The Energy Map
Identify the pursuits that bring joy and big rewards to your life!
Life’s busy, and with limited time, it’s crucial to pick activities—both personal and professional—that make the most of it. We often hear advice about following our interests and passions, but those words can be a bit misleading.
What do interests and passions really mean?
I often convince myself I'm interested in things I'm good at, which can be deceptive. And passion? That’s a heavy word, one that I'm never quite sure I'm using correctly when it comes to my life.
So, here's my solution: focus on energy, not interests or passions.
Follow your energy, because it’s a truly precious resource. When you’re energized by something, you dive deep, you push yourself, and you feel alive. It fuels you.
As you ponder the big question of how to spend your time, let energy guide you.
I use a simple exercise called Energy Mapping to identify the pursuits that bring joy and big rewards into my life. Here’s how it works, and how you can use it to change your life:
Step 1: Create Your Map
The Energy Map is a blank 2x2 grid, with the X-axis representing Proficiency Level (from low to high) and the Y-axis representing Energy (from energy-draining to energy-building).
Energy-Building: Activities that leave you feeling energized, put you in a great mood, and having you coming back for more.
Energy-Draining: Activities that leave you feeling drained, kill your mood, and are things that you naturally seek to avoid.
High Proficiency: Activities you’re skilled at and feel effortless.
Low Proficiency: Activities that are challenging and feel like hard work.
Step 2: Identify Your Zones
There are four key zones to consider on your Energy Map:
Sweet Spot - Activities where you have high competency and high energy. Ideally, spend most of your time here.
Growth Zone - Activities that give you energy but you’re not very skilled at them (yet!). Spend a good chunk of your time here too.
Energy Trap - Activities that drain your energy, but you’re good at them. Be cautious here; they can be a trap. Try to make them more energy-creating or spend less time on them.
Dread Zone - The bottom left quadrant. These are activities that you should avoid at all costs. The drain your energy, you struggle with them, and just overall don’t provide value.
Step 3: Align Your Time
With your Energy Map filled out, you can see where to focus your time:
Spend most of your time in your Sweet Spot Zone.
Spend the rest in your Growth Zone.
Minimize time in the Energy Trap.
Eliminate time in the Dread Zone unless there's potential for growth.
Remember, the goal is to gradually shift your time towards activities that energize you and align with your strengths. Your happiness and success will follow.
Give it a shot and let me know what you think! Little actions go along way.
Sam & Graham