Energy Audit
[00:00:00] Aicila: Are you profitable but exhausted? What if success doesn't have to come at the expense of your well being? We've uncovered hidden resources. Now let's assess how we're investing them, particularly our energy for truly sustainable growth. In this episode, I'll touch on how to analyze tasks for their energetic return, making choices that fuel you, not drain you all while still moving your business forward.
[00:00:23] Aicila: So flashback many years ago, I'm a sophomore in college and I'm looking at how the credits work. And if you take, , 12 credits, I don't know how they still do it. Right. But they would charge, you know, 150 a credit until you had 12 credits. And then it was, You could take up to like 24 or something and it was still the same cost as taking 12.
[00:00:48] Aicila: And so I got in this mindset of I gotta get the maximum value out of my tuition by taking as many as they'll let me take for the cost of 12 credits. And I overloaded myself to a point that [00:01:00] was pretty ridiculous. I also worked 30 hours a week and I remember my friend looked at me one day and she said, you know, they don't like give you a prize for being able. to handle more stress every semester. . And I was like, okay, thanks, that's a lot of accuracy. And she was right. I dropped some of the classes and I was still able to, to graduate on a decent schedule, but I stopped being a complete stress ball.
[00:01:26] Aicila: And looking at the value, right, at the cost per credit and then pushing up the amount of credits I was taking to get that less expensive cost per credit from one perspective, that absolutely made sense. And from the other perspective, it was completely killing me.
[00:01:44] Aicila: And so really thinking about for yourself, yeah, you might be able to save a little bit of money, but what's the what's the actual expense of that?
[00:01:53] Aicila: And that's what I mean by this, like the energy process that we're talking about.
[00:01:58] Aicila: Similarly, as entrepreneurs, we [00:02:00] are constantly balancing, the cost of things, the value, the time, and the energy. Time and money are finite. Energy and value both fluctuate. So let's start with focusing on energy and how we're going to factor that in.
[00:02:15] Aicila: This is why I developed the Resource Calculator and the Energy Audit that we've talked about in previous episodes. It's a way to understand how your energy fluctuates and to position yourself to use it most effectively for both your business and your well being.
[00:02:34] Aicila: As we've talked about in other examples, for most entrepreneurs, they have to lean on some creative energy in order to problem solving or to bring in their graphic design work. Which means you have to be able to call on that when you need it.
[00:02:48] Aicila: And so you have to understand what you do to replenish it and how you make sure that you keep that, creative energy tank full up.
[00:02:57] Aicila: One thing that can help with understanding [00:03:00] that flow and keeping that tank up is thinking about the way that different tasks affect your energy. So in addition to the amount of time a task might take, there's also the amount of energy that it takes from you. And for some people, sitting down to do a budget is like, that's all the mental energy they have for the day.
[00:03:17] Aicila: Because it's just not what really flows in their brain. And for other people, sitting down to, draw or do some graphic design is what's going to tank their energy out. And so getting clear about what that is for you is a really great way to start understanding the best ways to invest your time and energy in your business and in your personal life so that you are fulfilled and have a sense of ease.
[00:03:40] Aicila: In addition to understanding what your high and low energy tasks are, there's also understanding your natural rhythms. Some people find that their mental energy is super fresh and just up in the mornings, and other people find that They're, they're an anti morning person, if you will. And they find that the evening is when they can really dig into stuff and, and [00:04:00] find that things work for them.
[00:04:02] Aicila: So think about that. Think about the times that you found things to be really easy outside of the shoulds. Think about those times for you. You probably have some sense of it. And also, caveat, just recognize that they do shift, right?
[00:04:17] Aicila: And usually there's a spectrum. Most things are somewhere in the middle, but some things are really high in terms of drain and some things are really low in terms of return. For example, a lot of people , understand introvert and extrovert, and they know that introverts, they don't recharge by engaging with people, right?
[00:04:36] Aicila: They recharge by time alone. Extroverts engage by recharging by being around people or interacting. So for a business owner or an entrepreneur who's an extrovert, networking might be a great activity to schedule regularly because it's going to give them a really high energetic return to do some other things.
[00:04:57] Aicila: Whereas for the introvert, that's going to be the [00:05:00] opposite.
[00:05:00] Aicila: Really think about where you manage your energy. so that you're not surprised when you go to do something and you feel too drained to even think about it.
[00:05:11] Aicila: It's a little by, it's a little bit like financial ROI, but for your well being.
[00:05:16] Aicila: Are you getting enough back for what you're putting in?
[00:05:18] Aicila: If you think of your energy as a bank account, some tasks make deposits and others are major withdrawals. Think about that right now. What's one task that consistently leaves you feeling drained, no matter how successful it is?
[00:05:31] Aicila: The other side is true, too. What's one activity that, no matter what, always leaves you feeling energized and ready to do things? And then you learn how to strategically position those activities to refresh yourself, or give you what you need to go through something that is important to you, but might not have an energy return.
[00:05:53] Aicila: Take the task that you identified that almost always leaves you feeling drained. We're going to call that a high energy task. [00:06:00] And think about what your peak performance times are. For example, I work with someone who in the morning, they feel like they're able to focus more easily.
[00:06:08] Aicila: They'll schedule those high energy tasks that drain them for that time of day. And then delegate or automate them wherever you can. For example, you could use, if you're, if you're someone for whom writing emails takes a lot out of you, but you find that it's really easy for you to do it early in the morning or a specific day, sit down and figure out what emails you need to write and write them all in one day and then have them scheduled and ready to go out at the appropriate times.
[00:06:34] Aicila: Use the tools that you have and the energy you have to get that done in a way that gives you the most impact for the least amount of resource drain.
[00:06:43] Aicila: One tactic that can be really helpful for this is time blocking. Sit down and look at your day in blocks of time that makes sense to you. I find that three hour blocks are really helpful for me. And factor in the energy level you expect to have once again to use that example in the morning,
[00:06:59] Aicila: [00:07:00] a lot of people tend to be more alert, but some people honestly find that morning time their brain is really tired. They have a hard time waking up, so you know yourself. Think about that, you know, are you someone in the morning who you wake up and you're just ready to go? Or are you someone in the morning who you need a couple of hours to kind of get in the groove? And if that latter one's the case, then make your morning activities things that are, almost muscle memory, fairly simple activities as you sort of get your brain in gear for the day.
[00:07:31] Aicila: And you might want to put some of those higher demand tasks in that 11 a. m. to 2 p. m. time period. I work with one person who finds that the evening is just really when their brain lights up. And so they like to put those really high focus tasks in the evening. The other thing to really pay attention to is it's rare that it stays consistent.
[00:07:53] Aicila: For example, if you find that it's suddenly becoming very difficult to do those [00:08:00] higher demand activities at the time that you've chosen, it's probably because something's shifted. So step back and reevaluate. When do I have the most energy for the highest demand tasks and just reset it.
[00:08:12] Aicila: I like to do a little review of that. Uh, honestly, I have planning and review built into every day, week, month, and quarter. Because when I do it really consistently, it doesn't take that much out of me and it helps me to course correct before anything gets super off track. Align your energy for sustainable success. Remember that protecting your energy is not selfish, it's strategic. When you work with your natural rhythms, you can achieve more without burning out. You'll be happier, your clients will be happier, and your personal life will be much more fulfilling because you won't be cranky.
[00:08:45] Aicila: This week, conduct your own energy audit. Notice your patterns and make one small adjustment to your schedule based on this insight.
[00:08:52] Aicila: If you found this helpful, hop over to my website by curian. com my newsletter to get tactics, and tricks to create ease [00:09:00] in your business journey.
[00:09:01] Aicila: Next week, tune in to get some tips on how to optimize your energy and streamline your business.
[00:09:09] Aicila: Thank you for tuning in to Business as Unusual. Remember, in this ever evolving world of modern business, it's not about fitting in, it's about standing out. See you next time. Stay curious, stay innovative, and always keep it unusual.
