The end of the year is often a busy time filled with celebrations, gatherings, and reflection. Between the festivities, I want to share a simple yet transformational gift for your future self—The Energy Audit. This 15-minute exercise helps you identify what drives your energy and what drains it, giving you clear insights and a starting point to reshape your year ahead.
What is an Energy Audit?
Our best work happens when we feel energized, but we seldom take time to evaluate what truly fuels or depletes us. The Energy Audit is a quick process to gain clarity on where your energy goes and how to channel it effectively.
You can apply it to three major areas of life:
- Professional Work: Tasks or environments that inspire or frustrate you.
- Creative Work: What boosts or blocks your productivity and flow.
- Relationships: Interactions that uplift or exhaust you.
How to Conduct Your Energy Audit
Set aside 15 uninterrupted minutes and choose one area of life to focus on. Here’s the step-by-step guide:
1. First 5 Minutes – Identify Energy Drains
Write down everything that drains your energy in your chosen area. Be specific. For instance:
- Instead of “meetings,” try “weekly status meetings with too much repetition.”
- Instead of “emails,” write “responding to non-urgent emails that could’ve been found in a shared document.”
Specificity leads to actionable insights.
2. Next 5 Minutes – Identify Energy Sources
List the activities or moments that energize you. Again, be specific. Look for patterns in what makes you feel motivated or inspired.
- Example: “Morning work sessions without interruptions.”
- Example: “Collaborating on creative problem-solving with my team.”
Patterns matter more than individual situations.
3. Final 5 Minutes – Make One Change
Look at both lists. Focus on one energy drain you can reduce or eliminate and one energy source you can enhance. These small but intentional adjustments can make a profound difference.
Real-Life Example
Here’s a glimpse of my recent Energy Audit for Creative Work:
Energy Drains:
- Not having a clear target when starting the day.
- Writing without preparation, leading to false starts.
- Context switching between projects.
- Editing before finishing a first draft.
Energy Sources:
- Writing in the morning after thoughtful pre-work the day before.
- Immediately jotting down ideas when inspiration strikes.
- Focusing on one task at a time.
- Reading high-quality writing in unrelated fields for inspiration.
My Two Changes:
- Remove: I’m enforcing a habit to never start writing without pre-work. From now on, I’ll ask myself, “Do I know what I want to say?” This keeps me from wasting time and energy.
- Bolster: I’ll fiercely protect my morning writing blocks—no emails, no meetings, just pure creation time.
Why This Matters for Your Year Ahead
Think of your life like a ship. A small adjustment to your course today can lead to a completely different destination down the line. By identifying patterns and making deliberate changes now, you set yourself up for success and fulfillment throughout the year.
Time for Your Energy Audit
Take 15 minutes this week to try the Energy Audit. Identify one energy drain to remove and one energy source to enhance. You’ll be amazed at how even minor adjustments can make a major impact.
And if you'd like, share your insights in the comments below. Sometimes hearing others’ experiences helps us recognize our own energy patterns more clearly.
By making time for reflection and focus, you’re giving yourself the best possible gift—the clarity and energy to create a brighter, more intentional future.