The energy chart that explains why you're exhausted by 3pm

I think we all know instinctively that energy is a finite resource. It’s why you don’t try to run – or even train for – a marathon every day (literally or metaphorically).

It’s why trips to the park with your kids don’t go for five hours (although I feel for you if they do).

And it’s why we don’t work 16-hour workdays (though if you do, you’re probably exhausted and in need of my book The Energy Game).

During the COVID years, Dr Jill Calder built a tool that can help you track where your energy is going. The chart was originally created to assist people recovering from Long COVID, but it’s also a helpful guide for anyone suffering from chronic depletion.

What this means is that you can now quantify your energy output and specifically, your Energy Vampires. An Energy Vampire is an activity that might seem relatively harmless – activities and tasks that theoretically shouldn’t require much energy output. But they do.

Here is a chart of the top Energy Vampires (adapted from Jill Calder’s work) and how much energy they use:

How to use the Energy Points Chart

Start to gain more awareness about the activities you are doing every day and how much energy expenditure they use. You might think that answering emails and socialising are relatively easy activities, but the chart reminds us that they all take energy from your energy bank accounts. For example, although attending a networking event after work appears relatively innocuous, even drinking a glass of wine while nibbling on canapés and keeping the conversation going takes a toll. It turns out that it adds up to ten points – the equivalent of hopping on an exercise bike and cranking the resistance up to high.

One of the things that I suggest in my book The Energy Game, is to start to pay attention to the Energy Vampires in your life. You might add up how many points you use in a day to become more aware of how hard you are pushing yourself. You might also consider how you could reduce or even remove some of the Vampires from your days altogether.

Use the below template to start tracking your Energy Vampires. (For paid subscribers only).

Download the template here.

If you are running on empty as we head towards the last four months of the year (!!!), I highly recommend The Energy Game. Also: not a bad Father’s Day gift if your dad has been looking a bit tired lately. Available in paperback, audio book and Kindle/e-book. Grab all formats here or pick up a copy at your local book store.