The 6 min. video below walks you through how to map your day to the natural rhythm of your own energy.

When I created this technique, I had no idea I had ADHD. I just knew that I struggled to work on certain tasks at certain times. Not all the time, just certain times. Yet I could work well on other tasks at those times. I thought this was pretty weird, so I put my scientist hat on and decided to track some data! 

For 3 days, I logged how I felt about everything I was doing.  Was it a struggle to get started and stay focused?  Was it easy and light?  Was it something that sucked me into a flow state of hyper-focus, where I lost track of time and perhaps even found it difficult to stop and take a break? 

On the third day, I cut ties with my to-do list and followed the whims of my desires. I worked only on what I felt inspired to work on, and only for as long as it felt good.  I stopped ‘pushing through’ and ‘forcing myself’. I honored my energies.

The resistance melted away. I stayed in flow (or at least out of the mud) pretty much all day if I worked on what I felt like working on at the time I felt like working on it.  This may sound like a recipe for chaos, but I still only worked on things on my to-do list (just not in the original order) and it became clear there was a natural pattern to my day.  For me, it looked like this:

Early morning: my best time for creative tasks (writing, business planning)
Mid-morning: my best time for admin tasks
Late morning: my best time for meetings or social media (I am no longer on social media, but when I was, this was the slot)
Early afternoon: client work or more admin
Mid-afternoon: I take a nap, or at least a solid screen break
Post-nap: Either a little more client work, or I’m done for the day

I’ve pretty much stuck with this general flow of “what to do, when” ever since, and it’s massively reduced the struggle of getting started or staying focused.

The video below walks you through the 5 categories I assign my work to (the “5 Energy Elements”), and shares the method I use to decide what to do each day, and in what order.  For someone with ADHD, it’s a daily routine that is massively helpful!

By mapping your own personal energy ‘weather’ (it probably won’t look identical to mine), then planning your days to align with it, you can reduce overwhelm, harness your impulsiveness natural enthusiasm in a healthy way, and generally remove a ton of friction and struggle. In essence, you can start going with the flow instead of swimming against the tide.

#gowiththeflow  🦦

Energy Mapping my days has had a hugely positive affect on my self-concept and self-trust, because it makes it easier for me to predict timelines, plan my days, take breaks without losing flow, and actually meet deadlines without last-minute scrambling or pulling an all-nighter. 

I truly hope it helps you as much as it has helped me! 🙂