Running a business during any stage takes energy, of the physical and mental kind. Energy to find your big idea, start executing, sell your products and services, find your target audience and set out to engage them. Not to mention the energy to get out of bed in the morning and keep going when it all gets tough. Entrepreneurs who give up too soon run out of energy long before they run out of time, money or ideas.

With so many ways you could spend your energy, and so many influences trying to take it from you, energy management has arguably become more important than time or people management.

By default, your energy is highest when you wake up and then depletes throughout the day. This is true of your motivation, your mojo and your physical readiness.

See yourself as a video game character whose energy bar decreases as they run and jump. The runs and jumps an entrepreneur faces include emails, phone calls, meetings, the requests of others, new information and adverse news. Each has the potential to zap energy away, leaving none left for deep work or the things that really matter.

Your video game character can also collect energy boosts. These are conversations that inspire, projects that you’re passionate about and experiences that light you up.

What is the entrepreneurs’ energy score?

The entrepreneur energy score categorises everything that crosses your path on a scale of -3 to +3, with 0 being neutral.

Activities, people, places and tasks that zap your emotional energy are given a score of -3, -2 or -1 depending on the degree to which they do.

The same factors that lift you up are scored 1, 2 or 3.

Assigning a score to external events puts you in the driving seat of keeping or removing them from your work. It forces questions such as:

  • “Is that difficult client worth it?”
  • “How will I feel after scrolling Instagram?”
  • “Did that catch up with a friend make me feel better or worse?”

Of course, there are layers to every score. Whilst a strenuous workout might make you tired, the release of endorphins and contribution to your health will give you more energy over a sustained period of time. Consider the long and short term aspects when scoring activities.

The score can be used to categorise your own thoughts, words and actions.

When you find yourself judging, comparing or belittling, notice how it makes you feel and assign a score accordingly. The same with the conversations you have with others, where you could choose to talk about the bad news you just received or your sports injury, focusing the discussion on complaining, by considering its energy score you might focus on the upsides, or where you proceed from here.

Without awareness of the impact external influences have on you, your daily emotions will be at the mercy of whatever happens to occur.

This isn’t about false positivity to paper over cracks, it’s about training your brain to operate at a higher frequency. To spot the solutions, to overcome the challenges and default to a more useful channel.

How to use the entrepreneurs’ energy score

Use the entrepreneur energy score to audit your life. Keep a record of what you do throughout the day and notice how each activity scores. Think back to some of your happiest days and remember what they involved, the same with some of your lowest. Find the patterns and figure out what in your existing life is a minus and what is a positive impact on your energy.

Next, make the changes. Consciously move your thoughts to a higher channel, say words consistent with these improved thoughts.

Seek to remove low energy conversations, people, places and activities from your life, replacing them with positive ones or simply leaving the space open for whatever might be around the corner.

In practical terms, if you know doing your VAT return drains you, perhaps it’s time to outsource it. If you hate shopping with a passion, who could take it off your hands? On the other hand, noticing what lights you up can show you the way to making more impact. Writing, recording, learning, performing; doing more of these might be your calling. With your diary free of low-energy scenarios you can delve more into whatever brings you flow.

Why use the entrepreneurs’ energy score?

Using an energy score means assessing every facet of your day by how it contributes to how you feel. Figuring out what makes you visionary and what makes you feel fearful. Operating as your higher self, the one who feels happy, makes audacious plans and takes inspired action, rather than the lower self who is led by fear, greed and competition.

The entrepreneurs’ energy score is a practical way of assessing your day to get the most out of it.

Assessing every factor and its impact on your energy levels can be a powerful way of consistently operating on a higher frequency, and the knock-on benefits could be huge.

Doing the work that you can’t wait to do, seeing the people who inspire you into action, and filling your time with only what makes you feel good could lead to conversations and opportunities that are right up your street.

Increase your energy and change your life.