Where could you better spend more time, and where less?
Swap what drains you with what energizes.
When your days drain instead of energize, feel empty instead of meaningful, or leave you busy but not feeling alive, ask yourself:
🤔 Where could I better spend more time, and where less?
Start by noticing what lifts you. What makes you feel alive, in flow, energized, or fulfilled? What brings you closer to your values, purpose, and goals? Social time, learning, exercise, or creative work often energize. Then notice what drains you and where your energy slips away. Endless scrolling, low-value meetings, or unnecessary paperwork usually drain. For a few days, fill a notebook or phone page with two columns: one with activities that drain you, one with activities that energize you.
Each day, spend less time on something draining, or even stop altogether, like checking notifications, scrolling news feeds, being around people who wear you down, or tackling low-priority work tasks. Use that freed time for something energizing, like going for a short walk, talking with a friend or family member, starting a small creative project, or reading something that interests you. Small, deliberate choices like this add up, compounding over time to reshape your days.
Spending your time intentionally is like pulling out weeds and nurturing the flowers in your garden. It’s also like fueling your body with nourishing food and cutting out junk.
At night, review and note how the shift you made affected your energy and mood. Notice how it felt to spend more time on what lifted you and less on what drained you. Once a week, do a broader check of your schedule to see whether it reflects what energizes you. Adjust and experiment as needed. Life changes, and what deserves more of your time can shift. Treat this process as a flexible experiment, not a fixed plan.
Start today by replacing one draining activity with one that energizes and watch the difference it makes in your energy and mood. Small shifts add up faster than you think.
