If you're a high-performing leader, entrepreneur, or parent trying to "do it all," time can feel like your most scarce resource.
Many productivity tools treat humans like machines. They break the day into rigid blocks, glorify efficiency, and prioritize output above all. But you're not a machine. You're a dynamic, emotional, creative being with a natural rhythm, personal values, and changing needs.
So what if we reimagined productivity to align with your energy instead of fighting it?
That’s exactly what this Wheel of Productivity is designed to help you do.
Step 1: The Productivity Wheel, Reimagined
The classic time wheel breaks your day into 24 slices (one for each hour). You categorize each hour based on how you spend it: work, sleep, commuting, etc. It's useful, but flat… and for busy people, tracking time by the hour can feel rigid or unrealistic.
We’re taking a fresher, more flexible approach.
Try grouping your day into 5–6 activity zones based on how your day actually flows. Then color in each zone based on the dominant use of time:
- Morning Zone (6 AM – 9 AM)
- AM Zone (9 AM – 12 PM)
- Midday Zone (12 PM – 2 PM)
- PM Zone (2 PM – 5 PM)
- Evening Zone (5 PM – 9 PM)
- Night Wind-Down (9 PM – 11 PM)
Instead of tracking how you spend each hour, we’re going to evaluate:
- How each activity affects your energy (nourishing vs. depleting)
- How aligned it is with your values
- Whether it’s truly necessary or inherited from outdated expectations
Here are the new categories to consider (customize as needed):
- Creative / Strategic Work (deep thinking, planning, visioning)
- Operational / Admin Work (emails, meetings, logistics)
- Movement & Body Care (exercise, walking, rest)
- Connection & Family Time (nurturing relationships)
- Spiritual & Emotional Nourishment (prayer, journaling, meditation)
- Joy & Play (laughter, hobbies, fun)
- True Rest (sleep, restorative practices)
- Avoiding/Numbing (scrolling, zoning out, survival mode)
Step 2: Color & Reflect
- Assign each category a color.
- Color in your current wheel based on how you typically spend your time across the six zones.
- Then do a second version: your ideal day.
Compare the two. Ask:
- Where am I overinvesting in what drains me?
- Where am I underinvesting in what restores me?
- What small shift could bring me back into balance?
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about pattern recognition.
Step 3: Rethink "Productivity"
We’re conditioned to believe productivity is about doing more in less time.
But the most effective leaders I coach define productivity differently:
- Clarity > Clutter: They know what matters and focus there.
- Energy > Output: They optimize for impact, not activity.
- Intentionality > Hustle: They work with purpose, not pressure.
How to Design a More Aligned Day
Use your updated productivity wheel to identify one area that needs rebalancing. Then choose a micro-shift:
- Over-scheduled mornings? Try a 10-minute grounding ritual before opening your laptop.
- Back-to-back meetings? Build in 15-minute buffers between calls.
- No time for big-picture thinking? Block a weekly 90-minute strategy session with yourself.
- Fading spark? Schedule one small pleasure daily: a walk, a playlist, a game with your kid.
These small shifts, stacked consistently, become a new rhythm. A more human one.
The Nervous System Knows
If you're constantly:
- Waking up tired
- Feeling resentful or overcommitted
- Fantasizing about quitting everything for space
You’re not lazy. You’re not weak. You’re misaligned.
The good news? You can change it.
Not overnight. Not by blowing it all up. But by noticing what you need—and honoring it.
Redefining Success in Your Own Terms
Success doesn’t have to look like calendar Tetris, inbox zero, or always being available.
It can look like:
- Being fully present with your kids during dinner.
- Having enough energy left at the end of the day to read for fun.
- Designing your workday around your natural flow.
- Saying yes only when you mean it.
Productivity is More than Time Management
What would your life look like if your calendar reflected your values?
Start with the productivity wheel.
Color in your real day.
Imagine your ideal.
Then close the gap, one decision at a time.
This isn’t just time management.
It’s life reclamation.
P.S. If this is hitting home, check out these posts next:
How temporary solutions lead to lasting breakthroughs
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