Annotate time blocks with required energy state AND realistic energy prediction — match task demands to predicted capacity, not ideal capacity

Why This Is a Rule

Calendar blocks allocate time but not energy. A 2-hour deep work block on Monday morning (after good sleep, exercise done, no emotional stressors) produces dramatically different output than the same 2-hour block on Wednesday afternoon (after poor sleep, back-to-back meetings, and a difficult conversation). The time is identical; the energy available for the task is not.

Dual annotation makes the mismatch visible before it produces failure. Required energy state: what cognitive mode does this task need? Deep focus (sustained analytical attention), creative (open, associative), relational (empathetic, social), or administrative (routine, procedural). Realistic energy prediction: given your current patterns (sleep quality, exercise schedule, meeting load, emotional state), what energy will you actually have at this time slot? Not ideal energy — realistic energy based on this week's specific conditions.

When the required energy exceeds the predicted energy → the block will underperform. A deep-focus task scheduled for Wednesday 3 PM (predicted low energy after meetings) will produce less than the same task on Tuesday 9 AM (predicted high energy after good sleep and exercise). The annotation reveals these mismatches at planning time, enabling rescheduling before the week starts.

When This Fires

• During weekly planning when assigning tasks to calendar blocks
• When protected time blocks consistently produce no output — energy mismatch is the likely cause
• When you need to schedule deep work around variable energy patterns (travel, illness, disrupted sleep)
• Complements Group weekly tasks under parent objectives, allocate best hours to goal-one tasks — unconnected tasks go last or get eliminated (grouped weekly scheduling) with the energy-demand matching layer

Common Failure Mode

Ideal-state scheduling: placing deep work at 2 PM on Wednesday because "that's available." Available ≠ energized. After 4 hours of meetings, 2 PM Wednesday predicts low cognitive energy — deep focus will fail there regardless of what the calendar says. Move deep work to a slot where predicted energy matches the demand.

The Protocol

(1) During weekly planning, for each protected time block, annotate two things: Required: what energy state does the scheduled task need? (Deep focus / Creative / Relational / Administrative) Predicted: given this week's specifics (sleep patterns, meeting load, exercise schedule, emotional context), what energy will I realistically have at this slot? (High / Medium / Low) (2) Match: required ≤ predicted → block is well-placed. Required > predicted → mismatch. Reschedule to a slot where predicted energy meets or exceeds the requirement. (3) Deep focus and creative tasks → high-energy slots only. Relational and administrative → medium or low-energy slots are fine. (4) If no high-energy slot is available this week → the week's capacity doesn't support deep work. Either create the conditions (better sleep, fewer meetings) or accept the limitation and plan accordingly.