Pause: Let’s Take an Energy Inventory

"You should think of your energy as if it's expensive, as if it's a luxury item." – Taylor Swift

Have you ever said “yes” to something, even when everything in you was saying “no”? Do you ever feel like you are committing to 100 different things but not able to really give any of them your full effort or attention? Let’s pause for a moment and take inventory of where your time and energy are going.

At the end of the day, your time and energy are your most precious resources. Everyone and everything competes for them, and most of us feel we never have enough of either. Here’s the hard truth – we can’t create more time or energy. Or can we? Maybe we can’t add any hours to the day, but we CAN certainly look at the hours we have and decide if we are happy with where that time (and energy) is going.

This starts with identifying what is most important to you. Let your values drive your decisions.  When you say no to the things that don’t align with your values/priorities, you’re able to make space for the “yes” that’s most important to you. To put it another way, saying “yes” to something means you’re saying “no” to something else. It is a helpful question to ask yourself when making decisions – if I commit to this, what am I saying no to?

Cognitive dissonance is a term that is used to describe the discomfort you might feel when your actions are not aligned with your beliefs or values. For instance, if your screen time report is telling you that you’re spending several hours a day on your phone, but you say you value being present with the people around you, or you have no time to complete your daily responsibilities, this information might bring up some discomfort. Rather than letting shame drive the narrative of this information, meet yourself from a place of self-compassion and let the discomfort be a motivator for change. Perhaps you put some boundaries in place to prevent yourself from spending so much time on your phone (hello, screen time limits) which will help you refocus that energy on things that are more important to you (more intentional time with your spouse, quiet time to reflect on the day, self-care, exercise, etc.)

It is natural and normal for your values and priorities to change with the seasons of your life. Your life circumstances greatly influence where your energy goes. Give yourself permission to make different decisions based on the season and life circumstances you find yourself in. Some seasons call for more time with family, or more time at work, or less time at the gym, or less home-cooked meals. Remind yourself that every season passes, and with each new season comes an opportunity to recalibrate your energy and refocus on what’s most important to you.

* Curious about where your time and energy are going? Here’s a simple exercise to try. Draw a large circle on a piece of paper. Now, imagine this circle as a full 24 hours in the day. Split the circle up like a pie chart based on where your time goes. You can include things like sleep, work, home duties, meal times, social time, car time (shoutout to the parents doing school drop off/pick up), self-care, etc. Then, you can take a hard look at where your time and energy are going. This will give you good feedback as to whether your actions are aligned with your values, and where there might be some room for change!