"How In The World Does He Do All That?”

Personal energy management means designing your life to create, invest, and not waste energy.² The System Sunday approach to energy management is holistic. Here, I teach how to align life systems to the shared goal of energy optimization. By life systems, I mean the following categories: Wellness, Wealth, Career, Environment, Relationships, and Mindfulness.

Emergence³ is a Systems Thinking term that describes the behavior of a system as greater than its parts. In other words, 1 + 1 does not equal 2. Instead, the combination of subsystems can lead to non-linear exponential results.

For example, you might become aware of a time in your life when you were pulsing with pure energy. Perhaps you combined a great workout with healthy nutrition. That moment—when your energy surpassed anything you’d ever experienced via fitness or nutrition alone—is an emergent state.

Again, system dynamics teaches that 1 + 1 can equal 3, 10, or even more. That’s why I often refer to the emergence of personal energy as exponential energy.

In the next section, we’ll talk more about why the alignment of systems is crucial. For the moment, just know people can experience more energy than they ever thought possible when life systems work together.

The two core principles of energy management are:

1. Aligning Life Systems
2. Combining Energy and Time Management

Principle #1: Aligning Life Systems

Personal energy management is the most underrated strategy for improving the quality of one’s life. This is one reason I featured energy optimization in my Superhuman Trends Report [2022].

There, I discuss the chief principle of energy management: aligning your life systems to the shared purpose of creating energy.

Unfortunately, people’s subsystems often have incompatible goals, sabotaging their total system energy. I explain this further in Superhuman Trends:

One common mistake I see is people with conflicting personal systems. For example, they want to have a bodybuilder’s physique AND optimize for clear thinking (to excel in their knowledge-based career).

I sympathize. I used to consume a grueling amount of (lean!) protein to try and build muscle. Naturally, I’d be in a perpetual state of lethargy. This plan was like walking up a down-moving escalator.

You see, to achieve a sidewalk-cracking physique, bodybuilders regularly consume 10,000+ calories per day. Imagine the amount of energy that’s expended processing all that food! Bodybuilders make a massive sacrifice in their energy to look the way they do.

Here’s the takeaway, in the words of the brilliant Systems Thinker Donnella Meadows: “When a subsystem’s goals dominate at the expense of the total system’s goals, the resulting behavior is called suboptimization.”⁴

Here, I’ll share four brutally effective steps you can take to feel ON today.

Step 1: Write Down Your Purpose for Wanting More Energy

There’s a quote I love by author David Deida:

Self-discipline is when your highest desires rule your lesser desires, not through resistance, but through loving action grounded in understanding and compassion.⁶

Let’s make this real. There will come a time when you must choose between energy-draining food and energy-enabling food. And by “a time,” I mean today.

Perhaps that choice is between 1) a burger and fries or 2) a nutritious salad.

We need to equip ourselves with a compelling “why” so we can choose that energy-boosting salad without hesitation. While that lunchtime burger may taste delicious, it’s probably not worth the two hours of lethargy and low consciousness that ensues.

Here are some examples of compelling “whys” for more energy:

• To have the energy to play on the front lawn with your kids after work
• To start a side hustle and become financially free (energy to burn the candle a bit longer on both ends)
• Because nothing feels better than pure, pulsing energy

Trust me: There was a time (not long ago) I could barely sit upright after meals because I’d eat myself into a food coma. Now, I see food as a binary that either supports my goals or pushes me further away.

That’s the power of a compelling why—the fortitude to make the right choice, not through resistance but through loving action.

(Side note: I recently went to a wedding in Santa Barbara, my first trip back to California since growing up there. Briefly and without regret, I broke keto for an In-N-Out burger and fries. It was intentional and planned—including the route to enjoy it on a nearby beach. Worth it!)

Step 2: Minimize Energy Vampires

Knowing yourself is key to energy management.

An introvert and extrovert could attend the same social event and have totally different energy responses. While an extrovert will find their energy boosted, an introvert will find it exhausted.

In other words, it’s critical to understand your energy vampires. Take a moment to list all the activities that drain you. Here are some categories to help guide your reflection:

• Wellness (fitness, nutrition, sleep, personal care)
• Wealth (money inflow, money outflow)
• Career (deep vs. shallow work; skills and learning; management of email, tasks, and calendar; commute)
• Environment (cleanliness, organization, minimalism, home maintenance, style/wardrobe)
• Relationships (friends, family, love life, growing your tribe)
• Mindfulness (relationship with phone, social media, and the news)

(Feel free to return to this exercise later, as a thorough review may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.)

The next step is to minimize or eliminate the tasks that make you feel less alive. Accomplished by:

• Saying, “No, thanks.” (I moved from NYC to Vermont!)
• Automating or outsourcing to either technology or people. (Cooking and cleaning come to mind for me.)
• Making the experience more enjoyable. (Tools help—e.g., upgrading from a shovel to a snowblower.)

I acknowledge that some energy-draining tasks are unavoidable. Whether those obligations are familial or our duties as conscientious citizens. The hard truth is that we spend much time on energy-draining activities that we’re NOT obligated to do.

For instance, maybe a friend of yours demands a lot of emotional energy. You’ve started to feel the relationship is no longer reciprocal (the value exchanged is one-sided). Perhaps there’s good reason to keep this individual in your life. But, be careful. You deserve friends who amplify your greatness, not repress it.

Still unsure when to say “no”? Here’s some advice from two people smarter than me. The first is from Naval Ravikant (modern philosopher and CEO of AngelList):

As long as you’re doing what you want, it’s not a waste of your time. But if you’re not spending your time doing what you want, and you’re not earning, and you’re not learning—what the heck are you doing?⁷

Or, if you’re still unsure what to decline, try this “gut check” from author and entrepreneur Derek Sivers:

If your immediate reaction to an inbound request is not a “hell yeah!” then your answer should be “no.”⁸

My final take on energy vampires: Saying, “No thanks, I’m on a deadline” is always honest. Because when it comes to creating the life we choose…we are, in fact, on a deadline.

Step 3: Track the Fundamental Inputs for Energy

Here are some ideas for metrics you can track to optimize your energy:

• Sleep (hours)
• Phone Pickups (# of iPhone unlocks)
• Deep Work (deep work-to-shallow work ratio)
• Meditation (minutes)
• Ketosis (mmol/L of ketones)
  I realize that sustained keto might not be for everyone! In addition to the cognitive boost, Keto appears to curb my psoriasis skin condition—providing me an emotional boost.
• Hydration (oz of water)
• Steps (# of steps)

I’ve found that these seven metrics are key variables to living a high-voltage life. (Again, this is my own experience of n = 1; see health disclaimer.)

Why do I self-track? As a famous quote (often misattributed to Peter Drucker) tells us: “What gets measured gets managed.”

I track these seven metrics because evidence shows that people are outright awful (including yours truly) at doing some of these vital activities.

For instance, approximately 75% of the population is dehydrated.⁹ And, it turns out, even being dehydrated by as little as 2% can significantly limit cognitive ability.¹⁰

So, I use HidrateSpark, a smart water bottle with a built-in scale and sensors that automatically measure my water intake. Its accompanying mobile app gamifies hydration, displaying a dial of current intake vs. recommended pace.

I’m a big fan of products that log my performance automatically. Then, it’s as simple as using my eyeballs to see how I’m doing. If the feedback tells me I’m slipping, I can course-correct and “stay on track.”

Not sold on self-tracking but want to keep an open mind? Learn more about its underlying principles (and benefits) in my Ultimate Guide to Self-Tracking.

Step 4: Take Advantage of Natural “Cheat Codes” to Boost Your Energy

Do you have a go-to list of energy “cheat codes”—actions you can take to quickly feel ON?

Among my favorites:

• Jumping rope first thing in the morning to eliminate early morning grogginess¹¹
• Immersing myself in cold showers (for the last two minutes)¹²
• Drinking “bulletproof coffee” or “titanium tea”
• Engaging in high-intensity interval training (HIIT)
• Taking a 20-minute midday power nap
• Using an aromatherapy diffuser (with lemon and peppermint essential oils) to stimulate olfactory energy triggers¹³

These “cheat codes” are covered extensively in my tactical guide: 75 Productivity Hacks to be 500% More Effective.

The guide has an entire section dedicated to 18 energy-related hacks (including gear recommendations). It’s the same price as this article: absolutely free. So, grab your copy.

And now some quotes from famous people to remind you that I stand on the backs of giants…

“The average person puts only 25% of his energy and ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those who put more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%.” —Andrew Carnegie

“If your energy is as boundless as your ambition, total commitment may be a way of life you should seriously consider.” —Dr. Joyce Brothers

“Nobody but you is responsible for your life. You are responsible for your life. What is your life? What is all life? What is every flower, every rock, every tree? Energy. And you’re responsible for the energy you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others.”
—Oprah Winfrey

“Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.” —Warren Buffett

“The difference between one man and another is not mere ability—it is energy.” —Thomas Arnold

“The world belongs to the energetic.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The real difference between men is energy. A strong will, a settled purpose, an invincible determination, can accomplish almost anything; and in this lies the distinction between great men and little men.” —Thomas Fuller

“You have two essential tasks in life: to be a good person and to pursue the occupation that you love. Everything else is a waste of energy and a squandering of your potential.” —Ryan Holiday

“A man must drive his energy, not be driven by it.”
—William Frederick Book

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” ―Eleanor Roosevelt

• The Power of Full Engagement by Loehr & Schwartz (Book | Audible)
• Game Changers by Dave Asprey (Book | Audible)
• Own the Day, Own Your Life by Aubrey Marcus (Book | Audible)
• Limitless by Jim Kwik (Book | Audible)
• Stealing Fire by Steven Kotler (Book | Audible)
• Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington  (Book | Audible)
• The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday (Book | Audible)
• “Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time” by Schwartz & McCarthy
  (Harvard Business Review Article)

• Superhuman Trends

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