Mapping Your Daily Energy Flow
Here’s a simple way to map your day as an energy waveform so you can schedule work where your mind is naturally strongest and direct your attention. This is a bit of homework, but if you want to become more conscious where and how you invest your attention, this is a worthwhile exercise.
The idea
Direct your attention throughout your day, consider a natural rise and fall across the day. When you sketch those rises and dips like a wave, you’ll see “peaks” (clarity), “troughs” (noise), and “friction points” (repeatable drains). Use that picture to place deep work at peaks, admin at troughs, and buffers around friction.
How to do it in 10 minutes
- Collect
Set a timer for tomorrow. On the hour, rate 3 things from 1–5:
- Clarity (how sharp you feel)
- Noise (how scattered you feel)
- Friction (how much resistance to starting)
- Sketch
On a blank page, draw time on the x‑axis (wakeup → bedtime).
- Plot Clarity as a line.
- Plot Noise as a second line.
- Mark Friction with small ⚡ at times it spikes.
- Mark zones
- Peak zones: clarity high, noise low.
- Troughs: clarity low, noise high.
- Friction points: repeated ⚡ at similar times.
- Assign work
- Peaks → deep work, thinking, writing, decisions.
- Troughs → admin, filing, errands, low‑stakes tasks.
- Friction → add micro‑buffers: 5‑minute reset, snack, walk, or a one‑click “starter” action.
Quick template (copy/paste)
Day:
Wake: __ : __ Sleep: __ : __
| Hour | Clarity 1–5 | Noise 1–5 | Friction 1–5 | Notes (what was happening) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7am | ||||
| 8am | ||||
| 9am | ||||
| … |
Peaks (times):
Troughs (times):
Friction patterns (what repeats):
Next‑day plan:
- Deep work window(s):
- Admin window(s):
- Buffer rituals at friction times:
Fast reading of your wave
- A single big morning peak → protect the first 90 minutes. No notifications.
- Two peaks (late morning, late afternoon) → split deep work into two sprints.
- Flat with afternoon lift → stack admin before noon, push creative work later.
- High friction right after lunch → short walk + 1 tiny starter task before reopening apps.
Micro‑tools you can drop in
- Ten‑Second Reset: pause, one slow breath, pick one target, do one small action.
- Single‑target rule: only one “big thing” per peak zone.
- Friction starter: pre‑open the doc, write a 1‑line brief, then break. Return to a warm start.
- Noise gate: batch messages at two fixed times.
One‑page weekly loop
- Map 2–3 weekdays.
- Circle repeating patterns.
- Lock your Peak Blocks first on the calendar.
- Pre‑decide Trough Tasks and keep a list ready.
- Review Friday: what moved better when aligned to the wave?
At the core, this will focus your attention, you'll be aware how you structure your day, and your week.
Stay curious!
A. Karacay
