I spent this week refining the Thoughtful Systems Framework I developed in 2020 when I started this business.

It was a interesting moment of reflection at the intersection of my business's growth, my own growth and increased education, and all the growth and progress my clients have made over the last 5 years.

The framework, much like in life, is designed to be cyclical because we will find ourselves revisiting the same lessons and finding new facets, wisdom, and takeaways.

And I'm moving from a phase of embracing change, back into the awareness phase as I begin tracking energy to update all my supportive systems for 2025.

Awareness is the foundation of energy management for good reason.

We have to follow the breadcrumbs our body has been leaving for us to know where to go.

I like to think of time tracking like black and white photography—it captures the essential structure and composition of your day. With stark contrasts between work and rest; clean lines between tasks. There's an undeniable power and clarity to this view.

But energy tracking?

​That's like switching to technicolor. Suddenly you see all the subtle variations and tonal shifts that always laid beneath the surface. A warm glow to your creative work, cool blues from administrative tasks, and vibrant bursts during collaborative sessions.

Both perspectives are valuable, but color reveals layers of nuance and information that can transform not only how you compose your days, but how to support them as well.​

Most productivity advice focuses solely on the black and white—how to manage time, maximize it, squeeze more out of it. But what if we've been missing the full spectrum of how we work best?

Think about it:​

🪫 Have you ever had a day where you got "everything" done but felt completely drained?
🔋 Or maybe you had a shorter workday but accomplished more because your energy was flowing?

Understanding the how and why to this is where energy tracking comes in. Unlike traditional time tracking that treats every hour as equal, energy tracking acknowledges that our capacity fluctuates throughout the day. For people who menstruate, it also varies widely throughout the month, and don't even get me started on PMDD, fatigue, neurodivergence, and chronic conditions in general—this newsletter would become a dissertation. 😅

It's the reality for myself and many others.

​We are balancing a stack of responsibilities, variables, and conditions that rival Gus Gus with his cheese.

Being able to create supportive systems that can be flexible with you over time requires understanding the quality of your energy and it's unique language, not just the quantity of your time.

Our energy shows up in three main ways:

These aren't separate systems—they're constantly interacting and influencing each other. That midday brain fog? It could be from decision fatigue, poor sleep, emotional overwhelm, or food choices. Your body is always giving you signals, we were just never properly taught how to listen.

This is why we begin with witnessing.

Just like your chronotype (whether you're a morning lark or night owl) is significantly influenced by your genetic makeup and biological clock genes [1], your energy patterns have multiple unique factors. Research on circadian rhythms shows that individuals can have significantly different peak performance times based on their chronotype - a biological trait that influences when we're naturally most alert and productive. Studies have found these differences are determined by our internal biological clock and can impact everything from attention to memory to creative thinking. [2]​

And it's not just about timing. Studies have found that people process environmental stimuli differently - what energizes one person might drain another. For instance, research on sensory processing sensitivity shows that about 20% of people are more sensitive to subtle environmental factors like noise, light, and social stimulation. [3]​

The factors that affect your personal energy equation include:

​The magic happens when you start noticing these patterns.

Maybe you realize that back-to-back meetings aren't actually "efficient"—they're an energy sink that leaves you depleted for deep work. Or perhaps that midday walk isn't "unproductive time"—it's a powerful reset for your brain, increasing blood flow that results in enhancing both your immediate focus and long-term brain health. [4] Research shows that even a single walking session can improve your executive functioning - those high-level thinking skills you need for creative work and complex problem-solving.

When we ignore these variables and their impact on us, it puts us at a disadvantage.

Remember that viral quote, "Your body whispers until it has to scream"?

Yeah, that applies to energy too.

Working against your natural energy patterns leads to:

I see this firsthand with clients. One client used to take meetings any time of day, often powering through meetings from start to finish, leaving late nights the only time to get focus and creative work done. They'd compensate with adrenaline and willpower, only to get up and do it all over again the next day which had lead them to burnout in the past. After tracking their energy, they realized the best strategic thinking happened in the mornings. Simply reorganizing their schedule to match that natural pattern led to better outcomes, more growth, and better awareness of their energy—and years later they are still protecting those mornings like the gold they are.

The goal isn't to optimize every minute or never feel tired.

Most productivity advice encourages trying to achieve what I call "ideal-at-all-times" self-management.

But supportive is different than perfect.

​It's about working with your natural rhythms instead of constantly fighting against them. Think of energy tracking as learning your body's language—the more fluent you become, the better you can support yourself.

This week, our homework for Same You, Better Systems is getting to know those energy signals. Let's...

You already have routines and systems—whether they're intentional or default ones. We'll look at new tracking habits this week on Instagram, but before diving into that, let's examine your existing infrastructure through the lens of energy support.

Step 1: Choose your focus (15-20 min)

Start small! You can always commit to only one routine or system and when it is finished, if you feel excited about a second or even a third, then keep going! What we don't want to do is create added pressure that makes it hard to complete anything. This energy discovery journey is a marathon, not a sprint.

​Step 2: Energy Impact Assessment (10-15 min per system)

​For your chosen system(s), reflect on:

Step 3: Experiment Design (15-20 min)

​For each friction point identified:

​Keep your notes visible—they'll be valuable reference points as you continue building energy-aware systems throughout the week.

This isn't about overhauling everything at once. Think of it as gathering intelligence about your existing routines. Every insight, no matter how small, is valuable data about how you work best. You're not looking for perfect—you're looking for patterns that can guide your next steps!

A huge part of my energy discovery journey was the result of hormone imbalances, chronic fatigue, and physical pain from living with undiagnosed and untreated chronic illnesses for over a decade.

The past couple months I've been working with my doctor's on changes because of some worsening symptoms for my conditions and I'm about halfway through our first test-if-this-works period.

Over the holiday, I'll be having some scans done and then in February, we'll be reviewing how 6 months of our efforts reflected in treating (and hopefully resolving or reducing) what we've been seeing.

​It's meant that I'm living this energy (re)discovery period right alongside you. Re-evaluating everything from eating and cooking habits, sleep patterns, and movement routines.

Nothing about this overlapping with the holidays is ideal since it is my most intense and exhaustive time of year, literally. I spend most of September through Mid-November hibernating and preparing my energy to get through Thanksgiving to New Years.

I'm really grateful to be the best equipped, rested, and resourced this year, of any year before, but it still comes with making choices where to prioritize myself and how to show up for those I love most.

It's been important for my own journey to acknowledge that energy management is important, but it can't and won't solve everything.

​No one thing can, in any area.

Which is why this season of my health is as much about accommodation of needs as it is the mental and emotional surrender to allow life to be what it is (without white-knuckling my way through the end of the year.)

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!