Not being able to push yourself to 90% output without worry is the biggest impediment holding you back from being truly productive.



~ Greg Ciotti

If you want to be productive, you need to master your energy.

If you are wiped out in the middle of the week because you ran out of energy in the first few days, no app, lifehack or time management strategy can help you.

Here's how to keep your energy (and focus) high throughout the day:

The 50-10-50-30 Energy Management Strategy

Step 1: 50 Minutes of Focus

Get a timer. Set it for 50 minutes. Block out all distractions. Choose one task. Go. Full speed. Don't hold back.

When your time is up, and not a minute later, stop working.

Step 2: 10 Minutes Of Relaxation

Time to restore your mental and physical energy. Get up and walk around. Stretch your shoulders (and neck) if you sit on a desk while you work. Drink lots of water.

Disconnect from your work mentally.

Note: relaxing means relaxing. No email, checking your messages and any of the good stuff. If it walks like work and quacks like work... it is work and it is not allowed during your rejuvenation period.

Step 3: 50 Minutes of Focus

You've been there. You know what to do. 50 minutes. One task. No distractions. Set the timer and pedal to the metal.

Step 4: 30 Minutes of Relaxation

Time for a good old fashioned 30-minute break. Same rules as before, but add in some food as well.

Proper nutrition is key to energy management so have a snack or even a full-blown meal.

Step 5: Do It All Over Again

Go back to step 1 and do it all over again.

The main goal is to take short sprints of work/focus time, followed by a mandatory break.

The break is the key ingredient, although it seems counter-intuitive. The break is what restores your physical energy, your focus, your creativity and everything else you need to get the job done. It allows you to work at maximum speed and efficiency during the work sprints without the fear that, if you don't pace yourself, your energy will run out.

Simple and effective energy management. That is what productivity is all about.

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Kosio Angelov is the #1 Amazon bestselling author of the “Lean Email Simple System” and a master trainer in the art of “doing the right things, the right way”.

Follow him on LinkedIn and subscribe to his “Successful By Design” productivity show on YouTube and learn how to break the busyness bubble, achieve exponential productivity and live life by design, not by default.