📈 Audit Your Time and Energy

Hey friend! Welcome to Level Up 📈.

Every Sunday, I dive into one topic to level up your career. Today we’ll dive into my free energy and time audit template.

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Today at a Glance:

• Deep Dive: Energy and Time Audit

• Real Life Example: Auditing Your Circle

• Reader Q&A: Figuring Out Your Next Steps

Read time: 5 minutes

Deep Dive: Energy and Time Audit

Get My Free Template for Energy and Time Management.

What happens when you don’t manage your time well?

First of all, time management isn’t just about showing up for work on time or sticking to your deadlines. It’s about creating a balance that allows you to move forward rather than “being busy” all the time.

Here are a few signs you’re struggling with time management:

• You don’t get enough rest.

• Your work follows you home every night.

• You’re too busy to have a social or personal life.

• You don’t have the time to do things that bring you joy.

• You constantly feel like 24 hours are not enough to get everything done.

If this is you, it’s time to start thinking about managing your time better. My 5-step system will help you reclaim control and boost your energy.

If you’re curious about other time management techniques, I’ve written about them here!

Step 1: Identify Your Peak Productivity Hours

Start by identifying your peak productivity hours. All you need to do is create a time log and track when you feel at your best. 

Fill in this Energy Tracking System for 2 weeks to find yours. 

I built this system for myself inspired by Matt Gray’s Time Audit System! 

1. Create a time log or copy-paste the energy tracking system above.

2. Divide your day into one-hour time blocks and notice your energy, focus, and motivation levels.

3. Based on your energy, motivation, and focus, rate your productivity level; for example, from 8 am to 10 am, energy remains good but dips around 11 am, and so on.

4. Notice how these levels change during each time block throughout the week.

Do this for two weeks to find your peak productivity hours.

Step 2: Identify High-Value Tasks and Schedule Deep Work

Write down all the tasks you do in a 2-week period in the Task Tracker template.

Assign an hourly value to each task to identify the high-leverage tasks. Also note down if they bring you energy.

For instance, tasks that require your direct involvement and creativity. Create time to work on them during your peak productivity hours.

• High-leverage ($500+/hour tasks that drive the business forward)

• Medium-leverage ($100-$200/hour tasks that are necessary but not the highest value)

• Low-leverage (<$100/hour tasks that someone else could easily do)

Step 3: Eliminate Tasks

After time blocking and scheduling the highest value tasks during your deep work sessions; it’s time to eliminate unnecessary tasks.

1. A common mistake people make is delegating everything that they can’t do themselves.

2. This wastes your team’s time. I’d suggest identifying tasks that don’t bring you any value (based on your task value/hour) and eliminating them immediately.

Step 4: Automate Tasks

“If the task doesn’t require creativity delegate it, automate it, or leave it.” - Naval Ravikant.

The next step is to organize your to-do list for the day (or week) and identify the tasks to automate. For instance, I use SayWhat to automate community management.

1. Tasks that happen over and over are easier to automate. Ask yourself, "Do I need to do this regularly?" and “How much time does this take?”

2. Find the tools that fit your needs with a quick google search. Note them down in the template.

Step 5: Delegate Tasks

Before you start, remember the golden rule of delegation: “If the other person can do the task 70% as well as you, delegate it.”

1. Identify the right tasks to delegate based on the task value (e.g. medium value, that you find draining)

2. Assign the task to the right person.

3. Record a video explainer using Loom, and write down how to complete the task.

4. Create a system to get regular updates on the tasks and give them regular feedback (e.g. ask for daily updates). I use Notion and Slack for these.

5. Use platforms like Onlinejobs.ph and Athena to hire talent from around the world.

I’ve written more about delegation here.

Real Life Example: Auditing Your Circle

One of the most impactful exercises I did was auditing the people I was spending time with.

I wrote a list of the 10 people I spent the most time and split them into two lists.

• List 1: People who energize me.

• List 2: People who drain my energy.

There was only one person on that second list. It felt tough to accept, especially because we had a long history. Part of me wanted to hold on to the relationship, but I knew it wasn’t good for either of us.

I gradually stopped spending time with them. It wasn’t easy, but finding peace meant accepting that our season together had ended. I could still appreciate the memories while knowing it was time to move forward.

Everyone has that one person—I encourage you to take a hard look at your own life.

Letting go isn’t about cutting ties harshly, but about creating space for you to level up.

Reader Q&A: Figuring Out Your Next Steps

Each week, I cover a challenge from a member of the Level Up Community, sharing the problem and how I would approach solving it.

Hey L, it’s great that you’ve decided it’s time for a change. That’s a big step! Here’s what I’d suggest:

First, write down what’s not working in your current job. Is it a lack of responsibility? A desire to learn new skills? Or maybe you’ve lost the passion for what you do?

Once you’ve clarity on what’s missing, here’s how I’d approach it:

• Reflect on your strengths— what are you really good at? Maybe it’s building trust really fast or being able to chat with anyone. Ask people who know you well. Here's an Ikigai questionnaire to help you get started.

• Based on what you’re good at and what excites you, think about what kinds of jobs could be a good fit. E.g. if you love connecting with people, maybe sales or partnerships could be a great next step.

• Network—Talk to people in your circle or on LinkedIn who are in roles you’re curious about. If you see an interesting job, reach out to someone who does it and ask them what they think about it. You may learn a lot from their experiences.

• Consider broadening your search, remote opportunities, for example, could open up a new world for you. You can use sites like Flexjobs, We Work Remotely for options.

• After 25 years, your CV probably needs a refresh 😀 — tools like Teal can help you tailor it to different jobs.

Good luck, I can imagine it is a scary phase but you’ve got this!

Want to be featured? Email me what you’re struggling with!

Good luck leveling up this week.

Talk soon,

Will McTighe

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