The Real Reason You’re Burned Out

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Hey Full Potential Zoners!

Stop managing time -

Start managing energy:

Energy is drained faster than we realize.

Almost 80% of people report feeling burned out at work. (Source: Deloitte)

What happens when energy is depleted?

❌ Clarity fades

❌ Tasks pile up

❌ Priorities blur

❌ Motivation drops

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Even small decisions start to feel overwhelming.

What happens when energy is reclaimed?

✅ Priorities feel clear

✅ Progress feels natural

✅ Decision-making improves

Today we are going to help leaders master this by using:

‘Audit Your Energy - Identify What’s Holding You Back'. 

Let’s dive in!

How to Overcome What is Holding You Back

Energy Drains

Scenario:
A team member spends hours in back-to-back meetings that are repetitive or irrelevant to their role, leaving them exhausted and unable to focus on key tasks.

How to Handle It:

• Evaluate Meeting Necessity:

  • Review the team member's calendar and identify meetings that can be skipped or condensed.

• What to Do:

  • Work with them to prioritize only essential meetings and suggest setting "focus blocks" for deep work.

• What to Say:

  • To the team member: “Let’s look at your schedule and identify meetings that may not need your input. Use that time for tasks requiring focus.”

  • To others hosting the meetings: “Can this be shared as an email update? Let’s keep meetings for high-priority discussions.”

Result:
The team member regains control over their time and energy, leading to better productivity and reduced burnout.

Neutral Zones

Scenario:
An employee spends time filling out routine reports that neither excite them nor directly contribute to the company’s goals but are necessary for record-keeping.

How to Handle It:

• Streamline Processes:

  • Explore automation tools or templates to reduce the time spent on routine tasks.

• What to Do:

  • Work with the employee to create an efficient workflow that minimizes the effort required.

• What to Say:

  • To the employee: “Let’s see if we can create a streamlined template for these reports so you can focus your energy on higher-impact work.”

  • To the team: “We’re introducing tools like [tool name] to make routine tasks quicker and less draining.”

Result:
The employee completes their neutral tasks more efficiently, freeing up time for more engaging activities.

Energy Gains

Scenario:
A team member is energized by brainstorming sessions and creative projects but rarely has time for them due to operational demands.

How to Handle It:

• Prioritize Energizing Work:

  • Reallocate some responsibilities to others to ensure the team member has dedicated time for projects that fuel their passion.

• What to Do:

  • Schedule recurring brainstorming sessions or creative planning blocks where the team member can focus solely on these tasks.

• What to Say:

  • To the employee: “I know you’re energized by creative work. Let’s block out some time each week for brainstorming and innovation projects.”

  • To the team: “We’re adjusting workloads to give [team member] space to focus on high-impact creative tasks.”

Result:
The team member feels more engaged and contributes at a higher level, benefiting both their personal growth and team success.

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Energy Drains

A team I consulted for struggled with energy-draining daily stand-up meetings that often ran over time, repeated information, and provided little actionable value.

Team members were frustrated, and their productivity dropped because these meetings disrupted their focus and created unnecessary stress.

I worked with the team to restructure their meeting process to make it concise and focused.

Here’s how I implemented the changes:

Audit the Meeting Agenda:

I reviewed the existing meeting structure with the team and identified redundant or irrelevant discussion points.

Pro Tip: Replace general updates with specific progress highlights and roadblocks that need solutions.

Time Limit and Ownership:

I introduced a 15-minute time cap and assigned a rotating meeting leader to keep discussions on track.

Pro Tip: Use a timer during meetings to ensure discussions stay within the set time frame.

Alternative Communication Tools:

For updates that didn’t require a live discussion, I set up a shared digital board where team members could post updates before the meeting.

Pro Tip: Use tools like Trello or Slack to streamline information sharing without disrupting work hours.

Feedback and Adjustment: I gathered feedback after the first week of changes and adjusted the format based on what worked and what didn’t.

Pro Tip: Encourage the team to suggest further improvements during a retrospective.

Result:

Within two weeks, the team’s energy improved noticeably. Meetings were shorter, more targeted, and left team members feeling clear about next steps without wasting their time.

The digital board reduced unnecessary discussions, and the rotating meeting leadership created shared ownership and kept things efficient.

Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:

Day 1: Identify Patterns

• Choose the zone you want to work on.

  • Spend the day tracking activities that fall into your chosen zone. Write down:

    • What the activity was.

    • How it made you feel (energized, neutral, or drained).

    • How much time it took.

  • Awareness is the first step. Identifying patterns helps you see where your time and energy are going.

• ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Act as a business and personal development expert. Help me track my activities today to understand where my energy is going. Guide me to categorize tasks into Energy Drains, Neutral Zones, or Energy Gains. What questions can I ask myself to identify how these tasks affect my energy?”

Day 2: Choose One Action

• Look at the list from Day 1 and pick one thing to change or improve.

  • If you chose Energy Drains: Decide to reduce or eliminate one draining task.

  • If you chose Neutral Zones: Find a way to make one neutral task more efficient or engaging.

  • If you chose Energy Gains: Make time for one energizing activity in your schedule today.

• Starting with one small change makes the challenge manageable and builds momentum.

• ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Based on my activity list from yesterday which was [insert activity list], help me identify one specific change I can make to improve my energy. Provide practical ideas for reducing Energy Drains, streamlining Neutral Zones, or prioritizing Energy Gains."

Day 3: Take Control

• Actively implement your change. Use a simple tool, like blocking time on your calendar, delegating a task, or automating a process, to make the change stick.

  • Example for Energy Drains: Block a recurring "no-meeting" time slot for focus work.

  • Example for Neutral Zones: Use a template for a repetitive report to save time.

  • Example for Energy Gains: Dedicate one hour to a brainstorming or creative session.

• Taking action builds confidence and starts creating visible results.

• ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Help me implement the change I chose yesterday which was [insert change]. What tools, habits, or actions can I use to make this change effective today? Guide me on how to stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed."

Day 4: Reflect and Plan Forward

• At the end of the day, reflect on how the changes impacted your energy and focus.

  • Write down:

    • What worked well.

    • What didn’t go as planned.

    • How you’ll adjust moving forward.

• Reflection solidifies learning and helps you make small, consistent improvements to sustain progress.

• ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Help me reflect on the changes I made over the last three days which were [insert changes]. What worked well, and what could I do differently? Guide me in planning one adjustment or next step to continue improving my energy and focus."

The goal is not to have perfect days but to have intentional ones.

What you focus on every day directly impacts your success and well-being.

Drains pull you away from what truly matters; gains bring you closer to it.

Time spent without intention dilutes your ability to achieve.

Your energy is finite, but the way you use it determines your outcomes.

When your focus aligns with your goals, your work and life become more purposeful.

Until next week and with lots of love,

Justin

This Week’s Growth Recommendations

Book To Read:  

"The Productivity Project" by Chris Bailey (see it here)

TED Talk to Watch

"All it takes is 10 mindful minutes" by Andy Puddicombe (see it here)

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