it's 2:00 PM and you're staring at your most important project, the one that requires deep thinking and creativity, but your brain is done so you force yourself to focus anyway, and three hours later, you've accomplished what should have been done in an hour. You're not bad at productivity. You are just scheduling the wrong tasks at the wrong energy times, hi, I'm Cindy Gordon, a self-made entrepreneur, busy mom and execution coach. I've built and sold multiple digital businesses, and I can tell you that the shift from time management to energy management completely transformed how much I get done, so when it comes to working with your natural rhythms instead of constantly fighting them, I get it. I've been there. Before we dive in, if you're not getting my weekly productivity tips yet, grab them using the link in the show notes. They are my behind the scenes systems that I use to stay productive while running my business. I'm about to show you how to manage your energy strategically in just about seven minutes per day. here's what's probably happening. You've got a calendar that is perfectly time blocked. You've scheduled every hour of your day, but when it's time to do the strategic planning session or write the important proposal, you just can't, your brain feels foggy. You have the time, but you don't have the mental capacity, so you force yourself to do it anyway. And what should have taken you an hour, takes you three. Or you end up scrolling social media because your brain literally cannot do that level of work right now, time and time again, the women in my programs tell me that they feel like productivity failures. They've tried every time management system and nothing sticks. The women in My Dollar a Day business support membership, the Growth Collective, describe this perfectly. They're scheduling the right amount of time for tasks, but doing them at the completely wrong energy times. Here's the truth that nobody is telling you. Time management doesn't work when you ignore energy management. You can have all the time in the world, but if you don't have the right energy for the task, that time is useless. Your brain has limited decision making and creativity, energy think of it like a battery that drains throughout the day. Every decision, every problem you solve, every complex task uses up that charge. Different tasks require completely different types and levels of energy. Strategic planning needs high cognitive capacity, fresh, sharp thinking, responding to routine emails that needs very little mental energy. But most entrepreneurs schedule tasks based upon urgency or available time slots, completely ignoring whether they actually have the right energy or not For the task at the moment, when you force high energy work into low energy times, everything takes longer, the quality suffers, and you end up exhausted. It's like trying to run a marathon after you've already run the marathon. Your body physically can't do it no matter how much willpower you throw at it, and your brain works the same way. Let me break down the fundamental difference because this shift changes everything. Time management asks, do I have time for this? Where energy management asks, do I have the right energy for this right now? Time management tells you when to work nine to five time blocks, scheduled hours. Energy management tells you which work to do when based upon matching task requirements to your actual energy capacity in that moment. You can't think your way into having more energy at 3:00 PM but you can absolutely schedule tasks that don't need high energy for 3:00 PM and save that strategic work for when your brain is actually sharp. Here's how to work with your energy instead of fighting it. Start by tracking your energy patterns for just three days. Notice when you feel mentally sharp versus foggy. Motivated versus drained. Don't change a thing yet, just observe. Most entrepreneurs discover that they have about two to four hours of high cognitive energy per day, and it's usually in specific time, windows. Next, you're gonna categorize your tasks by energy type, high energy work includes strategic planning, content creation, complex problem solving, new client proposals, financial decision. Medium energy work are things like client calls, team meetings, and networking. Low energy work is where your brain can practically be on autopilot. This oftentimes includes email responses, scheduling, organizing files, or social media posting. Then reality check your current schedule. Are you doing high energy strategic work during your natural low energy times? That's why everything feels so hard. You're not bad at productivity. You are literally just fighting your own biology. Next, you're gonna map your tasks into your energy times. Schedule your most strategic work for your high energy windows. Save the administrative tasks for when your energy naturally dips. This isn't about finding more time or working more hours. It's about matching the right work to the right energy. I suggest building this into your Sunday planning routine. So when you're planning your week ahead, don't just schedule the tasks, categorize them by energy requirements first, and then slot them into times that match your energy patterns. the biggest obstacle thinking. You need to track this perfectly. You don't even a rough awareness of I'm super sharp in the mornings, or my brain is completely mush. After lunch is enough to start scheduling a little bit smarter. Start with just moving one high energy task to a better time this week and notice the difference. What shows up as procrastination is often just your brain telling you it doesn't have the right energy for that specific task right now, instead of fighting it, ask, is there a different task I can do with the energy that I have than schedule that high energy task for when you're actually sharp, this approach is woven into how I've ran my companies in the past and what I currently do. So here's what I've changed. I used to schedule my strategic work, the stuff that actually grows my business for afternoon slots, because that's when I had free time. I'd sit down at 2:00 PM to work on a new program or write content, and then three hours later, I barely made progress. I just thought that I was undisciplined, and then I started reality checking my own. Energy patterns. Turns out my brain is sharpest from nine to 11:00 AM. That's when I can think strategically solve complex problems and create content efficiently by 2:00 PM My brain is already in low energy mode, which is perfect for emails or admin work, but terrible for strategic thinking. So now I protect nine to 11:00 AM like it is my most important client meeting of the day because really it is. That's my time. That's when I work on revenue generating projects, strategic planning, anything that requires real cognitive horsepower. But those emails, scheduling and organizing, I do those at 2:00 PM when my brain is slowly coasting away. Same amount of work, half the struggle. Here's what I want you to remember today. The most productive entrepreneurs aren't the ones who force themselves through everything. They're the ones who strategically match their tasks to their energy capacity. So stop asking yourself, am I a morning person or a night person? And start asking, what kind of work can I do with the energy I have right now? This simple shift transforms how you schedule and how much you accomplish without burning out. If you like this approach to energy management, productivity, and other topics like this, I would love to see you inside My Growth Collective, my Dollar a Day business support membership, where we tackle real challenges like working with your energy instead of fighting it. When you stop forcing productivity at the wrong times and start scheduling strategically, everything becomes easier. Track your energy for three days this week. Notice when you feel sharp versus foggy. Send me a DM on exclusively Cindy, and I would love to learn about your energy patterns. And remember, you've got this.

Thanks for spending these few minutes with me today. Remember, overwhelm isn't permanent. It's simply your brain's way of saying pause and take a little reality check. If this was helpful, you'll love my weekly email tips where I share the systems that keep me and hundreds of other entrepreneurs on Track Link in the show notes. If you got value in today's episode, please share it with another entrepreneur who needs that reminder. If you're loving the show, I'd be so grateful if you could leave me a quick review. It helps other overwhelmed entrepreneurs find us. Make sure you hit subscribe so you never miss your weekly dose of clarity. For more resources and to connect with me, visit exclusively cindy.com. Until next time, remember you've got this.