What ‘energy’ and ‘time’ management advice would you give to someone who leads a busy lifestyle – running a business and a young family?

For someone managing both a business and a young family, balancing energy and time is key to staying effective and fulfilled. Here’s some advice to help you:

Energy Management:

  1. Prioritize Sleep and Recovery: Your energy reserves depend on quality sleep. Aim for 7-8 hours per night and establish a relaxing wind-down routine, such as reading or meditation, to ensure better sleep quality.
  2. Leverage Peak Energy Hours: Identify when you feel most energized during the day (morning, afternoon, or evening) and schedule your most demanding tasks (e.g., client meetings, strategic thinking) during those peak times.
  3. Maintain Consistent Physical Activity: Regular exercise, even if it’s short, increases energy levels. Try a quick 15-20 minute workout or a walk, especially when you feel sluggish during the day.
  4. Nourish Your Body with Healthy Food: Eating balanced meals, staying hydrated, and avoiding heavy, processed foods can prevent energy crashes. You’ve already been building healthy eating habits—keep refining them to stay lean and energized.
  5. Mental and Emotional Breaks: Schedule regular mental breaks throughout the day. Even 5 minutes of deep breathing, stretching, or stepping away from work can recharge you and keep your energy stable.

Time Management:

  1. Time Blocking and Task Batching: Organize your day into blocks for specific tasks (client meetings, project reviews, family time). For example, group meetings back-to-back to reduce task-switching, which drains both time and energy.
  2. Delegate and Outsource: In both family and business, it’s essential to delegate tasks. Whether it’s hiring additional support at work or sharing household duties, this frees up time for high-value activities and family connection.
  3. Set Boundaries Around Time: With a young family, ensure you have clear work-life boundaries. Create non-negotiable family time and avoid checking work emails during that period. Similarly, protect your most productive work hours by minimizing interruptions.
  4. Use the 80/20 Rule: Focus on the 20% of tasks that will yield 80% of the results. Identify high-impact activities in both your business and family life, and spend most of your time on those.
  5. Plan Daily and Weekly: Allocate time weekly to plan out your goals and priorities. Adjust your schedule daily based on shifting demands but keep your long-term objectives in sight.

Would any of these strategies be helpful in your routine?

About Art

I'm a student of time. In particular, I observe how our perception of time affects design, technology, productivity and overall feeling of fulfillment in life. My formal education is in business technology. For the past 15+ years I've been helping business owners launch websites and run digital marketing campaigns.