Why Time Management Is A Waste Of Time (And What To Do About It)
Introduction
If you are a professional or leader facing constant pressure to perform, and you tend to carry an unsustainable workload, then this article is for you. Whether you’re 30 days into a new role and feeling overwhelmed, or you’re several projects in and completely drained, I have some good news for you: There’s a smarter, more human way to work and it starts by shifting your focus from time to energy.
And in case you missed the title, NO, this is not another article about how to use the Pomodoro technique or a priority matrix or anything else that requires you to focus on maximizing the time you have on hand. Thanks, but no thanks!
We are not robots. Our level of presence and productivity changes from day to day. The same way that priorities tend to change in a fast-paced workplace. Therefore, this article challenges outdated notions about time management and exposes a more sustainable path forward, one rooted in energy, capacity, and human-centered leadership.
We’re here to keep the burnout at bay and the good times rolling. Keep reading if you’re ready to reframe your leadership and help change workplace culture from within.
First Up—Why Time Management Sucks the Life Out Of Your Goals
Please hear me out, veteran PMs and execs! Because this is the hard and honest truth, and one that took me 10+ years to learn as a professional in education, coaching, and nonprofit leadership. Here’s the truth that will change your whole worldview:
Time management is a waste of time, because time is a man-made construct that only helps us to measure occurrences of life on earth. Nothing more.
Time is not tangible. It cannot be harnessed or amplified.
And you cannot add more hours to a day.
Yet, we strive to make the most of our time (because time = money), thinking we have to fill up all 1,440 minutes in the most efficient way, today and then tomorrow again. So we try to squeeze out every second possible and we still come out short. Because the world is noisy and it’s so easy to drown in emails, DMs, meetings, and documents that never seem to end.
Do you even remember the strategy and outcomes that were discussed six months ago? How about a year ago? Of course not! Who even has the time to stick to a solid plan when everything is always changing at the speed of light? We act like we are the masters of our time when really all we do is let it run us to the ground.
This is what happens when you center time as the baseline for everything you do. You lose sight of what’s really important—the bigger picture. Strategy gets watered down to today’s most pressing tasks. Conversations become transactions. And emotional bandwidth goes out the window along with all of the trust and culture you worked so hard to create as a team.
The good news is, you don’t have to continue to work like this when there is a better way.
Enter Energy Management: The Best Way to Manage Your Resources
Ready for another life-altering truth? Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of these gems saved up and here’s the next one for you:
Your energy matters way more than your time, because it is actually within your control.
Energy exists beyond the constructs of time. It is your most valuable resource and asset, because it can be used and replenished.
And the most important thing to remember is this—
You don't create something through the passage time, you create something through a transfer of energy.
Most people don’t realize this, but our entire lives are made up of little transfers of energy:
We need physical energy to move and take action.
We need mental energy to observe, analyze, strategize, and stay focused.
We need emotional energy to express and to respond instead of react.
We need spiritual energy to connect to wisdom, healing, and clarity.
We need creative energy to bring ideas and visions to life.
Without these different types of energy, we are no different than a tiny grain of sand vibrating underneath the ocean floor, easily swayed and thrashed about by the flow of the tide. And so the question begs—Why do we aimlessly give away all of our energy just for the sake of filling up our time? Isn’t this an absolute waste of our true potential and power?
Forgive me for being bold, but we don’t need more leaders and colleagues acting like grains of sand. I think we owe it to ourselves to explore what life would be like—what our systems, organizations, and societies would be like—if we centered energy as the baseline for how we spend our time.
In my lived experience, there have been times where failure, frustration, and suffering could have been avoided, or at the very least, minimized, if only someone paused long enough to consider things from this perspective.
The Pitfalls Of Prioritizing Time & Money Instead Of Energy
For the purpose of helping others avoid such somber fates, I’ve compiled a few professional experiences into brief case studies and takeaways that prove energy management is critical for sustainable productivity and long-term organizational success.
But first, I want to address a misguided notion that hinders the best of teams when faced with limitations and crises:
We often assume that if we just manage our time better or secure more funding, our problems will resolve themselves. But in practice, that is rarely the case. Because while the proper management of time and money is necessary, it is not sufficient when it comes to the successful execution of a strategic plan.
The real bottleneck in most organizations isn’t the number of hours in a day or the size of the budget; it’s the energy, clarity, and capacity of the people doing the work.
When energy is depleted or misaligned, no amount of time-blocking or budget-stretching can fix it. And when we fail to account for the human side of leadership—our bandwidth, motivation, and emotional resilience—we set ourselves up for a breakdown.
With this in mind, let’s now take a look at a few scenarios and alternative solutions that will help you lead with greater discernment, protect your team’s capacity, and avoid the costly consequences of overlooked energy gaps.
Case Study #1 - Burnout In Education: When Incentives Miss the Mark
Scenario
Before COVID-19, most educators regularly logged over 50-hour workweeks. Despite long hours and intense workloads, schools responded to teacher burnout with superficial gestures—snacks, drinks, and fast-food coupons—instead of addressing underlying issues like compensation, support, and workload management. Contrary to popular belief, summers were rarely restorative, as teachers often took temporary jobs just to make ends meet. When the pandemic struck, these already-strained teachers faced unprecedented pressure. Districts failed to introduce supportive policies or meaningful retention strategies, leading to further exhaustion and staff turnover. One teacher poignantly captured the emotional reality:
“It doesn’t matter how carefully I plan my lessons and days, it never seems to be enough. I find myself working every evening and weekend, and by the time I walk into my classroom, I’m already spent.”
Root Cause
Persistent undervaluing of teachers’ emotional and physical well-being, lack of meaningful incentives, and insufficient support systems.
Alternative Solution
Schools can boost staff retention rates and morale by prioritizing workload management, mental health support, and intentional policies for wellness.
Takeaway
Effective teaching depends less on precise scheduling and more on having sufficient physical, emotional, and mental energy. Without the energy to sustain meaningful work, productivity inevitably declines and leads to compromised outcomes.
Reflective Question
“Are we truly supporting our team’s energy needs, or just expecting them to keep giving from empty reserves?”
Case Study #2 - Startup Misfires: The High Cost of Rushed Expansion
Scenario
An ambitious startup anticipated rapid demand growth and aggressively hired 15 new employees, despite lacking sufficient funding. Leaders assumed inexperienced managers would adapt quickly, yet provided inadequate training. The onboarding process was rushed, chaotic, and overwhelming, leaving new hires confused and discouraged. Within a month, the rapid hiring turned into mass layoffs, crippling employee relations and damaging internal morale. To make matters worse, client service and retention sharply declined. New managers, unequipped to handle sensitive discussions, admitted their struggles openly:
“We were completely blindsided. First, there was no real support to manage the rapid scaling, and then we were told we would be downsizing basically overnight.”
Root Cause
Leadership assumed availability of unlimited energy without building systems to support managers and employees through critical transitions.
Alternative Solution
Companies can manage growth sustainably and prevent significant employee distress by investing in thoughtful onboarding, comprehensive training, and effective internal communication.
Takeaway
Promising projections and time management don’t guarantee success if energy—human capacity, emotional resilience, and organizational alignment—is ignored. Energy management is critical when introducing new structures, systems, and strategies. Without it, initiatives inevitably collapse under pressure.
Reflective Question
“Are we proactively equipping our teams to sustain their energy during periods of rapid growth and uncertainty?”
Case Study #3 - Nonprofit Perils: When Good Intentions Drain Resources
Scenario 1: Navigating Personal Crises
Employees within a small nonprofit faced serious personal crises—family emergencies, medical conditions, and bereavement. Naturally, their energy was redirected away from professional obligations, significantly reducing productivity and overburdening other staff with tasks beyond their scope of work. However, without systems and processes to support critical roles during these disruptions, communications and program delivery became a struggle. One staff member openly voiced their frustration and exhaustion:
“I always make myself available because I can help and people truly need our services, but I’m tired because I can never take time off.”
Scenario 2: Misalignment And Lost Trust
At another organization, leadership set ambitious goals without consulting their teams, creating severe misalignment. Months later, it became clear they'd been measuring and prioritizing the wrong outcomes entirely. And despite some progress being made, the deliverables fell short of actual needs, resulting in layoffs, abrupt strategic pivots, and erosion of trust among employees, one of which remarked:
“Had I known the reality of our situation, I would have suggested and executed a completely different strategy.”
Scenario 3: Hasty Operational Decisions
A third nonprofit rushed to fix operational gaps by investing heavily in virtual roles without properly assessing their true needs. It soon became evident that physical, on-site support was critical instead. The misallocated resources led to wasted energy and money, frustrated teams, layoffs, and eroded credibility with board members and funders. Leadership openly acknowledged:
“We needed to solve the problem quickly but didn’t think it through. Now we realize it’s not what the team truly needed.”
Root Cause
In all cases, leadership failed to adequately read and respond to the actual emotional, physical, and operational needs of their teams.
Alternative Solution
To build sustainable outcomes and trust, organizations can combine clear strategy with emotional intelligence by regularly checking in on team capacity, offering flexible support, and aligning goals through open communication.
Takeaway
Project managers and leaders must understand how to read the energy of the room and be able respond with flexibility and discernment. When managing energy proactively, teams prevent costly missteps and protect their foundations for sustainable, long-term success.
Reflective Question
“Are we genuinely attuned to our team’s emotional and operational needs, or are we unintentionally draining their energy through misalignment and hasty decisions?”
These real-world scenarios, while varying in industry and situation, reveal two consistent and urgent truths:
Time and money are limited tools when not supported by sustainable energy.
AND
Strategic plans depend on systems and practices that actively replenish and protect the energy of the people doing the work.
Understanding this, we can do away with obsessing over pristine schedules and budgets that never seem to be enough. Because that is not what truly drives the strategy forward anyway.
Instead, we can breathe easier by focusing on how to do better with what is already within you and your team.
Energy is the real foundation to be built upon. Honor this, and sustainable outcomes become the new norm.
The Bottom Line—Lead With Energy, Not Just Time
If you’ve made it this far, then you already know that your effectiveness as a leader isn’t measured by how many hours you work. It’s measured by how well you manage the energy that fuels your decisions, relationships, and results.
By centering energy—not just time—you make room for deeper clarity, stronger alignment, and more meaningful outcomes. And perhaps more importantly, you lead in a way that protects your team’s humanity, starting with your own.
It’s high time we leave behind outdated beliefs and principles about productivity for productivity's sake. Emerging tech is changing the way we do business, and with this comes the evolution of individual priorities and values. In the near future, we will find that the most successful organizations are led by people who prioritize emotional intelligence, integrity, and intention.
Start Now: 3 Ways To Work Better By Protecting Your Energy
Identify your energy gaps. Where are you consistently drained? Physically, mentally, emotionally? Start there.
Shift the conversation. Start normalizing discussions around energy, bandwidth, and sustainable work within your organization.
Reflect weekly. Don’t just ask what got done. Ask what it cost, and whether it was worth it.
What’s Next: Strategies To Reclaim And Rebuild Your Energy
This article offered a new lens on leadership, one that values energy over time. In my next article, I’ll walk you through tried and true strategies to replenish energy, set boundaries that stick, and make smarter, more sustainable decisions. All without sacrificing compassion, ambition, or impact.
Until then, I’ve got something to help you get started today:
✨ 3 Tools to Master Work-Life Balance
Avoid burnout and reclaim your peace with practical tools designed to help you work smarter, not harder. Inside, you will find:
Step-by-step instructions to implement energy-based planning
A simple spreadsheet to track your bandwidth and reset your schedule
Prompts to help you clarify priorities and protect your capacity
➡️ Get the free toolkit here and take your first step toward a more balanced, sustainable way of leading.
With you on this journey,
Cinthia
