Time management is one of those areas most busy people feel they “should” be better at, or they might feel like it feels impossible to improve things based on how much they have going on all the time.
However, the reality is that the problem isn’t usually laziness, a lack of discipline, or even a lack of effort. In fact, many of the people I work with are doing a huge amount, they’re just doing it reactively.
That looks like firefighting, juggling personal and work demands, constantly chasing their tail… and always feeling behind. Living reactively is draining, and it makes everything take longer, creates more stress, and erodes confidence.
The good news is that there’s a different way – by planning both your time and your energy, you can create calm, reclaim control, and get more done in less time – without burning out and all while being busy.
Why Disorganisation Creates Stress
I’ve seen almost every kind of system:
- People keeping everything in their heads (which is exhausting).
- Multiple lists scattered across notebooks, diaries, apps, and Post-Its.
- Super-organised work-wise, but chaos in their personal life.
The details vary, but the outcome is the same: no clear plan or routine of planning and therefore, typically left reacting to whatever comes up.
And even for those who do use a list, if it’s written out on the morning of the day itself, in my opinion, it’s already too late. The day has started, demands are flying at you, and you’re back in reactive mode before you’ve even had a chance to set your priorities.
A second shift here is how you see your list. Many people treat it like a mountain that needs to be conquered, and feel stressed because it’s never-ending. But your to-do list isn’t something you “finish.” It’s a task log: a living document that helps you prioritise and manage. When you start to see it this way, it becomes an anchor, not a burden.
Why You Need to Plan Energy, Not Just Time
Most productivity advice focuses on time management alone. But that’s only half the picture. Your energy – your physical, mental, and emotional fuel and wellbeing – determines how well you can actually use your time, as well as how good you feel and how well you perform.
That’s why I teach clients to plan with both in mind. There are two parts to planning your wellbeing:
- Maintenance and prevention: building in habits and routines that keep you resilient. That might mean extra rest before and after a big project, blocking meal breaks as non-negotiables, or scheduling movement before an intense meeting.
- Adaptability: adjusting plans when unexpected stress hits. Poor sleep, family pressures, or illness are part of life. If you push through without adapting, you run yourself down.
This isn’t “soft” planning – it’s what keeps you consistent, productive, and well.
The Benefits of Proactive Planning
Planning in advance is a point of leverage; it’s not just about being more efficient with your tasks, even though, of course, you will be. It also:
- Puts you one step ahead, reducing firefighting and reactivity.
- Makes it easier to hold boundaries because your priorities are already clear.
- Helps you delegate earlier, with less stress and guilt.
- Improves your performance, because you’re using your time and energy in the right way.
And crucially, proactive planning signals safety to your nervous system. Instead of running in a constant state of fight-or-flight, you create calm. And that changes everything, from how you think, to how you feel, to how you show up.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been operating reactively, you’re not alone. It’s the default in our busy, always-on world. But shifting from reactive to proactive by planning your time and energy with intention is one of the most powerful ways to lower stress, feel more in control, and get the right things done.
This isn’t about perfection or squeezing more in. It’s about making your days calmer, clearer, and more effective.
Next week, as a part of this ‘wellbeing foundations’ series, I’ll be talking about mindset, and how your thought patterns can either fuel your goals and wellbeing or hold you back.
Until then, remember: it’s not just about managing your time. When you manage your energy alongside it, you create a calmer, more sustainable way of living and working.
This article is adapted from episode 6 of my podcast Busy Doing Well, and it’s part of my Wellbeing Foundations series. Prefer to listen? Apple Podcasts | Spotify
And if this is an area you’d like to improve in personally, or you’d like some support for your team, you can find out more about working together here.
Kate x
