Stop Counting Minutes: Why Time Management is Actually an Energy Problem
By Derek — Money isn't complicated. People just make it complicated. ·
We’re Doing Time All Wrong
I spent five years at Goldman. You want to talk about time management? I’ve seen people pull 90-hour weeks while achieving absolutely nothing of substance. We’ve been conditioned to believe that if you fill every square inch of your calendar with color-coded blocks, you’re winning.
Spoiler alert: You’re not. You’re just busy. And busy is the fastest way to stay broke and burnt out.
Money isn’t complicated, and neither is time. The problem is that most of you are treating your day like a spreadsheet where the goal is to maximize cells. But your life isn’t a spreadsheet. It’s an engine. And if you don't manage the fuel, that engine is going to seize up somewhere between your morning espresso and your 4:00 PM Zoom call.
The “Energy Audit” Shift
If you want to move the needle—whether it’s on your net worth or your personal goals—you need to stop counting minutes and start tracking your energy.
Think about it like an F1 race. You don’t see the team at McLaren trying to run the car at 100% throttle for the entire duration of the race. They manage the tires, they manage the fuel load, and they pick exactly when to push for that fastest lap.
Most of you start your day at 100% throttle, realize by 2:00 PM you’re out of fuel, and then spend the rest of the day coasting on fumes, doing 'busy work' that doesn't actually pay dividends.
Here’s the move: For the next three days, don’t track what you do. Track how you feel. Put a note in your phone every two hours: Is my brain sharp? Am I dragging? Do I feel like I’m creating, or just consuming? You’ll start to see a pattern. That’s your biological rhythm. Stop fighting it.
Protect Your Peak Performance Window
I’m a morning person. My best work—the deep strategy, the complex financial planning for my clients, the writing—happens between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM. If I fill that time with 'low-leverage' tasks like checking emails or doom-scrolling, I’ve essentially thrown away my most valuable asset.
Identify your window. If you’re a night owl, fine, but don’t you dare touch your high-leverage work during your afternoon slump.
Practical advice? Block out your 'Golden Window' on your calendar. Make it non-negotiable. Treat it like a client meeting you wouldn’t dare miss. If someone asks for a sync during that time, you say no. Not 'I’ll see if I can,' just no. You aren’t being rude; you’re being a professional. You can't give your best to anyone else if you’ve already spent your best on things that don't matter.
The Art of the 'High-Leverage' No
We talk a lot about 'time management' as if the goal is to do more things. It’s not. The goal is to do fewer, better things.
I see founders trying to do their own bookkeeping, social media scheduling, and client onboarding all at once. They think they’re being efficient. They’re just being cheap with their own time.
If a task doesn't directly contribute to your core objective—your 'North Star'—you have three options: 1. Eliminate it. (Most of the time, the world won't end.) 2. Automate it. (If a machine can do it, let it.) 3. Delegate it. (Pay someone else to do it so you can focus on the work that actually generates revenue.)
If you’re doing $20-an-hour work, you’re never going to build a $500-an-hour life. Period.
Stop Trying to Save Time
Time is the only resource you can’t buy more of. Every time you say 'I don't have time,' what you’re really saying is 'this isn't a priority.' Be honest with yourself. If your portfolio isn't growing or your project isn't launching, it’s not because you lacked hours in the day. It’s because you spent those hours on stuff that didn't move the needle.
Stop trying to 'save' time by multitasking. Multitasking is a lie we tell ourselves to feel productive. It’s just task-switching, and it lowers your IQ by about 10 points every time you do it. Do one thing. Do it until it’s finished. Then move to the next.
Keeping It Simple
At the end of the day, success isn't about how much you squeezed into your calendar. It's about how much of your output actually hit the mark.
Clean up your schedule. Protect your energy. Say no to the noise. It’s simple, but it’s not easy—mostly because we’re all addicted to feeling busy.
Give this a shot for a week. See how your output changes when you stop managing time and start managing your focus and energy. You’ll be surprised at how much 'extra' time you suddenly have when you stop wasting it on things that don’t matter.
Anyway, that’s my take. I’m heading out to catch the practice sessions—even mid-pack, there’s always something to learn about strategy.
How are you structuring your week? If you’re feeling like you’re on a treadmill to nowhere, let’s chat. Shoot me a message and let’s figure out where you’re leaking energy.