When you want to explore your career: 5 tips to identify what gives you energy
In our third segment on exploring your career, you thought about your values and discovered your strengths; now, we are ready to identify where we get our energy. It may not be a great time to talk about energy because many of us are drained. I know I am. I am limping across the finish line of 2021 and looking forward to a break to reflect, refuel, and refocus for 2022.
Energy is a funny concept. Physical energy may come from adequate sleep, water intake, and exercise. You must have the energy to exercise, and exercise gives you energy. You can get trapped in the chicken and egg cycle, but even walks help keep your physical energy levels up. Physical energy is critical to how we function every day.
When I talk about energy related to your career, I am not necessarily talking about physical energy, although that does apply somewhat, I am talking about mental energy. Mental energy is not just about our mood but about the “ability or willingness to engage in cognitive work.” This definition appears in many journals and psychology sources. I find this definition a little scientific but spot on.
When I think about energy, it is 100 percent about “engagement.” When we feel engaged, we light up, feel excited to face the day, and look forward to work. I cite energy as the number one reason people leave their jobs today. They have none; they derive none from their jobs. They are looking to be inspired and looking for that internal light again.
As I write this, I am listening to NPR and a man who left his corporate coding job of 21 years to open an Indian restaurant. He loves to cook, and he is good at it (this is a strength if you remember last week’s blog). He said he loved his job but was missing “something.” I am sure coding ticked some boxes for him, but he wanted that fuel to wake up every morning looking forward to work. Isn’t this what we all want? I think I can speak for everyone when I say “yes.”
So many organizations and managers put obstacles in the way of people being energized, including broken processes, bad technology, sweeping policies with no room for exceptions, or silly hoops for no reason other than it has always been done this way. I challenge every leader to look at their processes, technology, and policies and analyze their recent engagement or focus group results to see what they can do to help their teams reclaim their energy after a long two years of craziness.
For you as an individual, how do you know what is driving you? What lights you up? What shuts you down? Here are 5 tips to find and reclaim your energy.
Write it down.
If you have read the last two posts, you know this is my best recommendation for knowing yourself: to reflect and write down what you think and feel. In today’s world of a thousand distractions, we rarely spend time in a quiet place focused on a single task. To understand what drives you, this exercise is tantamount to success. I have had feedback that I say “write it down” too often. But, here’s the thing. We have so much in our heads that the only way to cut through the noise is to write down what we think and feel, read it and reflect. This task is simple but may not be easy. Take 20 minutes. Find a quiet place. Write down what it feels like when we have energy and are jazzed. What were you doing? Who were you interacting with, or were you by yourself? What environment were you in — home, outside, office, library, coffee shop? Then, read and reflect. Determine if your current role meets these criteria.
Record activities.
If you can’t brainstorm where you get your energy, then it’s time to record your activities for a month to see what themes emerge. Draw two columns on a piece of paper with two headings: Energy Booster and Energy Drainer. Write down activities, people, environments, and situations under each column for one month. Like above, try to note exactly what you were doing. The specifics will help you identify when you are energized. For the NPR man, I am sure cooking Thanksgiving dinner was at the top of his Energy Booster list. Please know that this activity doesn’t have to only pertain to your job. If you want to look for a different job, career, or path altogether, then pay attention to the activities across your entire life. During this exercise, you may note some values popping out or strengths that emerge. That is good too!
Pay attention to your mood.
While writing down your thoughts or reflecting on your month’s journal, pay particular attention to your mood. How did you feel? Were you delightful or grumpy? Were you content or uneasy? Were you pleased or frustrated? Were you pumped or deflated? Knowing how you felt during the recorded activities will help you determine where you get your energy. I know people who get jazzed when they deliver a presentation. They love sharing and speaking with a group. They derive energy from the reactions of others. Others shrink and feel uncomfortable being asked to deliver presentations. Some get their energy from analyzing data and pulling out significant trends. Those that get energy from this enjoy the Sherlock Holmes role they play in finding the cause of something. Others get very disengaged when asked to look at data or numbers. Note your mood and feelings with the cognitive work you are asked to do.
Identify reasons and barriers.
To reclaim your energy, identify why something is being asked of you or what prevents you from focusing on the activities that fuel you. The answer to this may be simple….you are in a Data Analyst position, and you want to be in Customer Success. Okay. This exercise may have helped you discover you’re in the wrong job. If that is true, try having a career conversation with your manager or mentor and find a better-fitting path for you with the organization. In most situations, you may find that part of your job drains you but not all of your job. This situation is more complex. Identify why you are being asked to do something that drains you. Ask questions to understand. If an environment drains you, what about that is the problem — too noisy, isolating, or cluttered? Knowing why will help you resolve it. If there is a person that drains you, minimize your interactions. If this person is your boss, well, you may want to make a change. Only you will know how problematic and draining that relationship is.
Take control.
When you identify the reasons and barriers, take some control. Most of us get energy when we have some control and take charge of our own situation. If a broken process drains you, try and fix it. Even if you aren’t the decision-maker, propose a change. Others, especially leaders, may not know. If there is a crazy policy, share your feelings and how it impacts you. If you must do things as part of your job that drains you, minimize them as much as possible. Every job has administrative tasks. I don’t get particularly revved by administration, but it is necessary. I look at what can be automated, delegated, improved, or stopped. I can’t tell you how many times I have pushed on tasks that may not have to be done. Make a case to make changes to your job. If you get significant pushback, then focus on what fuels you and go in search of activities that drive you.
Energy is a concept that isn’t always discussed. Many have heard to discover our values and strengths, but energy is not addressed enough. Energy is motivation, productivity, innovation, and impact. To be drained all day leads to burnout, apathy, stress, or depression. We may not be able to focus only on what fuels us, but there is a balanced ratio we can strive for. If I spend 80 percent of my time on what drains me, I will be unhappy and unproductive — two bad outcomes. If I spend 20 percent, that may be more tolerable, but I will seek chances to make changes.
Pay attention to what drives you and what drains you. Interesting themes will emerge for you. Maybe you are in the right place and the right job. Fantastic! Perhaps you need to ask questions, make small changes, or minimize certain aspects of your job to feel more energized. Maybe you realize you should open that Indian restaurant like the man on NPR. In any case, finding your energy is critical to your self-discovery in finding your best career path.