"The world belongs to the energetic."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you have ever struggled to find the energy to complete certain tasks during the day, only to be later squirming out of your seat while trying to focus on more mundane work, energy tracking may be something to incorporate into your work planning.
We all will naturally have peaks and valleys in our energy levels, but the times and durations of those energy levels will vary from person to person. The night owls might find their energy ramping up in the afternoon and the evening, while the early birds might experience the dreaded "3PM crash". Feeling lower energy at certain points in the day is totally normal and nothing to feel guilty about. Even the highest energy people will feel tired at some points in their day! However, being aware of when these times come about for you and planning your tasks around them will help you be the most productive throughout those sleepy times.
This energy tracker that I've created has helped me discover patterns in my energy levels, and make the most of them. Using it over a few days and seeing what times your energy peaks and dips, what factors play into those changes, and matching energy levels with tasks will help us work with our natural cycles while still optimizing work performance.
Firstly, we track our energy throughout the day. I've made the printable on a 24-hour cycle to take into account all schedules, as well as length of time asleep. Consider your energy level each hour - with 1 being asleep, and 10 being ready to take over the world! I've also included space to keep track of your mood throughout the day. Sometimes being lower energy can make us feel frustrated - like if we're trying to get something done at the office - and sometimes it can make us feel calm, if we're at home and ready to cozy up in bed.
I've added sections on the first page to take notes of three of the things that most affect our energy levels. The first one is, probably pretty obviously, the hours that we've slept that day. Most people will find that if they get more sleep, or go to sleep earlier, they will have a higher energy day.
The next area to take note of is what we consume. Water, food, and caffeine can change our energy levels almost immediately. Over the course of a few days, you might be able to pinpoint when your caffeine crash will be coming (if you're a morning coffee or tea drinker, that is). You might also notice that your lunch either gives you energy after eating it, or zaps it, depending on what you eat. Hydration is also a huge factor. If you see that your energy is dipping when it typically hasn't, look back on the last time that you drank water. I've personally found that even a few sips can perk me up immediately!
The final consideration when planning your day around your energy levels is movement and fresh air. Sitting around indoors rarely makes us feel refreshed and replenished, especially in the middle of the day. Even if you can't fit a full-on workout into your day, just standing up and walking around, especially outdoors, can help you bump up your energy. Keeping track of even the small things, like walking to grab lunch, can help you become more aware of how these short breaks help your alertness levels. If you are a regular gym-goer, you can experiment with doing your workouts at different times of the day to see how it affects your productivity. If you typically have a sluggish morning, exercising before work can have a huge impact. If you crash after work (like me!) you can look into working out at the end of the day. This helps me keep up some momentum into the evening, so I can cook a healthy dinner, finish up the house chores, and get set up for success, rather than getting pizza and falling asleep on the couch at 8PM!
Once you know what times you're the most alert at, you can figure out which recurring tasks you do can be completed at each energy level. For example, since I have more energy in the mornings, I try to schedule meetings and do creative work at that time. In the afternoons, when my energy goes down, I will do more procedural tasks like administrative and analytical work. At home, I will do cleaning, meal prep, and house projects during my high energy times, and more relaxed activities like reading and practicing piano during the down times. These tasks will be completely dependent on your obligations and personality - for example, you might enjoy doing creative work at low energy times if if helps you focus more. Take several days and add in your recurring tasks at the times you feel are appropriate.
I hope that this worksheet helps you discover your energy style and helps you plan your day. Let me know if you enjoyed it!
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