pepp talks with sue richards

42 - Work with your energy, not against it: the real secret to sustainable productivity

• Sue Richards

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Ever feel like you’re fighting your own energy? 

In this episode, I share how to stop forcing yourself into a schedule that doesn’t fit - and start designing your week around your natural energy rhythms. 

Learn how to identify your creative, practical, and client-facing energy, manage your time with ease, and avoid burnout by working with your flow, not against it. 

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Email me at sue@suerichardscoaching.co.uk

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SPEAKER_00:

Hello and welcome back to Pep Talks. Today we're diving into one of my favourite topics and it actually follows on really nicely from the episode that I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. It's a topic that's honestly been a complete game changer for me, both in business and in life, and that's working with your energy instead of forcing yourself to work to a rigid schedule. If you've ever sat down at your desk with a big plan for the day ahead and you've realized 10 minutes in that your brain feels like porridge and your body just isn't having any of it, this episode is for you. Because the thing is, it's not just about how much energy you have, it's about what kind of energy you have and how you use it to your advantage. We've been conditioned to believe that success, especially in business, comes from having a perfectly structured schedule where every minute is being used effectively and efficiently. You know the sort of thing I'm talking about, you know, colour-coded calendars, time-blocked days, and that's before we dig into any of those productivity hacks you might have tried. And now, don't get me wrong, structure can be and is incredibly helpful. But a schedule that ignores your natural energy rhythms is never going to work long term. Because no matter how disciplined or ambitious you might be, your body and mind have their own cycles, particularly as women. And if you try to bulldoze through them, hustle culture style, you're going to constantly feel like you're swimming upstream. So what if instead of constantly trying to fit yourself into your calendar, you designed your calendar around you, your rhythms, your energy. Rather than trying to force your energy to fit the calendar, let's create a calendar that works with your energy. Let's start with some simple observations. When during your day do you feel at your most creative, focused, and inspired? And when do you hit that wall where everything feels harder, slower, heavier? For me, mornings and early evenings are my golden hours. That's when my brain starts firing and ideas flow, I get those bursts of insight that lead to my best content or breakthroughs. Now, of course, early evening can be a bit tricky because it's also when I should be cooking dinner. But nevertheless, it's a time of day when I am at my most creative and can easily fall into a flow state, forgetting what time it is, and if I'm being truthful, sometimes forgetting that I need to prepare a meal. Ideally, I'd use my lower energy afternoon window to cook so that I could run with my creative spark when it kicks in later. But I'll be honest, I haven't cracked that habit yet. And this is the thing, as always, this isn't about perfection, it's about awareness. Because when you start noticing your energy patterns without judgment, you can start to see where your schedule supports you and where it's actually working against you. Once you start to understand your energy rhythms, the next step is to match your work to your energy. And think of it like this: not all tasks require the same type of fuel. So when I'm in a high-energy creative zone, that's when I do my big picture thinking, the writing, the content creating, developing new ideas for my business, and ideally recording podcast episodes. I say ideally because this one is actually being recorded at 6.30pm on a Sunday evening because there simply wasn't an available window last week. As I said, and I always will say, this isn't about being perfect. It's about having the awareness and working with that knowledge whenever you can. So that's my creative window. Then there's the more practical, grounded energy that's perfect for admin, emails, tidying things up. And that tends to happen for me a little later in the day. As I say, that's my sort of mid-afternoon period when I probably should be cooking dinner, but I'm not. It's when I know I won't be writing my best copy or recording anything particularly inspiring. So it's going to be better for me to use that time for those more admin-related tasks, right? And then there's my my well, my even, my introvert energy and how I manage that alongside client calls, networking events, and so on. So when it comes to my clients, my diary is only open for booking calls with me on three days of the week: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. And not only that, but I cap my calls at three calls per day maximum. I have also built in buffer time between my calls because I know how draining it can be to go back to back without a breather for somebody like me who has that introverted energy. I give everything to my clients on their calls when they're with me, and I want them to get the absolute best from me. So that means ensuring I manage my energy appropriately for them as much as for me. This isn't about doing less or not being committed to my work. It's about doing better with what I've got. It's about doing what works for me rather than what might work for someone else. I mean, I know someone who happily stacks their entire day with calls and thrives off that energy. But I know that is definitely not suited to me. So knowing your own energy patterns is absolutely crucial. And knowing when to be doing your creative work and when to be doing more of your admin work is also absolutely crucial. Because if you use your most creative and focused time for admin work, you're wasting your spark. And if you're trying to create inspiring content from a place of low energy, you're just going to end up frustrated and doubting yourself, and probably taking three times longer than it should take to actually pull something together. So, what would it look like for you to start aligning your to-do list with your energy instead of your clock? Let's make this practical because I know if you're listening to this, you're probably thinking, Yes, Sue, but I don't always get to choose when I do what I do. And you're absolutely right. Most of us don't have complete flexibility over our diaries and what we do when. We've got client schedules, we've got family commitments, school runs, and everything else to work around. And that's why this isn't about throwing your diary out of the window, it's about tweaking it just enough for it to work better for you. It's about doing the best with what time you do have available to you. Here's what that looks like for me. I try to schedule things like getting to know you coffee style chats and lower stake meetings in the afternoon, because I know that that's where my creative energy has usually dipped, but I can still turn up and be myself and get to know somebody on a beautiful coffee chat. I always make sure to schedule breaks and time into my day for me, even if that is simply just sitting with a copper and playing a game on my phone. It's those small moments that help me to rest and recharge so that I can come back stronger. I keep at least one full day a week completely meeting free. That's my flow day. It means that once I get into a rhythm, I'm able to stay there as long as possible. No calls, no interruptions, just me and my work. But equally, if the flow isn't there, I don't try to force it. I'll get up from my desk and I go and do something different. Often the spark and the flow will return after a little break. In fact, I recorded a whole episode about this back in February. It's called Why Sitting at Your Desk Every Day Isn't Cutting It and How to Shift Your Energy. So I'd go and check that out after this one if what you're hearing here is inspiring you or resonating with you. And when I record a podcast episode like this one, I always record a short talking to camera clip straight afterwards. The content's fresh in my mind, my energy's high, and I can repurpose that energy and that content while I'm in that same flow. And keeping this really real, as I've just shared, like this episode, that's been happening on Sunday evenings in recent weeks because that is how my schedule and energy has panned out. And I'm absolutely fine with this because it's my business, on my terms, and on my schedule. No one said I needed to work office hours, and neither do you. So that's how I make my diary serve me instead of the other way round. And then, of course, there's the seasonal side of things. School holidays, for example. I shift things around. I might work early mornings before my son gets up, or in short bursts at the weekend. As I've just shared, the beauty of running your own business is that you can adapt your schedule to fit your life. It just takes a little bit of intention and some flexibility. As I said, you don't have to work nine to five to be successful. You just have to know when you work best. And I would argue that when you do know when you're working best, you don't need to work anywhere near as many hours as when you don't. Because you're tapping into the right energy at the right time for the right task. And that means you're going to fire through things far more quickly. There's another piece to the puzzle, knowing when to step away and when to push through. Sometimes we tell ourselves we're tired when really we're just avoiding doing something uncomfortable. And that, of course, is when it's worth pushing through. Other times we try to push through genuine exhaustion, and that, of course, is when we do need to step away. So learning to tell the difference between those two is an art. It's not a science, it's definitely an art. It takes some honesty with yourself, it takes real awareness, and it takes time to understand your own patterns and delaying tactics. And of course, this will shift and change and ebb and flow over time as well. But once you've learned to tap into what is working and what isn't, you can move with that ebb and flow so much more easily. For me, the red flag is when I'm faffing. When I'm scrolling or tidying my desk or answering messages or emails that could actually wait. That's usually avoidance. But if my head's pounding, I can't think straight, and I'm rereading the same sentence for the tenth time, that's going to be a cue to pause, rest, or change gears. When you give yourself that permission to listen to your body, to your energy, to that ebb and flow instead of forcing it, you are going to create space for better ideas, clearer thinking, and more consistent motivation. And when you start honoring your energy patterns instead of fighting them, you stop making yourself wrong for being human. You stop beating yourself up for not being productive enough. You start to see that your rhythm isn't the problem, your resistance to it is. This is where sustainable productivity really begins. So here's what I'd love for you to do after this episode. I want you to start tracking your energy this week. Just notice when do you feel most creative? When do you hit the dip? When do you get your best ideas? When do you notice yourself procrastinating? And when do you just want to curl up with a copper and switch off? No judgment, just curiosity. After all, this is data. Data that can help you tweak how you show up for your business every single day. And with that data, you can then start making tiny shifts in your week. Move one task into a more aligned energy window. Protect one flow day if you can. Or build in one proper rest block during your week where you let yourself do something purely for you, even if that's just for 10 minutes of doing nothing at all. Because when you start designing your work around your energy, everything changes. You become more efficient without even trying. You feel lighter, calmer, and more in control, even on the messy days. And that, my friend, is how you go from running your business on fumes to building it from a place of flow. So as you go through the rest of your week, I want you to ask this question: Am I working with my energy or against it? And if you notice that your current schedule is fighting you, that's your sign to pause, reflect, and make a shift. Even a small one. Because you don't have to burn yourself out to make progress. You just have to align your energy with what matters most. Thanks as always for tuning in. I hope this gives you some food for thought and permission to do things your way. And as always, if you want to explore this more deeply, how to simplify your schedule, reduce overwhelm, and create more calm and clarity in your life and your business. You'll find loads of resources linked in the show notes, including my free simple framework and details about my simplify program. Until next time, go gently, listen to your energy, and remember your rhythm is the strategy. Take care and I'll see you all again next week.