Have you ever heard that “time is money?” The truth is time is more than money; it’s the currency of life, and it’s an irreplaceable resource. When time’s up, it’s gone.

No wonder one of the first ways people try to increase their capacity or gain control of their lives is by trying to manage their time. We buy calendars, organizers, apps, and books on time management, and we make every effort to not allow a single minute of a day go to waste.

But there’s a big problem with that: Our days are numbered.

We can increase many capacities, but there’s nothing we can do to expand, save, or manage time. Time is a fixed resource—the number of minutes in a day, days in a week, and weeks in a year all tick away relentless in spite of our efforts to control it.

This is why we should instead focus on our energy. If we want to get more done, make a greater impact, and truly lead a life of significance, we need to increase our energy capacity. People who grow to their maximum potential don’t sit back and wait for things to happen; they go out and make things happen, and that requires energy.

Here are 5 ways to help you increase your energy capacity:

  • Living in your “gift zone.” When you spend your time doing the things that you care about most, you will find yourself fully charged with energy. What are the activities that make you say, “I was born to do this?” That’s your gift zone. Spend more time there.
  • Investing in family and friends. A life of significance is not about having more money and more stuff. It’s about spending time with and creating experiences and memories with the people you care about most. Who and what interactions fill you with energy?
  • Adding value to others. Helping others is a huge energy booster. When we serve others by providing something that makes their day a little better, we enter what Ed Bastian calls the “virtuous circle”—we not only draw energy from having done something good for someone else, we also get an energy boost from their response. As Zig Ziglar said, “You can get everything in life that you want if you just help enough people to get what they want.” How can you add value to others?
  • Investing in your physical health. There’s no question that taking care of yourself—nourishing your body with clean, whole foods, exercising regularly, and getting plenty of quality sleep—is essential to optimizing your physical energy capacity. And let’s face it, you can’t live up to your maximum potential if your health is a wreck—or you’re dead. What can you do to improve your physical health?
  • Making room for God. Once we realized that we’re human, we’re flawed, and our capacity for energy and strength are limited, we developed a desperate daily dependence on God. Seeking Him and giving Him room to work in our lives energizes us in ways we can’t begin to describe. How can you better connect spiritually to tap into supernatural energy?

When we focus on increasing our energy capacity, we discover we can do more—even when our time is short.