Scott Adams

But it's the reframe right after the one from yesterday.

This one's managing energy instead of time.

And speaking as Scott here, I've written approximately 11,000 comic strips since the beginning of my cartooning career in 1989.

Nearly every one of those comics was written before 9am.

If I wrote a joke at 5am, I usually like how it turns out.

If I try writing a joke at 3pm, I'll probably end up losing whatever I produce.

I think of this as managing energy, not time.

I have exactly the right kind of energy for coffee-fueled creative writing in the morning.

But a caffeine buzz is exactly the wrong kind of energy

for drawing comics, as that requires a more relaxed vibe.

So I write in the morning when writing is easy, and I draw in the evening when drawing is easy.

That's managing energy, not time.

So the usual frame, manage your time.

The reframe, manage your energy.

In my experience, the energy I have for a task is more important to the outcome than the amount of time I have allocated to do it.

I can produce more in 15 minutes with the right energy than in four hours with the wrong energy.

Most creative people will tell you something similar.

There's a time of day that works best for creative work and other times do not work at all.

The same holds for exercise.

I have the right energy for exercise about noon each day.