Time, Energy, & Attention: Making Good Use of Finite Resources – TPW388

A meaningfully productive life depends on how we manage 3 key finite resources: time, energy, and attention. Time, energy, and attention are indispensable (and finite) elements of productivity Making a life that matters is about making the best possible use of certain key but finite resources: time, energy, and attention. These are what we need in order to accomplish anything. The challenge is we have a finite amount of each. Each of them can be used up, wasted, or invested--we get to choose. Time This often is the first thing we think of when we think about productivity--in our minds, productivity might be synonymous with time management. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but making good use of our time is essential to a productive life. Time is finite: Everybody gets the same amount of time in any given hour, day, week, month, year, regardless of age or status. No amount of money can buy more.  At the same time, none of us knows how much time we have left. We seldom think about that when we’re young, more often as we get older, but the truth is, none of us is guaranteed the next day, or even the next minute after this one.   A crisis can bring this to the forefront of our minds. As Cheryl Richardson says in her book, Take Time for Your Life, “In an instant, life as you know it can disappear forever. All the things that were so important just one minute before--like the big project that must be completed by 5 p.m. or the deal you’re trying to close--are rendered meaningless in a matter of seconds. Instead, you immediately turn your thoughts to the people in your life.”  The uncertainty of life makes it all the more important to use the time we have wisely. This doesn’t mean we should plan every day down to the minute, but it behooves us all to pay attention to how we’re using the hours and days of our lives and make sure we’re satisfied.  * There is no one right way, it's very individualized, specific to our personality, our stage of life, our goals, and our vision for our own life.  * Nobody can tell us whether we’re using our time wisely; we have to decide that for ourselves.  To make the best use of our time, we need to think deeply about what matters most to us, and then measure our results to that, to make sure the way we’re using our time is effective, moving us toward achieving our goals and consistent with the life we actually want.   Effective use of our time requires first awareness of how we’re actually using our time. I recommend we all periodically do the exercise Laura Vanderkam talks about in her thought-provoking book, I Know How She Does It: keep a time log for a week. Then take a close look at how you’re actually using the time you have and evaluate how you feel about it. Identify time-wasters (social media? trash TV? traffic jams?) and develop strategies to eliminate, or at least minimize, them.  The purpose of time management techniques and tools isn’t to be able to cram more and more into each day. It’s to be as efficient and effective as possible at the essential tasks to leave more time for what matters most. Busy is not productive if you’re spending your time on things that don’t matter to you. Energy What does it mean? en·er·gy| ˈenərjē | noun (plural energies)   1 the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity: changes in the levels of vitamins can affect energy and well-being.   In physics, energy is defined as the capacity to work.  Synonyms: vitality, vigor, life, liveliness, animation, vivacity, spirit, spiritedness, fire, passion, ardor, zeal, verve,