Energy > Time: Why Managing Your Energy Beats Managing Your Time

Most people think productivity is about squeezing more into the calendar.
But here’s the truth: you don’t need more hours — you need more energy.

In this episode of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast, Clint breaks down one of the biggest mindset shifts in high performance: stop managing the clock and start managing your cognitive energy.

You’ll hear a story from early in Clint’s corporate career — a day where he learned firsthand that time means nothing if your brain isn’t switched on. Then we dive into the neuroscience behind energy peaks, cognitive fatigue, circadian rhythms, and why your “brain battery” drains so quickly in modern work.

In this episode you’ll learn:

✅ Why time is constant but energy is cyclical
✅ How your prefrontal cortex (your mental engine) tires across the day✅ The role of circadian rhythm in shaping your performance
✅ Why certain tasks drain you more depending on your cognitive style
✅ How to map your personal energy rhythm using the 3×3 Energy Mapping Method
✅ How aligning tasks with your peak energy windows can transform your output

Clint also shares his own peak-performance window and how one expensive filing-cabinet disaster proved the importance of timing your deep work.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re brilliant at 3:30 p.m. but useless at 9 a.m., this episode explains why and how to finally work with your brain, not against it.

Because the secret to high performance isn’t managing your minutes.
It’s managing your energy.

Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ⁠

Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

Think you can perform at your best on five hours of sleep? Think again.

In this episode of The Cognitive Athlete Podcast, Clint dives into one of the most underrated performance tools leaders have: sleep.

Drawing on military experience, NASA research, and the neuroscience of high performance, Clint breaks down why sleep isn’t rest — it’s repair.

You’ll hear a story from his time on deployment in the Middle East, where loadmasters mastered the art of “strategic napping” long before corporate life glamorised exhaustion. Then we unpack why elite performers treat sleep as a competitive advantage — and why you should too.

In this episode you’ll learn:

✅ Why the famous “NASA Nap” boosts performance by 34%
✅ How sleep transforms memory, creativity and emotional control
✅ Why your brain literally cleans itself overnight
✅ The hidden link between poor sleep and poor decision-making
✅ How to build a simple, science-backed sleep system to improve daily performance

Whether you’re leading teams, running a business, or juggling a high-pressure workload, this episode will help you upgrade your energy, sharpen your thinking, and stabilise your mood — all by mastering the habit you already do every day.

Because great days don’t just start with great intentions.
They start with great sleep… and occasionally, a well-timed nanna nap.

📘 Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ

Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

Why do you always get sick the moment you slow down?
The holidays start, your stress finally drops… and suddenly you’re wiped out.
This isn’t bad luck — it’s biology. It’s called The Let-Down Effect, and it’s one of the biggest reasons people crash at Christmas.

In this episode, Clint breaks down:
✅ Why your body suppresses symptoms during stress
✅ Why everything hits you the moment pressure drops
✅ Why December is the perfect storm of exhaustion and illness
✅How to transition from performance → recovery without crashing
✅The 7-day glide path to avoid getting sick on holidays

If you want to finish the year with energy — not collapse into Christmas — this episode is essential listening.

Listen now and glide into recovery instead of crashing into it.
Visit thecognitiveathlete.com.au for free tools and resources to help you improve your energy, focus, and performance.

📘 Pre-order The Cognitive Athlete — in stores 29 December 2025 👉 ⁠https://amzn.to/4fVUHwZ