ProEdge Life Coaching
The Follow Through: Optimizing for Energy, Not Time
“
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives
— Annie Dillard
When the Calendar Looks Full but You Still Feel Empty
By 8:30 a.m., Maya was already behind.
A senior project manager juggling three deadlines, she’d been up since six — catching up on Slack messages and early client emails before her kids woke up. Now the coffee was cold, her inbox had exploded overnight, and that carefully color-coded Google Calendar felt more like a trap than a plan.
When we paused in her coaching session later that week, she sighed and said, “I just need more hours in the day.”
But as we explored deeper, we found the real issue wasn’t time. It was energy.
Her mornings were spent in meetings that drained her, while her afternoons — when her mind was sharpest — were filled with shallow tasks. The mismatch wasn’t about hours; it was about alignment.
I’ve been there too — believing better time-blocking would fix everything, until I realized I was scheduling over my best hours. What looked like procrastination was really depletion.
There’s a quiet shift that happens when you stop asking, “How do I manage my time?” and start asking, “How do I honor my energy?”
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called this flow — that state where effort dissolves and time bends. The paradox is that people who seem “most productive” aren’t managing time better — they’re protecting their energy more wisely.
When Maya began rearranging her day around her natural energy peaks — not deadlines — things clicked. The same 24 hours, but a completely different quality of presence.
Creative Exploration
Your energy is like a campfire.
It needs fuel, air, and time to burn steadily. Push too much wood on too soon, and it smothers. Leave it unattended, and it fades.
Time management says, “Keep it burning all day.”
Energy management says, “Tend it with care.”
One leads to exhaustion.
The other to endurance.
Reflection:
Take a quiet breath before you answer this:
Where in your days do you feel naturally charged — and where does your energy quietly leak away?
(You don’t have to have a full answer — sometimes awareness begins with simply naming it. If you’d like, reply and share what you notice. I read each one personally.)
Invitation: A Season to Refine
As the year winds down, I know many of us start thinking about “what’s next” — but what if the better question is “what’s worth carrying forward?”
If this conversation about energy over time stirred something for you — that quiet realization that maybe it’s not about doing more, but doing what matters when you’re most alive — that’s usually the moment where real change begins.
This month, I’m offering a few free clarity sessions for people who want to explore this shift in a deeper, personal way — not as a strategy call, but as a calm space to map your next season with awareness and intention.
And yes — I read every reply myself.
So if this feels like the right next step, just hit reply and say “Let’s talk.”
We’ll find a time that works for you.
(These sessions fill quickly, but if you’re reading this line, there’s still space.)
Wishing you energy that expands your days — not just fills them.
May you find the moments that light your inner campfire — and remember that even a small spark, tended with care, can warm an entire season of your life.
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Warmly,
Advit Tiple
Productivity & Accountability Life Coach
ProEdge Life Coaching
