What Fills Your Cup? (Time Management vs Energy Management)
Multihyphenate life isn't just about managing your time effectively — it's also about managing your energy. We use energy in different ways during the day, like in doing creative work, meeting with people and doing administrative work.
Our emotional energy day to day is like a cup. There are things that drain us and things that fill us up. Sometimes this can be really filling, nourishing energy, leaving your metaphorical cup with inspiration, ideas and a general sense of well-being. Sometimes it can be depleting energy, emptying your cup and making you feel tired, drained or simply just needing a short nap.
So much of our work is about finding the balance in the cup. While it's impossible to avoid bumps in the road toward our growth, too many draining events leave us feeling depleted, exhausted and, eventually, burnt out. This exercise is designed to help you think about the different ways your cup is emptied, and what you can do, in the short term and long term, to fill it back up.
On a sheet of paper, draw a cup. This cup represents your emotions and emotional energy. It can be emptied or filled.
On the left, draw an arrow pointing out of the cup.
On the right, draw an arrow pointing into the cup.
The arrow on the left (2) represents things in your life that empty your cup right now, that make you feel drained, tired, exhausted, disempowered. They aren't always negative. In fact, things that empty our cups can be good and important things, like mediating a conflict or being present for a loved one going through a time time. But they can still empty the cup a little bit.
The arrow on the right (3) represents things in your life that fill your cup, that make you feel lively, vibrant and energized. What are some things you can do now to fill your cup? These might be simple, short-term actions that help you fill up your cup again when the going gets tough. Some actions might be:
Going for a walk
Practicing yoga or dance
Meditation
Cooking nice foods
Talking with a friend
Etc.
And what are some things you can do in the longer-term to fill your cup? These are more structural, life changes that you might implement to help you fill your cup more regularly. Some examples might be:
Establish strong boundaries about the amount of time you spend at work
Restructuring your job description to avoid the work that drains you
Moving to a new city where you have a supportive set of friends
Applying for professional training or school programs that bring you closer to the career you'd like to have
This is a simple diagram and discussion that I used in my coaching exercises with multihyphenate clients, because I've found that thinking about time isn't enough — we also have to take into account the energy that we expend and gain as we go about our days. I hope it's helpful for you too.
