5 Keys to Gain and Manage Energy for Increased Productivity

Are you caught in the trap of trying to manage time without managing your energy? 

Time is a constant that marches on regardless of what is happening around it. You can't change it. 

However, our energy is a variable that has a powerful impact on how much we can get done within the time we have. 

Do you know how to gain and manage energy to increase your productivity and success? 

This podcast will help you understand the role of energy within your business days AND provide 5 Christ-centered keys that will help you gain and manage energy to increase your productivity and success. 

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Transcript

Hi there friend I'm Kathleen Fischer and today I want to ask you a question that a coach once asked me, and it changed the way I do business. 

Ready? Here we go. 

  Which are you trying to manage more your time or your energy. 

 This is a powerful question, because time is the most common element people seek to manage in their days. But it is a constant, which we cannot change. 

However, energy can change dramatically within our days and it deeply impacts how much we can get done within the time we have. 

So today, We're going to look at the critical role energy plays in the success of our days and five keys that will help you gain, and manage energy so that you can succeed in business. 

Let's pray. And then we'll dive in. 

Dear Lord. Thank you that you are greater than time and that you are the source of all our energy. You came. Died. And rose again. So that we could live in the power of your abundant life.  



We thank you that you have given us wisdom to understand how we can gain. And manage energy in our days so that we can together with you succeed in what we're being called to do. 

Release your holy spirit Lord into this message that it may be infused with you and impact the lives of those who listen. We asked for this father in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.   

All right. Let's dive in. 

 Two scriptures that set the stage for today's conversation are John 10:10, where Jesus tells us I have come, that they may have life and have it abundantly.  And Philippians 4:13, where Paul says from prison. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

 Have you ever had someone say something to you that acted like a sudden light bulb going on in the midst of your darkness?  It can be harsh when a light suddenly flicks on once your eyes have become accustomed to that darkness.  That's what it felt like the day my coach asked me. Which are you trying to manage more your time or your energy?

 I had never thought about this. 

 I said, well time, I guess, because that's what, I'm more conscious of.  But I've never thought about the role of energy in my ability to manage time. 

 The truth is that I have always been a bit hypersensitive to time.  I often take longer to do things than I like, so time has always felt a bit like a tyrant to me. 

 But in reality, time is neutral.  It just exists and moves on. Neither trying to be a tyrant or a helper. It is simply a constant, that continually moves at an exact pace, regardless of what is happening around it.   

However, energy is quite a different story. It waxes and wanes in accord with such things as sleep, exercise, food, thoughts, emotions, and a host of other potential factors. 

Once the light was on for me about the powerful role of energy amidst the work I was seeking to accomplish. I became fascinated by our ability to manage energy that would then impact the amount of work we could get done inside the constant called time.

 So today. I want to share the five often overlooked keys we can activate to gain and manage energy in our days so that we can increase our level of success.  Learning to incorporate these keys will impact both how you feel about your days and your capacity to experience success in the work you are doing. 

So let's dive in. 

KEY # ONE, create energy at the start of your day.  The more I speak with women in business. The more I realize how often this key is overlooked. Often we wake up feeling a certain way. And we allow that feeling to simply have its way with us. So if we wake up downcast or discouraged, we trudge forward under the weight of it. 

 On another day, we may wake up cheery, perhaps because the sun is shining and the weather is beautiful and our energy is high.   

 But this is like playing roulette with one of the most important times of day to fuel up on energy before we begin our business days.  

So what's a girl to do? 

Well first let's mention what not to do. And that is head straight into work, hoping that you'll magically gain energy from that work. 

Work is not designed to be a source of energy. 

Christ is our greatest source of energy. 

But he is often bypassed on our anxious pursuit of checking in on work-related things like text messages, emails, and the like.

 But here's a path we can take to ensure we create energy for the day ahead.

 Work together with the Lord to shift your energy into a positive place before you head into work.

 There are a number of ways we can do this. 

The key is to include the Lord in all of them.

 Starting our days with Christ is the most important and powerful thing we can do to gain the energy we need for the entire day ahead.

 It aligns our hearts souls. minds, and spirit with him, the creator and sustainer of the whole universe. So the, we are fueled by him and his abundant life all day long. 

Here are some examples from my own days on how to gain energy before we head into work.  

The moment you wake up. Connect with the Lord through Thanksgiving, for who he is, who you are as his daughter and all the ways he has promised to be with you in your day. 

This practice can lift you out of the doldrums and fill you with peace, confidence and courage for the day ahead.  

Exercise. Even simple exercise done with an app at your home, shakes off the cobwebs of sleep and fills your body with energy for the day ahead.  Give thanks to the Lord for whatever level of physical movement you can do and lean into it each morning. It will increase your physical and emotional strength.  

Sing praises to the Lord and even add this to an outdoor walk. Pop some ear buds in, load up some great praise, music, and sing of your love to Lord. You can sing out loud or simply within your spirit. Either way, allow your whole being to raise a hallelujah. That will fill your heart, soul, mind, and body, with the energy and intimate connection with the Lord that worship brings.  

Meet with the Lord in the scriptures and give him an opportunity to transform your heart. Soul. Mind and spirit through his own words. Use a journal or your phone to record daily words of encouragement that you feel the Lord speaking to you.  You can bring this word of encouragement with you into your work to help strengthen you all day long.  



I've found it can be easy to wake up wrestling with discouragement in business. 

But by making a point of communing with the Lord every morning through this first key, before I turn any attention to my work has made it possible to overcome negative emotions and to enter my days filled with the abundant life of Christ.  

Key number two. Manage your tasks, according to the energy they require.  Here's what I mean by this.  Often we don't consider the energy needed to succeed in a task. We simply look at time and place the task where it seems best. 



 But energy has the power to increase or decrease how much we can get done in the time we have. 

 So here's what I've learned to do.

 Look at your tasks through the lens of whether they are energy-gaining tasks or energy-draining tasks.

 For example, some tasks are enjoyable, as we do them, we gain energy that can then be used to fuel the tasks that require extra energy.

 Other tasks are less enjoyable or harder. These are the tasks that drain us and require more energy to accomplish.

 Once we know the type of energy that our tasks need,  we can move them around within our schedule. Like puzzle pieces. So that energy-gaining tasks can be done before a hard task to give us the extra energy we need for that task.  

.  We can also choose to place those harder tasks into a spot on our calendar that naturally has more energy, like first thing in the morning.  

Here's a real life example.

 I enjoy meeting new people on social media, and encouraging them in their work. I gain energy when I do this.

But creating content for social media is harder for me.

So I've learned to have some fun reaching out to new people on social media before I create content for social media. 

The two go together and the first one creates energy for the second one.  

Take a look at the type of tasks you have within your business. Figure out which ones are energy-gaining and which ones are energy-draining. And then play around with where you position them within your schedule.

 You will come to notice the powerful impact that managing your tasks through the lens of energy has on your productivity. 

Key number three. Do all things together with Christ. 

This may seem obvious, but more often than not, we dive into a task without first aligning ourselves with Christ and the holy spirit who hold the wisdom, knowledge understanding and power, we need to perform at our best in that task. 

So before you launch into each task, pause to pray.  

Thank the Lord for his presence with you, and that he is already ahead of you in that task.

 Ask him to fill you with his wisdom, knowledge, understanding. And power to do the work, then dive in together with him.

 If you get stuck along the way, turn to the Lord for his help. 

He knows the way through every obstacle and every obstacle is actually an opportunity to experience his glory. 

 Forfeiting Jesus within the details of our tasks is one of the biggest mistakes we can make within our work.

So, remember he is with you always, and he's eager to help you. 

So work together with him in all you do.  

Key number four. Give thanks at all times.  It's so easy to forget the power of Thanksgiving to refuel our energy tanks.  The word of God tells us that God's will for us in Christ is to pray without ceasing. And to give thanks in all things.  Giving thanks has a powerful impact on our energy level. Here's an example. 

Have you ever felt the energy drain out of you when you run into a problem in the midst of your work?  

Maybe you run into a tech issue. Something you don't know how to do. Or a problem shows up with a customer or client that you don't know how to solve. And along with the energy draining out of you, a sense of panic washes over you.

 This is with a lifeline of Thanksgiving, becomes so valuable.

 When we respond with Thanksgiving, such as thank you Lord, that you created tech, you know exactly what the problem is and you've promised to give me wisdom whenever I ask. I need your wisdom now. So I'm asking you for it with a thankful heart that you will surely show me the way through this issue.

And then we open our hearts, minds and spirit to receive that wisdom. 

We can also use Thanksgiving to simply increase our energy for the work by giving thanks for simple things.

Thank you Lord that I'm not alone in this work. You were with me. I love doing work together with you. 

Thank you Lord for the talents you've woven into me for this work. I'm so grateful for them.

 Or perhaps your energy is simply feeling low.  In addition to considering if you need to get up and stretch or get something to eat.  Take a break to step outside and give thanks to the Lord for every good thing you can think of.

 The more we give thanks in our days, the more energy we will have for the work. It's a spiritual phenomenon that we don't want to miss out on.

 Learn to give. Thanks often throughout your days, and your mood and energy will be filled with the vibrant life of Christ.  

Key number five. Create and celebrate rewards.

 There really is something to the idea of a carrot at the end of a stick that keeps us moving forward through the difficult tasks so that we can receive a reward once we're done.  

But interestingly, we often forget about this amazing little energy gainer in our work.

So play with this. Think of some things you would consider a reward.

They can be small things like an outdoor break after a hard task or an outing with a friend at the end of a week or something bigger at the end of a project, like going out to a restaurant or having a massage or taking a day off. 

Either way, science has shown us that providing ourselves with genuine rewards that we earn after hard work creates energy for the work, and the excitement of that reward can create joy that helps us push through when things get tough.  

So, what has struck you while I've shared these keys to gaining and managing energy in our days?

 Perhaps you'll want to listen in again with a paper and pen to jot down the ideas you'd like to begin implementing.  

If they all feel new, simply implement one key at a time, and create a reward for activating that key within your work.

 It can take up to six weeks for a new habit to become rooted into the rhythms of our days. So be patient with yourself.

Persist through the resistance by celebrating at the end of each day, the increased joy and productivity you have as you look to the Lord to help you create, and manage energy.

 If you'd like additional help bringing Christ into the center of your work, and learning to increase your productivity  check out the show notes for some additional resources.

 Let's pray.

 Gracious Lord, we thank you that you are the source of everything we need for life and godliness.  Your word tells us that streams of living water will flow through those who believe in you.  Help us to learn how to draw life from you as we fulfill the father's.will,

 Teach us how to manage our energy. Together with you as we work. 

Encourage our hearts and strengthen us as we seek to work in new ways.

 We asked for all these things in your precious name. Jesus. Amen.

 Take care until next time.