The Energy Balance: Factors Shaping Your Energy Levels

We need energy to function. We can increase our productivity to get more done in less time, but at some point, our energy becomes the bottleneck as I discussed here.

But where is our energy coming from?

Photo by Miguel Bruna on Unsplash

It is not just coming from eating and sleeping - there is much more to it and there are different frameworks to describe it: WPLH-Dashboard, The Wheel of Life, …

But essentially, our energy source boils down to the following dimensions:

• Fitness: This dimension is about our physical and mental fitness. It is a core resource for our energy and is influenced by factors such as physical exercise, nutrition, recreation, sleeping habits, and mental techniques.
• Work and performing: To work or to perform has ever been an integral part of our lives and it’s not only because we’ve to make a living. It also gives us purpose. Being praised or appreciated for something we did or something we are good at is an energy source as well. This can come from our job or career, but also from not-paid work.
• Social environment: This is of course another important source of happiness and energy. Humans are social beings and we need relationships to thrive. This is also the conclusion of one of the most comprehensive happiness studies.
• „sense of life“: This can be a bit tricky to understand, but it basically covers things like religion, spirituality, interests, and hobbies. It also includes our social and political activities. Our mission. Our why.

When these four areas are in balance, our health and happiness improve, and our energy keeps getting topped up.