How to be energy-smart? Part 1: Harness energy cycles for task prioritization
Discover how to use your personal energy cycles to make better work and life decisions
Welcome back to Katya Cares, a fresh Substack space where we discuss new technologies, remote work culture, art, psychology, and joy. Katya shares what she is learning about because sharing is caring. This week, and every week, Katya is learning about energy optimization.
In part 1, this blog post, I discuss how optimizing personal energy is a crucial skill for prioritizing product features, work tasks, and life tasks. I ask a lot of “what if?” questions to encourage critical thinking.
In part 2, I will delve deeper into this topic and provide practical learnings. I will share how I gathered requests for Reframe bot, used energy optimization to prioritize my tasks, and created a plan that worked for me. I hope this helps you make better decisions.
When life is a lot
As the Director of Product at a tech company, I manage numerous requests for multiple products. I determine which items will be included in each sprint and what the product engineering team will accomplish during the quarter. On top of that, I work on side projects like Reframe bot and this Substack that I need to prioritize. And, of course, I have personal goals too. Yoga. Painting. Cooking. It’s a lot!
There is a lot on my plate, but I primarily focus on my own needs. I contribute to my family and community, as I am the English speaker in my immigrant family, but I don't bear sole responsibility for others. Eventually, I aspire to continue with product work and side projects, while maintaining robust relationships and having a family of my own. At that point, life will encompass a lot more.
As someone who is ambitious but prone to anxious thoughts and ADHD tendencies, I am always learning prioritization frameworks and techniques to manage my time effectively.
I also enjoy using what I have learned at work to help others make better decisions and manage their own time more effectively.
Prioritization fundamentals:
Below is a quick summary of the fundamentals of how to prioritize tasks.
Feel free to skim read. My main point is - it’s a lot of information you need to juggle to make a decision!
Alignment with Goals and Objectives
When prioritizing requests, it's essential to evaluate how each aligns with your overall goals and objectives, both professionally and personally. Ensure the tasks you choose to work on bring you closer to achieving these goals, providing a clear sense of direction and purpose.
Urgency and Impact
Assess the urgency of each request, taking into account any deadlines and the consequences of not completing the task on time. It's also crucial to evaluate the potential impact of each request, focusing on tasks that will have the most significant positive outcomes for your work or personal life.
Available Resources
Consider the resources you have at your disposal, including time, money, and human resources. Balancing the allocation of these resources across various tasks is key to effectively prioritizing requests and ensuring the optimal use of resources.
Dependencies and Constraints
Some requests may have dependencies, meaning they rely on other tasks to be completed before they can be started. It's important to factor in these dependencies when prioritizing requests, ensuring that you're not hindering progress on other tasks. Additionally, consider any constraints that may affect your ability to complete a task, such as limited resources, conflicting priorities, or external factors.
Effort vs. Reward
Evaluate the effort required to complete each request in relation to the expected reward or return on investment. Focus on tasks that offer the most significant rewards with the least amount of effort, ensuring you're maximizing the value of your time and resources.
Flexibility and Adaptability
In a dynamic work environment or personal life, circumstances can change rapidly. Be prepared to reassess your priorities and adapt your plan accordingly, ensuring you can maintain progress on your most important tasks while being responsive to changing conditions.
Stakeholder and Relationship Management
Consider the expectations of key stakeholders, both at work and in your personal life. Maintaining healthy relationships with stakeholders is essential for long-term success, so be mindful of their needs and expectations when prioritizing requests.
Prioritization frameworks:
Since keeping all the above factors in mind, or even in a document, can be overwhelming, Product Managers use frameworks and methodologies to prioritize features and tasks. Here are a few popular ones:
MoSCoW Method: This method helps categorize features into four groups: Must-have, Should-have, Could-have, and Won't-have. By categorizing features this way, product managers can quickly identify the most important aspects of the product.
RICE Scoring: RICE stands for Reach, Impact, Confidence, and Effort. Product managers can use this method to score features based on their estimated reach (number of users affected), impact (degree of improvement for users), confidence (level of certainty about the estimates), and effort (time and resources required). Features with the highest RICE scores are prioritized.
Value vs. Effort Matrix: This framework involves plotting features on a matrix based on their perceived value and the effort required to implement them. Features in the high-value, low-effort quadrant are prioritized, while those in the low-value, high-effort quadrant are deprioritized.
Theme Scoring: In this approach, product managers assign themes (e.g., user experience, performance, security) to features and score them based on their alignment with the company's strategic goals. Features that align strongly with high-priority themes are prioritized.
You can use these frameworks for many types of jobs and tasks. Choose the framework that feels best for you. I have used all four and don't think one is way better than another. Frameworks are just tools, and rather than worrying when picking a framework, remember that it is more important that decisions are made confidently and communicated clearly.
💡 Energy & Enthusiasm
If you take a closer look, none of the above frameworks mention energy.
That's why I propose adding a new factor into the equation:
Energy and Enthusiasm: Consider the level of energy and enthusiasm you or your team currently have for this specific task or project.
Why include Energy? When people have energy and passion, they tend to be more productive, focused, and creative.
Working hard / Energy optimization for project/product teams: Capitalizing on your team's excitement for a project can lead to faster and greater results. Maybe you prioritize something earlier when the team is more excited about it. Maybe you push something back that nobody has energy for and circle back later at a better time. This has always worked for me. For example, at my company, focusing more on the development of AI during a time when everyone is buzzing about it led to great results and higher job satisfaction.
When your team has the right energy for a project, they perform better and feel good about doing a good job, which in turn gives them even more positive energy. This is how work should feel.
Positive energy → feedback loops work! Negative energy → feedback loops distract.
It is important to know when is the right time to work on a project, taking into account energy and enthusiasm levels. Be “energy-smart”!
Similarly, I propose we consider our energy for every given task in everyday life, to make better work and personal decisions.
Human life is experienced in waves.
This last month, I skipped publishing on Substack for two weeks. People noticed and encouraged me to keep writing. This was super nice and meant a lot. Truthfully, I was just not prioritizing publishing. It wasn’t the right time due to news like SVB and I didn’t have the right energy personally either.
One week, I felt inclined to be alone and sit alone at my computer to write. So I did a lot of writing for future Substacks. Another week, I felt very social and needed to be around people. So I spent a lot of time with people. I made some friends!
When I’m feeling slumpish before my period, I need to sit alone, draw and write. When it’s a surprisingly gorgeous day out, I need to run in the park. When so many people around me are worried about their jobs and financial security, I need to focus on their feelings and not publish motivational Substacks on energy waves.
Rather than pushing myself to do anything on a specific schedule, whether dating or writing or creating, I prefer to ride the waves of energy.
Many factors impact my energy, such as hormonal cycles, the weather, and the big newsworthy events.
Although I will share some science and practical tips, I don't need to hack a magical formula in order to understand that we experience life in waves and to have a feel for what the moment needs.
🤓 The science behind cycles
It's mind-boggling to me that we don't openly talk about hormonal cycles. Women usually only discuss this topic in small groups with other women when talking about periods, but it shouldn't be a taboo subject confined to small circles. We should socialize it publicly and loudly to optimize work and life.
People’s hormonal cycles can significantly affect their energy levels, emotions, and cognitive abilities. By understanding these fluctuations, everyone can make better decisions about task prioritization and capitalize on their natural rhythms.
Throughout the menstrual cycle, women experience fluctuations in hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. These hormones play a crucial role in influencing mood, energy, and cognition.
During the follicular phase (usually days 1-14), which starts on the first day of menstruation and ends with ovulation, estrogen levels rise, leading to increased energy, improved mood, and heightened cognitive abilities. This phase is often considered an optimal time for women to tackle challenging tasks, as they may feel more focused, energetic, and motivated.
During the luteal phase (usually days 15-28), which begins after ovulation and lasts until the start of the next menstrual cycle, progesterone levels increase while estrogen levels decline. This shift in hormonal balance can result in feelings of fatigue, irritability, and heightened emotional sensitivity. It is important for women to be aware of these changes and to adjust their expectations and priorities accordingly, rather than blaming themselves. Women can also use this more emotionally sensitive time to be introspective and also to nurture people around them.
Men's hormonal cycles are less evident than women's but are still present. Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, plays a significant role in regulating men's energy levels, mood, and libido. Unlike women's hormonal cycles, men's cycles are tied to a monthly calendar. Some research suggests that men may experience daily or even hourly fluctuations in hormone levels. Men's testosterone levels tend to peak in the morning and gradually decline throughout the day. This can lead to variations in energy levels, with men typically having more energy in the morning and less in the evening.
For whom is a consistent 9am-5pm work schedule, remaining unchanged on a weekly and monthly basis, more suitable?
Of course, everyone’s individual experiences with hormonal cycles can vary greatly. I highly recommend tracking your own experiences. More on this in Part 2.
Again, I’m not saying that the above applies to everyone nor that women and men need to be treated differently at work. Many other factors influence energy aside from hormones.
But what if all we were more transparent about our hormonal cycles?
What if we were more in tune and more open about our energy cycles and how that influences our needs?
🤔 What if we harness & socialize energy waves?
What if we all communicated our energy levels during work and within our romantic and platonic relationships?
Work: "I'm in an introverted state today. I'll be more productive in our meeting tomorrow. Can we schedule for then or talk asynchronously?"
Life: "I'm in an introverted state today. I need some alone time."
Work: "I'm feeling energetic and social. Do you want to brainstorm this feature together?"
Life: "I'm feeling lonely today and need to go on a walk with a friend."
What if we spent 80% of our day focusing on where our energy takes us, and 20% of the day focusing on what others need from us? What if we trusted that we are all doing our best when our energy levels fluctuate? What if we trusted ourselves more?
For example, trusting myself and talking about my energy levels helps me in the following ways:
Work hard / energy optimization at work:
At work, I know which hours and weeks I will have more social innovative energy and which hours and weeks I will have more creative introverted energy. I use it to plan out my work day, week, and month!
Of course, my work time isn’t fully in my control, I prioritize my engineers, stakeholders and clients always.
Luckily this job is quite flexible and my teammates are willing to hear about how I’m feeling at any given moment. I say things like “I feel low energy today” and people treat me kindly.
If you’re interested in exact details on how I plan out my work based on my energy, subscribe to this Substack and read part 2!
Everyone performs better at whatever task they do when they have the right energy for it. However, we often pretend that we need to follow strict schedules to fit in with everyone else and grind endlessly to succeed. Why?
Play hard / energy optimization in life:
Outside of work, I use the same philosophy but with even more leniency.
I am a much better date when I want to be on a date. I am way more fun at a party when I want to be around people.
Usually, I have most energy to be social 1) the week after my period 2) between 10 am - 12pm & during the late evening 3) during or after exercise.
If you’re interested in exact details on how I plan out my personal life based on my energy, subscribe to this Substack and read part 2!
The joy in harnessing energy cycles
Recognizing energy waves, can not only make you more productive and making the right decisions at the right time, but also fill you with gratitude and joyfulness.
On Part 2 of this post, I will discuss how exactly to harness energy cycles. I even share a template to help track it.
Gaining insight into what brings you good energy and its timing can unexpectedly result in more intense and meaningful joyking moments.
If you don't fully appreciate it, good and unexpected energy might pass you by. Taking a moment to be grateful for a positive energy wave can do a lot of good.
You can also create more moments of joy if you know exactly what joy means to you. I know what people, places, and things bring me joy. I know what I can eat, what I can wear, and what I can do to experience joy even on gloomy days. Do you?
Let’s socialize talking about energy levels together!
Share in the comments what brings you good energy and joy. Give us some tips!
I'm curious to know if you also believe in the importance of harnessing and socializing energy waves. Do you practice this at work or in your community? Let us know!