Our Energy Cycle – we are not machines

It’s so easy to just keep going once we have started. We work and work until we edge towards burnout. And if we look at blog posts and self development books to optimise our productivity we will find so many people telling us how to maximise our time, how to get more done in the time available. Like a hamster in the wheel, we just keep running and running towards a destination which doesn’t get any closer.

Years ago – it must have been 2001 I think – I was working with a coach. This was my first coach. His name is Tony Betts. He was a fantastic coach, who really made me think differently. I was really lucky to get some time with him, although the luck was tinged by the fact that our organisation was closing down and this was part of the process of support being offered to staff.

I talked about exhaustion and burnout with him. He worked with me on a beautifully simple idea. He asked me to think about the way energy showed up for me. What would a typical day and a typical week look like. We unpacked this in many ways until I had a better understanding of how energy works for me.

My energy cycle has four components:

• Creative mode
• Interactive mode
• Clearing mode
• Recovery mode

When I am in Creative mode I need time and space to explore the ideas in my head. I work best through writing them out, so this is the time when I need space to write, to journal or maybe to explore my ideas through capturing photographs or sketching out ideas.

During my Interactive mode I enjoy spending time with others. This is when I need to be in contact with and have conversations with others. I am still able to create, but this time it happens through conversations and through the sparks that I get from other people.

In Clearing mode I am in the mood for clearing the decks, getting through the backlog of email or doing some reading, or processing simple tasks that don’t require too much brain power. This is a valuable time for getting stuff done.

Finally and very importantly, there is Recovery mode. This is the mode, more than the others, that really contributes to avoiding burnout. It can look like sleep, or rest, or exercise, eating, watching TV, shopping (sometimes), being with those who are close to me and where I can most be myself. The important thing is that I am cutting myself some slack. Ideas may be processing deep down, but I am giving myself the time and space to get ready to dive off around the cycle again.