Is It Worthy of Your Energy?

By Dan Nielsen

November 10, 2016


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I recently had the privilege to read through Seven Choices for Success and Significance – How to Live Life From the Inside Out, by Nido R. Qubein. It is an excellent book, and I would like to point out a few concepts that I think will add value to your life.

 

Dr. Qubein is a man with a truly inspiring success story. He is a businessman, motivational speaker, author, and the president of High Point University. Through the years he has garnered a plethora of different honors and awards, and is a man worth listening to for insights into achieving greater success—personally, professionally, and organizationally.

 

I highly recommend going out and getting a copy of Qubein’s book and looking through the brief text and the important concepts he presents. Today I want to make sure one particular concept is relayed to those striving to achieve greater success.

 

In the second chapter Qubein begins by asking if the reader is constantly bogged down with the particulars of time management. How long do you take to schedule out the minutes of your day? Qubein offers an alternative to this line of thought:

 

“I think in terms of energy. Is this activity worthy of my energy?”

 

He goes on to describe his breakdown. Instead of thinking in minutes, he chooses to think in units. A unit equals 5 minutes, making an hour 12 units. Qubein tells the reader to “Focus on activities that contribute to the greatest value in your life and do more of those…Eliminate the activities that contribute little or no value to your life – it’s a meaningless investment of one’s energy.”

 

3 Benefits to Viewing Time in Terms of Energy

  1. Energy Varies– Two of my team members are mothers with toddlers, which means they are occasionally able to work several hours from home one day, while only having the energy to work half an hour the next! Energy varies depending upon the situation, and it is nice to be able to adjust your schedule based on the energy you have for each day.
  2. Time Can be Constraining– Planning out the minutes of your day can be constraining. Where do you fit in the interruptions? How do you make sure what needs to get done ends up completed? Planning in terms of energy allows flexibility that minute-by-minute scheduling doesn’t allow.
  3. Completely Adaptable– The best thing about using this way of time management is it is completely adaptable to you, personally and professionally. You get to determine what is worth your time and effort and what activities will make up your day.

 

Consider these benefits as you plan out your week. Prioritize what is worth your precious energy, and eliminate the rest!

About the Author (article footer)

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About the author

Dan Nielsen is the author of the books Be An Inspirational Leader: Engage, Inspire, Empower, and Presidential Leadership: Learning from United States Presidential Libraries & Museums. He regularly writes and speaks on leadership excellence and achieving greater success, and is available to deliver keynotes, lead workshops, or facilitate discussions for your group. LEARN MORE

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