In This Edition:
Why having a baby forced me to finally audit which parts of my business were draining my energy and the specific changes I made to do more of the work that energizes me.
A free tool I built to help you do your own business activity audit so that you can focus on the things that will help you thrive (and help your business survive).
Your feedback shapes this newsletter. I read every reply. What do you want to see more of? Where are you stuck? Hit reply and let me know. Even a quick thought helps shape what comes next.
I've been running the same business for 12 years. And until a couple of years ago, I never really took the time to think about the parts of my work that give me energy, and which parts drain me? I had a steady stream of clients and had a fair amount of flexibility, so I was on auto-pilot.
Then I had a baby.
Suddenly, I had dramatically less time to work. And the time I did have needed to count. I couldn't afford to spend three hours on a task that left me depleted, because when I walked away from my desk, I wanted to spend time outside with my son, not recovering from work that exhausted me.
So I started evaluating every single task I was doing. Not just whether it was profitable or necessary, but how that task made me feel while I was doing it and afterwards. The physical sensation of it. The energy level.
Energy Drainers & Energy Creators
Some activities left me more energized than when I started. The weren’t necessarily easier. Frequently they were more challenging. But I'd finish and feel buzzing with ideas, ready for what was next. Time moved differently during these tasks. I'd look up and realize three hours had passed.
And then there were the tasks that required a recovery period. The client work that made me want to take a nap afterward. The administrative projects I'd been avoiding for weeks (tax prep anyone?). The profitable services that had me fantasizing about doing something else entirely.
I started tracking all of this. I logged each activity and noted how my body felt during and after. Tracking what was actually happening in my nervous system.
What the Data Showed Me
Turns out, I'd been spending about 30% of my work time on tasks that drained me. Tasks that other people could probably do better than me anyway. Tasks that were costing me more energy than they were worth.
Some of these draining tasks were profitable. Some were things I'd been doing for years simply because that's how I’d always done it. Some were services I'd built my business around but had grown to resent.
And the worst part was that I was squeezing the work that energized me it into whatever time was left over.
Once I saw this clearly, I had to make some decisions. I categorized every draining task and figured out what to do about it:
Some tasks I outsourced immediately. I don’t know why I waited so long to hire a bookeeper!
I batched all my draining admin into one weekly block instead of letting it bleed into every day. I created boundaries so the draining work didn't contaminate everything else.
I started writing this newsletter. It’s a fun, creative outlet that energizes me and has the added benefit of reminding me of all of the things I need to keep doing to keep my business sustainable for me.
I started working on a pivot for my business. I’ve been doing the same thing for 15 years and although I have been able to elevate the work I’m doing, it is essentially the same. And frankly, I’m bored.
I restructured my schedule so that my heads-down work time is in the morning when my energy is humming.
Some tasks I’ve simply stopped doing. Even profitable ones. If they were draining me and I couldn't fix that, they had to go.
Why This Matters
I'm sharing all of this because after 12 years of running the same business, I finally understood something critical:
Energy isn't just about how you feel. It's about your capacity for everything else. Your decision-making. Your creativity. Your patience with clients. Your ability to spot opportunities. Your resilience when things don't go as planned.
When you're running on empty, you make worse decisions. You miss things. You get resentful. You start wondering why you're doing this at all.
The entrepreneur working 60 hours a week on tasks that drain them isn't more dedicated than the one working 30 hours on energizing work. They're just heading toward burnout faster.
And when you have less time (because of a baby, or aging parents, or health issues, or just because you want a life outside of work), you can't afford to waste energy on tasks that deplete you.
Try It Yourself: A Week-Long Audit
I built an app for this! Yes, this was a task that gave me energy 🤣.
Access the app using the button below. Here's how it works:
At the end of each task or meeting, open the tracker and log details about each task (you’ll find instructions in-app)
As you continue to track, watch the dashboard to see the breakdown of how your tasks as categorized as: Energy Creators, Energy Neutral, Energy Drainers. You can also download details into a csv if you want to nerd out on the data.
Once you’ve been tracking for a few days, you have two action items:
Start looking at the specific tasks that drain your energy. Pick at least one type of task that is draining you and decide what to do about it. Outsource it. Minimize it. Redesign it. Raise your rate for it. Or stop doing it entirely.
Look for the energy creators. Find a way to prioritize these within your schedule. Give them the time they deserve. Do more of what energizes you.
Once you’ve started analyzing the results, reply and tell me:
What's your biggest Energy Drainer? I'll share what I'd do about it.
What’s your favorite Energy Creator? I’d love to help you envision how to do more of that.
This is the first draft of the Business Activity Audit that I’m putting out into the world. I’d love your feedback so that it can keep evolving.
Carrie
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