You Don’t Need More Time – You Need More You
- Jan 9
- 3 min read
Jenni (Benningfield) Black is a former professional athlete, a mental performance coach, and the founder of Inner Opponent Coaching. As a certified professional coach, Jenni specializes in working with high-performing leaders, athletes, coaches, and teams.
You don’t need more hours in the day, you need more of you available in the hours you already have. Time is fixed. Energy is fluid. And it’s the fluid part that determines the quality of your day and your life. Energy is not something you wait for. It’s something you build by paying attention and building awareness.
When I say “energy,” I am referring to the combination of your physical capacity, mental focus, emotional bandwidth, and motivation. Together, these create the fuel that determines how you show up in every area of life.
Low energy makes everything feel heavier. Decisions take longer. Small setbacks feel bigger.
High energy isn’t about doing more. It’s about thinking clearly, feeling confident, and moving with purpose.
Are you moving through each day on autopilot, repeating the same patterns without making intentional choices that support your goals and what matters most?
What would be different for you if you had 10% more energy every day? So, what do we do with this?
Let’s consider energy through 3 different lenses: The 3 A’s
Awareness: recognizing what energy we have access to
Alignment: directing it toward what matters
Action: taking 1 small step
Step 1: Building awareness of your energy and time
Let’s take this example. In a world where our phones give us access to everything, we are very aware when the battery is getting low. The last thing we do is charge our phone at night and know it will be at 100%, ready to go when we wake up.
But how aware are we of our own energy until we are on empty? Are you recharged and ready to start the day, every day at 100%?
Activity: Your daily energy snapshot
Consider a typical day, and rate your energy level from 0-100% at these moments:
When you wake up
Mid-morning
Lunch
Mid-afternoon
Evening
Before bed
Then take a moment to reflect:
What drains your energy?
What replenishes it?
Which routines are happening on autopilot that are either supporting you or getting in your way?
Step 2: Align your energy with what matters
Now, reflect on two things:
What energy percentage feels right for you at each of the above points in the day?
Create a "do" list and a "not do" list.
What simple actions (big or small) have helped to recharge you in the past? (continue to "do" this)
What habits or actions are getting in the way of you and your goals, and no longer serve you? (what "not" to do moving forward)
Step 3: Take aligned action
Choose 1 that you can commit to this week.
Where can you add 1 simple action for 5–10 minutes to lift your energy even slightly? (A few examples from my clients: go for a walk, listen to a favorite song, stretch, soak up some sun for 5 minutes, etc.)
Schedule it into your day the same way you would schedule an important meeting.
Energy shifts when behavior shifts, so let the first step be small enough that you can repeat it and big enough that you feel it.
Afterwards, ask yourself:
Did this raise my energy, even by 1%?
What changed in my mood, focus, or clarity?
These insights guide your next steps and support the momentum you’re creating.
What is the cost of continuing as you are? Friendly reminder: even when you choose not to change, you’re still making a choice. The choice is yours.
Give this a try and see what shifts. You may be surprised by how much impact a single small, intentional action can have on your day.
And remember, you don’t have to navigate your energy or your goals alone. If you’re ready to take this work further, let’s connect.
Coaching can help you move from intention to action and create the transformation you have been seeking.
Read more from Jenni (Benningfield) Black
Jenni (Benningfield) Black, Mental Performance Coach
Jenni (Benningfield) Black, a former professional athlete and mental performance coach, discovered the life-changing impact of mental performance during her final year of professional basketball, helping her overcome the mental and emotional challenges of retirement and inspiring her to earn a Master’s Degree in Sports Psychology. Driven by this passion, she founded Inner Opponent Coaching to help high performers break through mental barriers and create a game plan to succeed in what truly matters to them.
