Last updated Feb 22, 2024
Do you know what gives you energy, and what takes energy from you? If you feel overwhelmed and dissatisfied, it might not be about how busy you are. It might be about what you’re busy doing–and how those things affect your energy. With a color-coded calendar from Teamup, you can learn how to track and balance energy better.
How activities affect your energy
Here’s a quote from Jeff Brown, author of the book Read to Lead:
“if someone were to look at my calendar, they would go, ‘Jeff, you seem to be pretty busy.’ One thing I did a couple of years ago was to decide to take a 30,000 foot view and look at what I’m doing through the lens of what gives me energy and what zaps my energy and color-code my calendar accordingly. I found that those things that give me energy–which are colored green–there was a lot of that. For things that zap my energy, that I colored red, there was almost nothing. So that helped me to realize that I’m busy, I’m loving what I’m doing, and I’m not doing anything that would take me out of balance.”
Listen to Christy Wright and Jeff Brown in the Read to Lead podcast eps. 391.
How about you? If your schedule is full of tasks and activities that “zap your energy,” no wonder you feel stressed. Find out by color coding your calendar events for how they affect your energy. For Teamup users whose “balance” level matches Jeff’s a color-coded energy calendar could look like this:
Handle the energy-zappers
If you haven’t yet achieved the energy balance you want, you might have a lot more red on your calendar. Seeing the visual cue can help you start making changes.
You can even use your calendar to note what you want to do for each energy-zapping activity or task:
Track energy demands over time
Over time, you can look both forward and backward to track the energy demands of your calendar. It could be interesting to notice the patterns. For example, you might see that you tend to get in an argument with your partner on Thursday nights…. right after a long afternoon of energy-zapping staff meetings! Once you see the pattern, you can make positive changes. Maybe you can’t eliminate the staff meetings, but you can make a better plan for your Thursday evenings. If you know you’ll be worn out, plan for take-away dinner and a movie, with no serious discussions.
You can also look ahead and schedule energy-giving activities around the energy-zapping ones. This helps you to maintain balance. Take time for a short nap, a walk, or a chat with a friend after something that exhausts you. It can make all the difference. When you’re aware of how each activity affects you, you’re better equipped to handle it.
