When it comes to productivity, one of the biggest issues I deal with regularly is energy management. I generally feel like I have enough time to accomplish my goals, however, I don't always feel like I'm up for doing them. For the past couple of years, I've started to focus on how various activities affect my energy levels and developed a small framework for it. I mentally categorize all activities into three categories which I describe below.

Work

This is defined as time and energy spent working towards goals in my life. I want to maximize the amount of work I can perform in order to more effectively reach my goals and live a fuller, happier life.

• Working at my job
• Projects or hobbies
• Cleaning, tidying up, errands
• Exercising
• Socializing or spending time with family

Active Rest

Active Rest describes activities that make me feel re-energized after I've done them, which will allow me to do more work.

• Taking a nap
• Chilling in a hammock
• Going on a walk
• Playing with my dogs
• Having a fun chat with a friend

Passive Rest (the bad stuff)

These activities are similar to Active Rest activities, in that they are things I do when I need a break from working. The difference is, these don't make me feel recharged. At best, I'm recharged a little - at worst, I actually have less energy than when I started. These will vary from person to person, but for reference, these are things I consider Passive Rest activities:

• Browsing social media / Reddit
• Most video games
• Watching TV / shows

Conclusion

Like I mentioned before, my goal is to maximize my ability to do Work. I view it similar to a mana bar - working decreases my energy over time, and both Active Rest and Passive Rest increase it. However, Active Rest is much more effective at restoring energy than Passive Rest.

TLDR; Focus on activities that lead you towards your goals. If you don't have the energy to work on those things, effectively rest and avoid activities that aren't truly recharging.