You Don’t Need More Time — You Need Better Energy Management

July 25, 2025/

One of the most talked-about sessions at Boss Up this year was about something deceptively simple: energy. Not hustle. Not time management. Not productivity hacks. Just: energy — and how to use it wisely.

I loved leading this session, because here’s the truth:
Most high achievers don’t have a time problem.
They have an energy mismanagement problem.

The Energy Matrix for High Performers

As a business coach and executive speaker, I’ve worked with hundreds of driven professionals who have packed schedules — and still feel behind. Here’s why:

When we look at time, we see tasks.
When we look at energy, we see what fuels you and what drains you.

Your calendar isn’t just full.
It’s full of mixed signals — energy deposits, energy withdrawals, neutral fillers… and something most people miss: hidden fees.

What Are Hidden Fees?

Hidden fees are the energetic costs of tasks that look simple — but carry more cognitive load, emotional residue, or logistical friction than you realize.

Here are a few real examples:

  • A business owner who handles payroll herself. On paper, it’s just an hour-long task. But there’s a hidden fee: the mental reminders, the pressure to catch mistakes, the low-grade anxiety of carrying the responsibility. It clutters her headspace — and she doesn’t plan anything important the day it’s due.
  • For me, it was Sunday night family dinners. I love my family, and I used to book these weekly — but they’d often run late. I’d be cooking, cleaning, and still winding down at 10 p.m. It made Monday mornings harder, and it drained me before the week began. There was a hidden fee I hadn’t accounted for.
  • A realtor I coach drives across the city for client meetings. Each one seems reasonable on the calendar, but the scattered nature of her appointments — plus long drive times and no buffer for meals or breaks — leaves her drained by 3 p.m. Her calendar was technically “open,” but her energy was being siphoned off all day.

These hidden fees add up. And unless you name them, you can’t eliminate them.

Audit Your Week with Energy in Mind

In the Energy Matrix keynote, I guide participants through a breakdown of their week using three key categories:

  • Energy Deposits: Activities that light you up and expand your capacity
  • Energy Withdrawals: Tasks that drain you, even if they’re necessary
  • Neutral Tasks: Maintenance-mode work with minimal emotional impact

But now we go a layer deeper:
Where are the hidden fees?
Where are you paying in energy — not just time?

This small shift in awareness can change the way you schedule, delegate, and restore yourself.

You’re Not Falling Behind — You’re Carrying Too Much

If you feel stuck, tired, or reactive… it’s not that you’re doing something wrong. You’re just working from a mismatched map. One that tracks time, but not what it’s costing you.

This keynote helps high performers stop seeing themselves as the problem and start seeing the pattern.

Want to Energize Your People and Your Plan?

This session is available as a:

  • Keynote for your retreat or conference
  • Leadership team training (virtual or in-person)
  • Interactive planning day add-on

If your team is running on fumes or you want a better rhythm to your performance — let’s talk.
MaryJane@MaryJaneWalshThrive.com