Mirko | E+ | Getty Images
You shouldn’t spend all your energy every day so as not to run out of paychecks on payday.
But Sarah Serkis, psychologist and senior director of performance psychology at Phoenix-based performance coaching firm Exos, says most people run out of energy all the time on a daily basis.
Sarkis helps train NFL players, executives from Fortune 100 companies such as Intel and Humana, and other professionals on how to thrive in high-pressure environments. For her, the most common cause of burnout, even among the highly successful people she works with, is poor energy management.
“Energy, like money, is finite,” Serkis says. “You have credit and you have debit. You get credit every time you do something that helps your mental or physical health, like sleep or exercise. etc., activities that undermine it are debits.”
If your account goes negative, it will quickly deplete your energy supply or shut it down completely.
According to Sarkis, the best strategy is To prevent burnout and become a happier, more focused person, you need to create an “energy budget.” Method is as follows.
First, spend 1-3 days tracking all your activity, from commuting to scrolling through TikTok. How and where do you spend the most time and attention?
Classify each action as an “energy credit” or “energy debit.” Credit is what energizes you, debiting is an activity that feels draining.
Illustrated by Gene Woo Kim
Once the energy audit is complete, identify patterns. Have you spent a lot of time on your phone? Did you get enough sleep? Such patterns can be “self-destructive and undermine efforts to achieve high performance,” Serkis says.
Finally, think about what activities you can shift, stop, or start to replenish your energy.
You can’t always control schedules and responsibilities, but a combination of energy credits and debits can counteract the negative effects of energy-draining activities, says Sarkis. For example, if you often sit in traffic, you can listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks on topics that excite you while driving.
Or make a plan to recover from stressful activities. Try therapeutic exercises such as meditation, yoga, journaling, or walking outside. Schedule appointments on your calendar, like a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with your boss.
Small changes can make a big difference in how you feel and what you can achieve, says Sarkis.
Don’t Miss: Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work, and life? Sign up for our new newsletter!
Take this survey to find out how you can take your money and career to the next level.
