Increase Productivity With This Simple Exercise

Look, I’m going to be straight with you. Finding a way to increase productivity by doing things the same way you’ve always done them is incredibly hard.

If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably had days where you wake up early, work all day, and then get to the end of it thinking… “What did I actually accomplish today?”

You’re busy. You’re doing stuff. But you’re not really moving the needle.

Sound familiar?

That’s exactly why one of the first things I do with clients is something called a Time & Energy Audit.

And before you roll your eyes thinking this is just another productivity hack, hear me out. This isn’t about squeezing more tasks into your day. This is about figuring out where your time is actually going, because I guarantee it’s not where you think it is.

Here’s The Problem

Most entrepreneurs I work with have the same running narrative in their head:

“I just need to push through this week.”

“I can’t delegate this. No one else can do it like I do.”

“If I just had a few more hours in the day…”

“How do I increase productivity?”

But what’s really happening? You’re spending time on the wrong things. And most of the time, you don’t even realize it.

You’re stuck in this loop of low-value, energy-draining tasks that keep the business running but don’t actually move you forward. They don’t grow the business. They don’t give you more freedom. And they definitely don’t bring you any joy.

So you stay busy. But nothing changes.

What The Time & Energy Audit Actually Does

This is one of the highest-leverage exercises we do with clients. Here’s what it shows you:

• Where your time actually goes (not where you think it goes)
• Which tasks give you energy and which drain it
• How much time you’re spending on revenue-generating work
• Where you’re leaking time on stuff that doesn’t matter
• How to create space for the things that do matter
• How to increase productivity with the time you do have

And the best part? It’s simple.

But, it only works if you actually do it. And you have to be honest with yourself.

How To Do The Time & Energy Audit

All right, here’s the process:

Step 1: Track everything for 1-2 weeks

Write down everything you do each day. Use 15 to 60-minute blocks. And I mean everything – business and personal.

Going to the gym? Write it down. Scrolling YouTube because you’re procrastinating? Write it down. Making sales calls? Write it down.

Don’t just track “work hours.” Track your whole life. Because how you spend your time outside of work affects how you show up inside of work.

Step 2: Be as general or detailed as you want

You can get really specific like “Wrote email to leads about upcoming deal” or you can keep it general like “Follow-up emails.”

Either way is fine. You’re going to categorize these later anyway.

Step 3: Color code for energy

After each day (or at the end of the week), go back and highlight your activities:

🟩 Green = This gave me energy 🟨 Yellow = This was neutral 🟥 Red = This drained my energy

This is where it gets interesting. Because you’re going to see patterns you didn’t expect.

Step 4: Tag activities with symbols (optional but powerful)

💲 = Revenue-generating 😊 = Personal joy-generating

These tags help you see at a glance where your energy and your results are coming from.

Step 5: Review and reflect

What patterns do you see?

Are your most energy-draining tasks also the ones you’re doing most often?

Are the things that bring you joy completely missing from your week?

How much time are you actually spending on revenue-generating activities versus everything else?

This is where the real awareness happens.

Why This Changes Everything

I’m not exaggerating when I say this exercise has helped clients:

• Reclaim time for their family, hobbies, and health
• Finally delegate the tasks that were silently draining them
• Spot quick wins to increase revenue without working more hours
• Realign their schedule with what they actually want their life to look like
• Feel like they’re in control again
• Increase productivity without adding more hours to their work day.

It’s not a calendar trick. It’s a self-awareness tool.

Because here’s the thing: You can’t change what you’re not aware of.

And most business owners are running on autopilot. They’re reacting to whatever comes at them instead of intentionally deciding how they want to spend their time.

The Time & Energy Audit forces you to look at the reality of how you’re actually operating. And once you see it clearly, you can start making different choices.

What Happens Next

When I do this with clients, we review their audit together. We look at where they’re leaking energy. We figure out what needs to shift. And then we work on how to make those changes without blowing everything up.

Because the goal isn’t to flip your entire life upside down overnight. The goal is to make small, strategic changes that compound over time.

But here’s what I need you to understand: If you want different results, you have to change how you spend your time.

And to change how you spend your time, you first need to know how you’re spending it now.

That’s what this audit does.

Ready to actually do this?

Don’t just read this and nod along. Actually do the audit.

Track your time for one week. Be honest. Look at the patterns. And then ask yourself – is this how I want to be spending my life?

If the answer is no, then we can fix it.
[–> Get Your Free Timeand Energy Audit Here]