How to Manage Your Energy (When You Work in a High-Energy Profession)
Do you work in a demanding role that requires significant physical or mental energy investment and expenditure?
Do you often feel drained by the end of the workday, with little energy left for personal activities?
If your answer to these questions is “yes,” you probably work in a high-energy profession.
Understanding High-Energy Professions
High-energy professions require significant physical, mental, or emotional energy investment, for example, teaching, leadership, training, coaching, and front-line care or service.
Since we all have different energy baselines, “high energy” is subjective. If you are exhausted at the end of the day, this is for you.
Debunking Myths About High-Energy Professions
It’s often assumed that high-energy professions are best suited to energetic (typically extroverted) individuals. But this is not always the case.
In her popular book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” Susan Cain explains, “introverts and extroverts differ in the level of outside stimulation that they need to function well”. So, introverts get their energy from alone time, whereas people and other external stimuli energise extroverts.
High-energy professions can involve a great deal of outside stimulation, but not always. Some types of knowledge work, such as research and writing, can be quiet, solo activities but are still “high-energy” because of the required focus and mental exertion.
Reflecting on my own experience, I am a classic neurodivergent introvert who struggles with energy management. Still, I have always been drawn to high-energy roles such as teaching and leadership. While delivering a teaching session energises me, I often feel exhausted afterwards. The energy cost seems higher for me compared to naturally energetic individuals.
This is not to say that people with lower energy baselines should avoid high-energy careers – far from it. However, it is even more important to understand your energy needs and employ energy management strategies to make your high-energy profession sustainable. Not doing this compromises your wellbeing and, by extension, your productivity.
Effective Energy Management Strategies
Here are nine energy management strategies that work for me.
1. Energy Accounting
Before employing specific strategies, it is important to understand what restores and depletes your energy.
Maja Toudal and Dr Tony Attwood created the concept of energy accounting, which involves treating your personal energy levels like a bank account (read more about the process here: Energy Accounting).
While you do not have to go through the entire energy accounting process, simply reflecting on the professional activities that restore and deplete your energy is valuable, as this information can inform how you plan your time.
2. Mindful Planning
Mindful planning is central to energy management and wellbeing-driven productivity. By understanding which activities restore or deplete your energy, you can plan your day to better accommodate your energy needs, assuming you have some professional autonomy.
I find meetings draining, so I schedule time before to prepare and after to decompress and handle follow-up actions. Consolidating meetings into one block of time helps me manage my energy and efficiency.
When I deliver training, I limit it to a maximum of half a day. For example, I schedule training sessions in the morning when my energy is highest and reserve the afternoon for low-energy tasks like answering emails and processing paperwork.
I’m in the slightly unusual situation of being employed and self-employed, so I treat this work as two different contexts and try to keep them entirely separate in the week. My usual working pattern is to focus the first half of the week on my employed role and the second half on my self-employed work. I can still be flexible, but I aim to spend whole days in each context rather than switch between the two during the day. I colour code my contexts in my calendar to make it visually clear which context is when.
3. Weekly Review
During my weekly review, I assess the effectiveness of my planning and energy management. For instance, I reflect on what went well and what drained my energy, then adjust my schedule for the following week to improve balance.
Read more about my weekly review process here: Weekly Review.
4. Daily Routines
Daily routines (a start-up and shut-down routine) are one of the quickest, most straightforward ways to check in with your energy levels daily.
When I arrive at my desk in the morning, I take a moment to note what is on my mind in my digital journal. Although not explicitly energy-related, this mindful moment is usually an energy check-in. The same happens during my shut-down routine when I take a moment to summarise my day and note some gratitude.
Start-up and shut-down routines signal the start and end of your day, so they are a great way to establish a clear boundary between work and personal time.
5. Fewer Things
In Cal Newport’s book “Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout”, the author describes his slow productivity philosophy:
Do fewer things.
Work at a natural place.
Obsess over quality.
All three elements of slow productivity contribute to positive energy management, but I pay the most attention to the first.
Doing fewer things is perhaps better explained as “doing fewer things at once.” This approach to work – specifically projects – reduces context switching and administrative overhead (all of the organisational administration that comes with a project, such as meetings and emails).
Doing fewer things at once allows me to get into focus mode more quickly and produce better work more efficiently.
6. Exercise
In my forties, I (finally!) found an exercise routine that fits my life and boosts my energy. Now, without exercise, I feel tired and sluggish.
My energy is highest first thing in the morning, so I usually exercise then. I combine running, walking, weight training, and exercise most days.
Exercise is now an essential energy management strategy for me.
7. Meal Planning
Food is fuel, so it’s linked closely with energy. Due to my age, exercise habits, and appetite, I try to eat a relatively balanced diet with a slightly higher focus on protein intake.
I eat the same breakfast most mornings and plan my lunch and dinner options on Saturday before grocery shopping. This routine helps reduce decision fatigue as I only have to make healthy choices once a week.
You can read more about my approach to weekly meal planning here: Meal Planning.
8. Tracking
I wear a Garmin watch primarily to track my steps and exercise and to be mindful of my stress levels and sleep quality.
The “body battery” on my watch, a score out of 100, helps indicate when I need to recharge.”
I appreciate that tracking is not always helpful and healthy for some people, but I use it as a guideline. It reminds me to take breaks and rest on a high-energy day.
9. Sleep Hygiene
I am one of those lucky people who generally fall asleep easily and get a solid eight hours of rest. However, I am aware that this might change, especially as I approach menopause. To maintain good sleep hygiene, I have adjusted my evening routines, particularly how I use devices before bed.
To give myself the best chance of a restful night, I charge my mobile phone in my office instead of by my bed. I also place my phone on the charger as soon as I finish work for the day to avoid evening doom-scrolling. Although this is a recent change, I am confident it will contribute to better sleep and improved energy levels.
Over to You
Now, it’s your turn to reflect on how you manage your energy. Which of these strategies resonates with you? Try implementing one or two and observe the impact on your daily routine and overall wellbeing. Energy management is a personal journey; finding what works best for you is key. By understanding and respecting your energy needs, you can thrive in your high-energy profession without sacrificing your health, wellbeing, and productivity.
