensively. Below I list four personal practices, aiming to be concise and concrete.

Most useful tool—important/urgent four quadrants

This tool is widely known and, in my view, the most practical. The challenge is judging importance and urgency, which requires deep practice and context.

Time management is also task management—eliminate some tasks, reuse some, handle some asynchronously

Trim incoming information—yes, trim. You can also cut back on clothing and entertainment choices, but those involve personal values, so I won't advise on them.

One interesting insight: I used to think I needed rituals, atmosphere, and mental preparation to start something. For example, reading required a sunny, quiet, warm, comfortable spot; exercise needed proper gear, a suitable venue, and the right time. Under the rhythm of internet work, there's no time to brew. Adapt when necessary—if you want to do it, just start.

Use fragmented time well—reusing time is leveraging it. Commutes, lunch breaks, and queueing are good opportunities to leverage time.

Think of yourself as a hub, not a bottleneck. Act immediately on what you can process now, drive dependencies early, and handle things asynchronously when possible.

Energy conservation is biological instinct—energy is quantifiable

Why use oxen rather than horses for plowing? Because at the same work intensity, oxen require less energy than horses. Horses deliver more power but need better feed.

We too should conserve energy; finding the right tools matters.

Calendars, to-do lists, etc.—I'm a productivity-tool enthusiast; choose software by preference. The most important habit is quick capture—always, everywhere. Writing into and out of your brain consumes energy; use an external drive and jot ideas down quickly. It saves energy and time (the time spent recalling and organizing), and preserves inspiration. The saved energy goes to creative work. Time management isn't about discipline—relaxation is the optimal state

A comfortable, relaxed state is best, regardless of whether the work has high universal value. I fell into a trap of managing everything and became tense and constrained. After awakening, I know I can't always remain relaxed, but I know what state I should pursue.

Stick with something—an exercise, a habit, a time-management method—willpower is indeed an energy source, but psychological energy is finite; don't always blame your willpower. Pay attention to your body; your body will give you answers.

Finally, a bit of wholesome advice: we're already tired enough—don't let time manage you. The best state for a person is to be loved, to have things to do, and to have expectations.