Smart people make dumb choices when they’re running on empty.
I watched a brilliant CEO approve a $200K software purchase at 4pm on a Friday. Same person who negotiates million-dollar deals with surgical precision. But his decision-making battery was dead.
By Monday, he realized it was the wrong call. Too late.
Here’s what every productivity expert gets wrong: You can’t manage time. You can only manage energy and attention.
Time is the same for everyone. But energy? That’s where the magic happens.
Your brain has roughly 4-6 hours of peak decision-making power per day. Most leaders waste it on email, meetings, and minor choices that don’t matter.
Then wonder why they feel scattered and make poor choices when it counts.
The leaders who scale without burning out do three things differently:
1. They batch decisions
All hiring calls on Tuesday. All strategic planning Friday morning. All vendor decisions Wednesday afternoon.
2. They eliminate choice fatigue
Same breakfast, same workout time, same route to work. They save mental energy for choices that matter.
3. They guard their peak hours
When they’re sharpest (usually 9-11am), they tackle their most important work. Everything else gets the leftovers.
This isn’t about perfect schedules. It’s about matching your best energy to your biggest priorities.
Track your energy levels for one week. Notice when you feel sharp versus when you’re running on fumes. Then redesign your days around your natural rhythms.
If you’re curious how top performers structure their days for maximum impact, let’s chat. I can show you exactly how the sharpest leaders I work with design their weeks.
We’ll find your energy leaks and plug them. Let’s chat.
Lloyd
