Plugging the Energy Leaks: How I’m Reclaiming My Life and Business
How to use an "Energy Inventory" to identify the 'slow drips' draining your productivity.
Let’s start identifying energy leaks keeping you from having the time and energy to do they things you want to do in your life and business.
I am back. I’ve been away from the podcast for a few weeks because, honestly, life has just been LIFING!
I feel like I’ve spent the last few weeks just trying to press pause and figure out what has been overwhelming me. For the last few years, I’ve felt like I’ve been on a hamster wheel—running along and not quite knowing where I’ve been headed. I finally hit a point where I was just done. I realized I was spending my days giving and consuming, and less and less on creating and actually living.
The Great "App" Epiphany
The past week, I’ve been obsessed with getting organized and simplifying. I don’t know what is going on, but finding an organizational system that works for me—one that can actually keep me consistent—has been nearly impossible. I tried all of the “fancy-schmancy” apps: Trello, ClickUp, Asana. I was trying so hard to make them work, but nothing seemed to fit.
I just need to admit that I am Gen X. I am more comfortable with Excel databases. I am just not an “app girl”; I feel more in control with a spreadsheet. Last month, I bought a Google Sheet budgeting system from Etsy for like $3, and I am so freakin’ giddy using it! I get so excited hopping on my computer and updating it with my expenses and revenue and looking at all the numbers. I tried Quicken, and I still use it kind of, but there is nothing like a good spreadsheet.
Last week, I geeked out even more and bought a podcast planning Google Spreadsheet and a Content Planner Google Spreadsheet. My little nerdy heart is so excited! I feel like NOW I am going to be on top of executing all the ideas and topics I have that I want to share with you all. I never found the right fit for tracking my ideas and scripting, but I feel like I finally have tools that light me up.
The Breaking Point: "I'm Freakin' Done"
This whole new “get organized” thing came about because of a little freak-out I had last month. I need to admit that I’ve been so tired lately—just burnt out. I started feeling like I was being pulled in 900 directions, and I felt resentful for not having the time and focus to spend on doing things I wanted to do in both my life and my business.
I didn’t have the bandwidth to be consistent or show up, even though that was the true desire on my heart and soul. It’s what I wanted to be doing, but instead, I was doing things that were just so soul-sucking to me. The obligations, the requests, and the expectations of others were depleting me.
When I had some time to FINALLY do things I wanted to do, I had such bad brain fog and felt completely overwhelmed. I felt like I had nothing else to give. I finally got to that point where you’re just like: “I’M DONE! I’m Freakin’ DONE! I don’t want to feel guilt or resentment for doing the things I don’t want to do or I feel I have to do.”
Identifying Energy Leaks in my schedule
I started to realize something so valuable. I found myself coming home after being around clients all day, and I’d be mentally and physically exhausted. I’d scroll social media to “decompress,” or I’d watch TV. I was losing precious time fixated on everything outside of my own life to escape the fatigue I was feeling.
I realized I was feeling more and more drained the more news I consumed on Instagram or videos on Threads—even those videos of “Punch the Monkey” (although that little monkey just warms my heart!). I wasn’t actually getting energy back or boosting my mood. I felt worse, and then I’d just go to bed. I’d spend the whole day giving and consuming, and less and less on creating and living.
On my days off, I’d do things I thought I should do:
The Appointment Carousel: Personal trainer, dietician, acupuncturist, doctor appointments, therapist.
The “Should” Schedule: Grocery shopping, getting gas, checking work messages from clients.
The Time Sucks: I loved Pilates, but I was committed to a place over 20 minutes away. I’d lose an entire morning driving, waiting, and coming home. It felt like a time suck, and I was resentful.
I didn’t have time for writing on Substack, creating podcasts, or growing my business. I didn’t even have time for the fun stuff like going to the library, exploring Austin, or getting my nails done. I wasn’t doing things that I LOVED doing—things that had me actually LIVING my life.
The Great Audit: Claiming my Life Back
So I finally hit my breaking point. I decided to claim back MY life, and I stopped doing everything. I canceled all appointments except my doctor appointments and decided to revisit my own life. I asked myself: Did I even want to do these things? Or did I feel I HAD to do these things? Where was I feeling resentful?
I had done this for my business after my dog, Chocolate, passed away, and I knew how freeing it was to let things go. Here is how I plugged the leaks:
Paused Therapy: I asked if I was actually getting the help I needed from that specific therapist.
Canceled the Dietician: I realized she didn’t align with my goals and actively pushed back on them.
Paused Training: My body was so fatigued; I needed to figure out what my body NEEDED, not what people said I needed just because I’m in Perimenopause.
Set Work Boundaries: I started saying NO at my massage job. I set the boundary that I will not be coming in on my days off, checking messages on “ME time,” or working late.
I cut out the “noise” and the “shoulds.” I wanted my life and my business back.
The Lesson: Energy is FINITE
We have a FINITE amount of energy we wake up with every day. It matters what we give it to. We have to be careful with what we spend our mental, physical, and emotional energy on because it is invaluable.
We want that energy to FUEL our lives and dreams. We don’t realize that what we consume—news, social media, even certain TV shows—triggers emotions like anxiety, fear, and worry. These things don’t fuel us; they deplete us.
When we do the things that light us up and use our unique creativity, those things actually fuel our energy. It creates a hopeful and light feeling. If you have big dreams like me, you can’t afford to be on an energy roller coaster.
Most energy drains come from focusing on things outside of ourselves—expectations of others or watching what everyone else is doing in their businesses. This robs us of our identity and our precious time.
My New Daily "Plugged-In" Routine
I know it’s hard to stop because these things—scrolling, TV—become coping mechanisms to disassociate from the stress of life. I’ll admit I do this when writing gets hard; I’ll “take a break” and watch TV, but it doesn’t spark ideas—it just feeds my brain fog.
Here is what I am doing now to stay plugged:
Movement: 15-20 minute walks outside after work.
Resets: Using the Calm app for a meditation reset after seeing clients.
Social Boundaries: Limiting social media with the Screen Zen app.
Creative Time-Outs: I am using my notebooks and journals more. For this very episode, I physically, with pen and paper, wrote the script. I allowed my brain the space to do the work through good old-fashioned free writing.
Your Turn: The Energy inventory
Your business can’t thrive without a clear mind and YOUR energy. If you are working overtime or doing things you don’t want to do, you are wasting the energy you need for your dreams.
I challenge you to grab a journal and reflect on these “leaks”:
Consumption: How much news and social media are you consuming? How do you feel afterward?
The Calendar Audit: Are your appointments needed, or are they taking up too much free time? Do you actually want to do them?
Relationships: Are there friendships you’ve outgrown that feel draining or that you dread?
Work Boundaries: Can you leave things at work and stop bringing the stress home with you?
The “Yes” Trap: Where are you saying YES when you really want to say NO?
It is okay to put YOU first. When you release things that don’t feel good, you leave room for what you really want to create. Your business and your dreams deserve your time and energy.
Your Future YOU is depending on it!
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Next Steps: Reclaim Your Momentum
If reading this resonated with you, if you’ve felt that pull of being lost in the hustle , or if you’re tired of pouring from an empty cup, I want you to know you don’t have to figure this out alone.
It’s time to reconnect with yourself and rediscover what truly fuels you. I invite you to book a free 30-minute Momentum Call with me. In this call, we’ll work together to help you get unstuck, gain clarity on what you truly want, boost your confidence and mindset, and create a clear direction and strategy for moving forward – one that ensures you’re living and being, not just doing.
Let’s uncover the missing piece in your picture and build a blended life that feels free, fulfilling, and fully aligned, for you.
