I sometimes wonder if energy tracking isn't as "mainstream" as time tracking because it's not fixed or linear.
Time tracking is straightforward - there are only 24 hours in a day, and each minute is identical. But energy? That's far more nuanced...
The same hour-long task might drain you completely one day and energize you the next. With energy tracking, it requires pattern recognition and flexibility when traditional productivity tells us that it has to be about finding the perfect repeatable formula—that magical combination that would finally make everything click.
That once you find it, it will make everything "better" or "easier."
After years of managing my own energy and helping others navigate theirs energy patterns, I discovered that the framing of tracking, in general, is why my original mindset around it was sooooooo wrong.
Patterns aren't solutions, they're conversations.
The Control
When I first got into energy tracking, I knew that "perfect" tracking was unrealistic, logically anyway.
Did that stop my 20-something self from attempting to do it "just to see?"
NO 😂
I had already done time and energy tracking separately, but I decided to combine them and ensure that I tracked every literal moment of the day. (yes seriously 🙈)
I set up my time tracker with tags for energy levels and I tracked everything I did for 30 days.
No, really, everything.
I started the timer when I laid down for bed, shut it off when I got up. That was sleep/bed time. Started one for going to the bathroom and tagged when it was 💩. Another for skincare, covering each step of the morning routine from cooking to journaling to taking out the dogs separately. Then onto work, and so on.
EVERY. DAY. FOR. 30. DAYS.
I had some a lot of fun reviewing the data and gathering insights after those 30 days, but it actually taught me two main things when I look back:
- Perfect tracking is stressful on the body and it doesn't yield enough useful information to be worth the added stress. Sure the data was interesting, entertaining even, but it really didn't DO much other than give me an idea how much I spent on my phone (this was back in ye old days before Apple had a Screen Time feature.) I never recommend this for clients or do it for myself anymore because imperfect tracking gives us what we need of the good stuff without overextending yourself to get it.
- My early years in energy tracking were still steeped in toxic productivity culture. I was still navigating my way out and while I was trying to operate differently, my mind still held onto this kernel of "hey, you just need to do this and it will finally not be so hard. you'll have the answer to the better way you've been looking for." When I finally realized that this thinking was a product of the same traditional productivity culture that landed me in burnout, it smacked me upside the head. It also ultimately helped me build the Thoughtful Systems philosophy and approach that I now use with clients and my current energy tracking.
After those 30 days, I was so exhausted from tracking.
I had higher stress levels.
I felt less connected to my body, and energy, than ever before.
So much of productivity revolves around control over yourself, your actions, your time, and your energy. I was perpetuating those same behaviors under the guise of "doing to differently."
I can understand why I used to (and many of us) chase control of these things so intensely. At least for me, I used to see it as finally having agency after growing up without any. Some chase it hoping to maintain the success they've worked so hard to build. Others push themselves believing that constant output is the only way to keep their creative dreams alive. Many do both while trying to show up authentically for their communities and loved ones.
But controlling those things didn't actually make me feel better.
The intensity of the control over myself led to overextension.
I was too busy looking externally to see what was going on internally.
This all took place around the time my lettering career ended. It was a weird grief-limbo combination where I was trying to put into words this idea I had to combine all my worlds—corporate experience, creative entrepreneurship, and burnout prevention.
It would be a few more years before I created the frameworks I use today.
To go through the perspective shift I needed to do this work sustainably and not as another girlboss-like repackaging of hustle culture.
Because traditional productivity sells us a seductive idea...
If we can just control everything perfectly—our time, our energy, our actions—we'll finally achieve success. We can finally exhale and find ease. It's why time management became synonmous with productivity and rigid routines are so appealing.
They promise certainty in an uncertain world.
But if almost 2 decades of navigating chronic illness and neurodivergence has taught me anything, it's that control isn't the answer.
Our bodies aren't machines running on a fixed schedule (though I suppose they do run on a fixed timeline which is an existential conversation we can have another day, lol.)
Our energy fluctuates.
Our capacity changes.
Our needs evolve.
And fighting against these natural variations—our natural energy patterns—is what can often pushes us into burnout.
The real shift happens when we stop trying to control our energy and start learning to work with it. You wouldn't try to force a river to flow uphill would you?
Learning to navigate through life without abandoning our needs requires more support and less pressure than what traditional productivity offers us.
That's where protective planning comes in.
When we can't force every day to look the same (despite how appealing it sounds,) we can use protective planning to help as part of our flexible systems that adapt with energy fluctuations.
I'm gonna roll with this water metaphor here for a moment...
Think of it like a skilled surfer:
They don't try to control the waves... They study them, understand the tides, and plan accordingly. Sometimes they will catch a massive wave that requires intense focus and energy. Other times, they'll float and roll over waves conserving energy and waiting for the right moment. They key isn't controlling the ocean—it's building a deep understanding of how it works, having options ready, and trust in your ability to handle things when the waves don't match the forecast.
I see this transformation with clients all the time.
👉 They go from dreading packed schedules to protecting their peak energy hours for deep work.
👉 From beating themselves up about "lack of consistency" to recognizing their energy naturally fluctuates with their cycle and using that information to plan better.
Instead of fighting against these patterns, they learn to work with them.
We're going to be real for second—all of this can be true AND we can still acknowledge that this isn't some magical solution where you'll suddenly have complete control over your time and energy. The majority of the world has to navigate jobs, deadlines, and responsibilities that don't always align with our natural rhythms. The threat of lost income or opportunities is very real, and no amount of energy management can completely eliminate that reality.
This is exactly why protective planning is so powerful. When you understand your patterns, you can make strategic choices about where to spend your energy with the options you do have. You can build in recovery time when you know you'll need to push harder. You can create buffers around high-stakes commitments. You're not just reacting—you're intentionally designing support for both your ideal scenarios and your challenging ones.
These aren't just schedule tweaks—they're fundamental shifts in how we approach productivity itself. When we stop seeing our natural rhythms as problems to fix and start treating them as valuable information, a whole different way of live opens up.
Our patterns become a conversation, not a cage.
Try This:
The Pattern Spotting Starter
Most pattern tracking advice makes it feel like you need a PhD in data science, 47 different apps, and several dump trucks worth of willpower to get started. But what if we stripped away all the complexity and started with simple curiosity?
HOW-TO:
STEP ONE: Choose Your Focus (10-15 min)
Pick one area to observe this week. This could be:
- When you feel most clear-headed.
- What affects your sleep quality.
- How your mood shifts throughout the day.
- When tasks feel easier/harder.
Start small! You can always add more areas later. We don't want to make this a burden or extreme mental challenge that makes it hard to get started.
STEP TWO: Decide How Long (5 min)
- Choose how many days you'll track for.
- Consider your schedule and choose feasible over ideal.
Don't put too much pressure on yourself here! I would suggest a minimum of 3 days but you could do a full 5 day, 7 days, or even a couple weeks. If it's your first time tracking, I would suggest starting with 3-5 days and see how it feels before potentially overcommitting yourself.
STEP THREE: Create a Simple Tracking Method (5-10 min)
- Use whatever's easiest (notes app, journal, voice memos.)
- Set a reminder to do a quick check-in at 2-3 set times each day.
- Note the basics: what, when, and how it felt.
- No analysis yet - just collect information!*
*I know this is easier said than done but I promise it's one the things people do that can immediately make it way more overwhelming than it needs to be. There is so much value in "being" and noting that experience as it happens and then shifting into "analyzing" and looking for patterns. You don't have to be everything to everyone all at once (and this includes to yourself 🫶)
STEP FOUR: Review At the End of Your Experiment (15-20 min)
- Look for repetitions or similarities.
- Notice what surprises you.
- Ask yourself: What feels supportive vs. draining?
- Consider what adjustments might help.
Once you see what unfolds from your tracking, you can set up tests for tweaks, adjustments, and accommodations to support yourself and your energy.
PERSONALIZATION IDEAS:
- If tracking feels overwhelming, start with just one check-in per day. You can still find patterns with just one check point!
- Use emojis, a 1-5 scale, or voice memos instead of detailed notes. We are team #LowestBarrierToEntry here!
- Set phone reminders if you tend to forget. There is absolutely zero shame to needing support. Why have pocket computer if not going to use pocket computer to make life easier? 🤷🏻♀️
- Pick a specific part of your day to focus on first. Say you are looking at sleep quality, you may only need 1-2 check-ins before or after sleep to note the impacts and results. It doesn't have to take over your whole life to track and collect information!
REMEMBER:
You aren't trying to find perfect patterns or immediate solutions. Think of it like a chance to lean into your playful curiosity (embody your inner Curious George!) Focus on gathering clues right now because the goal is noticing, not fixing. Every observation, no matter how small, helps build your understanding of how you work best.
My notes app looks like that of any other ADHDer, meaning I have 854 notes and one of these days I'll sit down and come up with a better system but at least I can search them instead of it being on post-its. LOL
Here's a few from the last couple weeks for funzies:
(1) A snippet I jotted down about this week's theme that didn't make it in the newsletter:
Whether that's control we try and assert over ourselves—our actions, our behavior—or the control companies try to assert like pushing back to office protocols under the guise of "productivity" issues. (Especially when research suggests that people who work from home on average fill the time they gain back from commutes with more work, not less.) If you need any more proof that modern productivity is about control, I'm not sure what else to tell you. I don't mean to say that control is always bad, just that when it is misdirected, ill intended, or [something else needs to go here] then it becomes harmful, detrimental even.
(2) Non-existent awards I tried to win that landed me in burnout:
- best performance in pretending not to need rest
- champion of proving worth through productivity
- most available person (24/7 even during sleep)
- perfect work-life balance through complete self-sacrifice
- most systems built for others while having none for myself
- excellence in managing global executives with completely unmanaged adhd
- best performance in productive self-betrayal: corporate edition
- most tasks completed via adrenaline-fueled hyperfocus
(3) I sometimes feel like I wasted my 20s
(4) Story tropes, tiny animal side kick is cute or large sidekick is an adorable complication
(5) "Give grace to your curiosity" -Jujubee
(6) Give yourself a fucking break.
(7) Series called amateur hour where we do things/hobbies/stuff for the love of it.
WHAT I'M LOVING:
- The comment section on this video is one of the best I've ever seen on IG. The video also had it's desired effect... It got me thinking about the last time my body felt functionally strong (hint: it was too long ago.) Might throw on some enya this weekend and get weird. The older I get, the more I realize that the stuff that makes me love being an adult is when I'm acting most like a kid. The irony.
- Found a new-to-me illustrator this week and I'm obsessed. A few of my favorite posts: (1) This meeting could have been a fist fight. (2) Get loved, loser. (3) The horrors persist, but so do I.
- I'm so late to the cozy coloring trend. I saw the 2 color challenges and now I'm obsessed. I'm going to have a steady hobby rotation of embroidery, crochet, diamond art, coloring, and reading. When I started burnout recovery, I felt so disconnected from my creativity and 3 years later, I don't think I could have ever imagined this. I knew there had to be something better, but getting that spark back is like nothing else. (Seriously considering the Amateur Hour series with all these newbie hobbies.)
HAVING A GREAT TIME HERE?
Here's a few ways you can let me know:
- Option 1: 💌 Share with a fellow creative or business owner. Community starts with each of us and friends don't let friends chase their dreams at the expense of their mental health! If you know someone seeking more sustainability and harmony in their life and/or business, send this their way.
- Option 2: 👋 Say hi! Hit reply and share a sentence or two about anything you enjoyed or hit home for you. I always hope these words find the right people at the right time, but it's always makes my day to hear from you!
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