Not enough time, or not enough energy?

For Pilates teachers and studio owners

First published on Tania's Hearts and Bones site, August 2022. Lightly edited; a draft for her approval.

When we work too much, we burn out. That much we know.

We hear a great deal about managing time, and almost nothing about managing energy. You can structure your time, but it gets complicated quickly if you have no idea how much energy your business is costing you.

What is needed is a balance between the energy you have and the time you spend on things.

Most Pilates teachers think we have to do more in order to be more effective. Those extra demands are sustainable for a while, and then they start drawing down your energy. You have less patience, less time for yourself, less time for your family, and the whole equation tips the wrong way. You are also more likely to get sick, and unhappy with it. All those hours spent working on balance stop making much sense.

Here is the important part. Time is a finite resource. Energy, if you get the balance right, is not.

Two lists

Take a journal or a piece of paper, and write down the things in your business and your life that drain your energy. What do you dislike doing? Be honest.

Then make a second list of everything that gives you energy. What makes you feel alive?

Now work out what you can put in place to reduce the people, habits, activities and tasks in the first list.

And remember: some people would love to do the things you do not want to do. Handing those over will save you time and money in the end, because you can focus on the work you love and still have the energy to do it.

If you are working on the business side of your studio, coaching and Pilates & Purpose both go further into this. Or book a free 20-minute call.