Season 5, Episode 3: Where does my energy go, and what comes first?

Tania Huddart: We hear a lot about time management. But it's actually our energy that we need to manage. Time is a very finite resource. There are only so many hours. But if you can get your energy balance right, it's unlimited.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Teach Pilates with Confidence and Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last episode was about what you stand for, and why you teach. This one is about your week. Where does my energy go, and what comes first?

Tania Huddart: And in that order. Energy first. Because if you sort out your priorities but you've got nothing left in the tank, the list just sits there.

Host: Why energy before time? Most of us start with the diary.

Tania Huddart: We do. We can structure our time. But if we don't know how much energy we're spending in the business, things get complicated quickly. It's one of the reasons we burn out.

We think that to be more effective, we have to put more time in, especially when we're starting. But those extra demands take away your energy. You have less patience. Less time for yourself and your family. You're more likely to get sick. And you're probably not very happy.

The trouble is, most of us manage the diary and ignore the tank.

Host: So how do I find out where mine's going?

Tania Huddart: Grab a journal, or just a piece of paper. Write down the things in your business, or in your life, that drain your energy. The things you really dislike doing. Be honest with yourself.

Then make a second list. All the things that give you energy. The things that fill your cup and make you feel alive.

Host: What sorts of things end up on each list?

Tania Huddart: On the drain list, it might be answering your emails. Or dealing with changes to bookings. On the other list, it might be a bubble bath. Or a walk on the beach.

And then I'd like you to look for a solution for the drains. There are people out there who'll take care of your inbox for you. You'll have to do a bit of work first, so you can help them help you. But there are plenty of virtual assistants who can deal with the things you don't want to. Then you've got time for the work that brings in an income, or brings you more energy.

Host: Have you done that yourself?

Tania Huddart: Yes. I always get grumpy if I have to do anything to do with accounting. So I don't. I have a bookkeeper. He takes all of that away, and he only asks me if he needs to clarify something.

I used to get myself up into a lather at least twenty-four to forty-eight hours before, because I hated it so much. Now I hand it all over and I feel a lot happier. He's more than happy to do it. He thrives on it. That fills his cup, not mine. It's a win-win.

There's nothing wrong with disliking something. Just don't wallow in it. Find a different solution. If you hate it, someone else probably doesn't.

Host: And the second list? How do I get more of that into my week?

Tania Huddart: You build some new rituals. Start with the basics. If you don't get enough nutrition, exercise, sleep and rest, you'll run out. And rest isn't sleep. Rest is the time when you're really replenishing.

It's not the length of the break that matters. It's the quality. A walk round the block does more than an hour of scrolling.

Host: What about on a teaching day, when there's no time for a walk?

Tania Huddart: Try your breathing. If you're getting tired while you're teaching, pause. Breathe in, talk, and when you're ready for another breath, don't gulp it in through your mouth. Close your mouth and breathe in through your nose. I'm always amazed how much calmer I feel, and how much more energy I've got at the end of the session.

And while you're breathing, look around the room. Name everything you can see. As I sit here, I can see a reformer, some balls, a wobble board, a light fitting, rocks, a chair. It gives your brain a little break.

Host: And when the day's done?

Tania Huddart: Think about what you're grateful for. You might keep a journal next to your bed, and every evening write down the good things that happened. The people in your life. The things you got to do.

We're wired to see the negative. We're wired to look for danger. But we can change that voice in our head. Maybe it wasn't a great day. There's still something to learn from it. Focus on the lesson, and change the story.

Host: You've talked on the show before about how you plan your week. Is that part of this?

Tania Huddart: It is. When I moved to a new town and set up my business, I put my leisure in the diary first, then worked out when I'd teach. And I was pleasantly surprised. If those sessions were full, I'd be earning more than I'd expected.

I'm very structured now. I make time to film. I make time to answer emails. It all goes in my diary, in half-hour and hour blocks. And if it's in my diary, I do it.

Host: So once I've got some energy back, how do I decide what to spend it on?

Tania Huddart: You set your priorities. Pick your top three for whatever period you've chosen. Today. This week. This month. A twelve-week block. Or the year. Three is enough. Ten is a wish list.

Knowing your three really cuts down the indecision, because you know what you're trying to achieve.

And plan ahead. Some people like to plan tomorrow the night before, once they've done a brain dump of the day. Others sit down for an hour on a Sunday night and plan the whole week. Either way, you wake up knowing what you're doing.

Host: Three still sounds big. Say one of mine is starting a new class.

Tania Huddart: Then you break it into pieces. What's the name of the class? How long is it? How many people do you want in it?

Then, how will people hear about it? Write down every avenue. An email. Online. A notice at the local library, or in the school newsletter. How will they book? Your online booking system, a phone call, a message? Do you need new photographs? Flyers?

Write it all down, choose what suits you, and work through the list. So when that first class arrives, it's all done and dusted. It's ready to go. You've made something lovely, and you can feel you've really achieved something.

Host: And when someone asks me to do something that isn't on the list?

Tania Huddart: Then your three priorities do the deciding. Is this going to help me reach my goals? Is it going to distract me? Or will it add to what I'm already doing?

If your goal is an income goal, does this get you closer? If your goal is more time with your family, and someone asks, "Could you just teach this workshop?", does it give you more family time, or take some away? Then it's easy to say, "No, sorry, I don't have any more time this week, but I have some next week." That's not rude. It's clear.

Host: And the Pomodoro method? It sounds like something you'd cook.

Tania Huddart: It nearly is. Pomodoro is the Italian word for tomato. It's a time management method from the 1980s. An Italian university student used a little tomato-shaped kitchen timer, and the name stuck.

You choose one task. You set the timer for twenty-five minutes, and you work on just that. When it goes off, you take a five to ten minute break. Go for a walk. Do some Pilates. Drink a glass of water. After three of those, take the fourth as a long break, twenty-five to thirty minutes, and do something completely different. You'd be surprised how much you get done when you know you've only got twenty-five minutes.

If someone interrupts you, stop, and start that one again when you've got the time. And if you finish early, use what's left to review, and decide your next task. So you're ready to go.

Host: Why does it suit Pilates teachers?

Tania Huddart: Because we like to move. Twenty-five minutes isn't too long to sit at a computer. Then you get up. It's the closest thing I know to doing Pilates at your desk. It's lovely to share with your clients, too, so they take more movement breaks at work.

Host: So, three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. Manage your energy, not just your time. Time runs out. Energy can be refilled.

Two. Hand over what drains you, and build rituals that fill your cup. It's the quality of the break that counts.

Three. Choose three priorities, break them into pieces, and let them decide your yes and your no. Then use a timer to get them done.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: What's one thing on your drain list that someone else would happily do? And what would you do with the energy you got back?

Host: Everything we talked about today is Chapters 6, 8 and 9 of Tania's Pilatespreneur Academy: Energy Versus Time, Your Priorities, and Productivity and the Pomodoro Method. You'll find it at taniahuddart.com slash academy.

Next episode, we turn priorities into goals. How do I set goals I'll actually keep?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Energy first. Then the order. Then the timer. Try planning tomorrow tonight, and put one thing from your second list in it.