Eliminating energy drains
For entrepreneurs, few ideas are as appealing as the thought of having more time in the day. And while we can’t technically create more time, we can make the 24 hours we do have more meaningful, productive, and enjoyable by identifying and eliminating energy drains.
Energy drains are exactly what they sound like—the frustrations and often needless complications we encounter in our daily life and business that sap our energy and cause us stress.
An energy drain can be something as simple as having to root through your purse to look for your keys every time you go out, to something on a larger scale, like working with a computer that continually freezes in the middle of projects. During a recent VIP Power Call with my members, we spoke with author Kate Northrup about this and she shared a friend’s frustration with not being able to fully enjoy a meal because they hated their forks! Putting up with little daily nuisances like this is draining.
For entrepreneurs, energy drains are often the result of behaviors, mindsets or habits like procrastination, lack of confidence in how to move their business forward, or people pleasing by putting others first.
Finding and Fixing Energy Drains
Whatever your energy drains are, identifying them and finding solutions for them will not only clear your stress, but enable you to preserve your energy for more impactful work. Working with my clients, I see many of the same energy drains come up time and time again.
Here are three of the most common energy drains, along with some tips for eliminating them:
1. Unmade decisions. Whether it’s indecisiveness, procrastination, or fear of taking committed action, unmade decisions are a sneaky energy drain, because their effect on your life and business isn’t always obvious. But if those unmade decisions are always lurking in the back of your mind, they are taking focus and energy away from what will move you forward.
TIP: Do your due diligence in weighing the options, but then commit, and clear your mind so that you can be present to whoever or whatever is in front of you.
2. Fuzzy boundaries. How many things do you read/respond to/look at/do on a daily basis that you really don’t want to, and that don’t support you in achieving your goals? Establishing healthy boundaries means saying no to whatever doesn’t align with your values and vision, from unwanted email subscriptions to clients who aren’t a good fit.
TIP: Pause before automatically saying yes to projects and requests, and ask yourself if it is truly something that you have the time, energy, and desire to do. If it isn’t, you’ll honor the person asking and yourself by saying no.
3. Lack of focus. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the long To Do list that comes with being an entrepreneur, but giving in to overwhelm is one of the quickest ways to drain your energy. I teach my clients how to think more strategically and stay focused on their goals. Choosing one small goal per day and identifying at least three next steps to take towards that goal will get you started. When you take small steps one at a time and consistently, you achieve success.
TIP: Set aside time to plan how you want to show up and what your top priorities are for the upcoming week.
Putting It All Together
Back in my corporate days, my goal with my team was to ramp up productivity by focusing our energy on our goals, not wasting time, being confident in our actions, and reporting on accomplishments weekly. Now I work with entrepreneurs who often fall prey to outside demands, have a long to-do list and are missing the clarity on where to spend their time and energy.
As a Success Coach, I help my clients identify and eliminate their energy drains so they can achieve success with greater clarity, focus and ease. Inside my Above the Crowd mastermind, we do 45-day goal planning and weekly intention setting. Your productivity is greatly increased when you set intentions, create focus, and close the open loops that sap energy.
When you decide how you want to show up for the week, choose your focus for each day, and identify the tasks you want to complete, energy increases, time restraints lessen and success follows.
If you are struggling and want to gain more time and energy for your big goals, I invite your to give this a try. You’ll blow your mind with how much you accomplish when you are clear, focused and intentional.