There are many life areas that are helpful to think about in terms of financial planning. You have been allotted time, money, natural talent – how will you invest them?
One of those life areas is energy. You have an energy fund which depletes and replenishes. This is like an investment property you’re borrowing on. Your account depletes when the bank deducts the borrowed funds; and replenishes when the rent comes in.
You don’t need to keep a positive balance on energy ALL the time. Sometimes you want to spend all your energy because you know it’s an investment, knowing it will come back. For example:
- going for a marathon
- doing a really challenging work project with a defined meaningful outcome
- going for a personal best deadlift
- running a mammoth event
You’ll have spent all of your energy but if it aligns with something meaningful for you, you are aware it will come back and are generally happy to spend all your energy.
The danger zone is allowing something to creep into your life – that drains your energy over time. This is like a subscription you don’t use for instance that deducts slowly; but you look back over the year and can’t believe how much it has deducted over the course of 12 months. And it hurts because you never used it.
There are also the types of life activities or habits you really detest but for some reason still do. Everything about this type drains your energy. This is analogous to speeding fines – avoidable, and very, very draining. This is where you must take a good look at what you do in life and ask yourself if there are any activities that do nothing to restore energy levels but only deplete them. I find this can be very common for certain relationships.
You want to keep positive self-energy most of the time. That means whatever you’re doing, no matter how much it depletes your physical energy, feels like you. If you’re doing a job you don’t love, you’re depleting your physical energy but also depleting your self-energy; you’re left feeling drained and unsatisfied. If you’re doing a job you truly love, you’re depleting your physical energy yet because you’ve kept your self energy, you feel fulfilled and the depletion feels satisfying. This is when your investment has gone well.
The best way to adjust your investment of energy is to:
1. Look over your calendar and photos – monthly and/or annually
2. Highlight the top 20% of energy-giving activities, habits and relationships; and the top 20% energy-draining.
3. Do everything you can to eliminate the energy-draining and everything you can to increase the top 20% energy-giving. Repeat this yearly.
This has probably been the most impactful exercise I have practised since 2018. It requires some very challenging decision making on your part but if you’re honest with yourself, it’s also one of the best things you will ever do for yourself.
Think of it like giving yourself a huge annual life bonus that you inject into your energy fund.
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