The Foundation for Peak Performance: Energy
Hi team, Tara here!
We’re kicking off a 3-part EmpowerFlow series on unlocking your peak performance — how to do your best work, without the burnout.
Why this series? Because I see it in so many friends, peers, and colleagues (and let’s be honest, in myself too):
We want to perform at a high level — to lead, to excel, to create — but often we’re running on fumes.
We often treat burnout like a badge of honor — something we earn on the way to "making it." But the symptoms tell a different story:
Chronic exhaustion. Mental fog. Cynicism. Disconnection. A gnawing feeling that what you’re doing doesn’t matter.
And even when you do care about your work, it’s hard to access that purpose when your body and mind are running on empty.
So over the next three Fridays, we’ll unpack three essential elements for sustainable success.
Energy – the foundation of how you show up
Focus – how to use your attention wisely
Resilience – how to bounce back and stay steady through life’s demands
Today, we start with a fundamental pillar of performance: energy.
Energy
We’re constantly told to manage our time better — to block our calendars, optimize our hours, get more done in less time. And yes, structure matters. But time alone is not what makes you effective.
If you show up to a deep work session drained, distracted, or down — no time-blocked calendar will save you.
“Energy, not time, is the fundamental currency of high performance.” — The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
What good is a perfect calendar if you’re too depleted to do your best work. It’s not how many hours you have — it’s how much intentional energy you bring to those hours.
There are four kinds of energy that influence how we move through the day:
Physical – The fuel in your body (sleep, hydration, movement, nutrition)
Emotional – The quality of your energy (positive vs. negative emotional state)
Mental – Your capacity to focus, prioritize, and shift attention
Spiritual – Your connection to meaning and purpose beyond yourself
Each of these can be depleted, and each of them is renewable — but it requires thoughtful management.
How to Fuel Your Energy
You don’t need a “perfect” morning routine checklist or advice to wake up at 5 AM and run a marathon. You need to start with small, manageable shifts that build energy over time.
1. Work With (Not Against) Your Chronotype
If you’ve ever tried to force deep work at a time your brain feels foggy or sluggish, you know how unproductive that can feel. We each have a natural rhythm — some of us are clearer in the morning, others find our focus kicks in later in the day.
The key is to notice when your energy peaks and dips — and to start aligning your most important work to match.
If you’re a morning thinker, protect that time from shallow tasks like emails. If your energy crashes at 3 PM, maybe that’s the time to take a walk or do admin instead of pushing through.
Read more about chronotypes form this EmpowerFlow Newsletter:
2. Move and You’ll Probably Definitely Feel Better
Forget the pressure to "get in a workout." What your body often needs is simply to move energy through. That might look like stretching your arms overhead between meetings, walking around the block before a big presentation, or rolling out before you sit at your desk.
Movement helps shift your mood, wake up your brain, and connect you to your body.
When I’m overwhelmed, I don’t always want to move. But I’ve never once regretted a 5-minute walk outside. It helps me reset and clear my mind before continuing on with my day.
3. Fuel Yourself Like You Deserve It (Because You Do)
I’m not here to prescribe a restrictive diet or perfect food prep. I’m asking you to provide your body the fuel it needs to show up for your life.
That might mean eating a balanced breakfast instead of grabbing just coffee. It might mean keeping a snack in your bag so you’re not shaky or irritable at 3 PM. It might mean drinking water before your second cup of coffee (which is harder than it sounds, I know).
If your energy dips in the afternoon, check in: are you under-fed? Over-caffeinated? Dehydrated? Often the fix is simpler than we think.
4. Guard Your Sleep Like Your Sanity Depends On It (Because It Does)
Sleep isn’t just “rest.” It’s when your brain clears waste, your body repairs, your memory consolidates, and your emotional regulation resets.
You don’t need a perfect wind-down routine. Just something simple that signals: the day is done. For me, it’s reading a few pages of a book before my eyes get droopy.
If sleep’s been elusive, give yourself grace. And try to protect the lead-up — 30 quiet minutes at the end of your day can go a long way.
Energy Is a Renewable Resource
We often treat our energy like it should be infinite. We keep going, even when the tank is empty — fueled by pressure, caffeine, guilt, or momentum.
But burnout doesn’t just show up all at once. It’s slow and sneaky. It builds when you ignore the early signs: irritability, scattered focus, fatigue that rest doesn’t fix.
The good news is: energy can be rebuilt.
Not all at once — and not with some magical productivity hack — but with steady, repeatable practices that fill you back up. Things like walking before work. Turning your phone off at night. Drinking a glass of water when you wake up.
Start there. Start small. Choose one thing and give it a week. See how it feels to actually pay attention to your energy instead of just your schedule.
EmpowerFlow Yoga Classes this week!
Need a reset built into your week?
Come move and breathe with me tomorrow, Saturday, at 9:00 AM in Mountain View. Our Power Flow yoga class is made to support you — strong when you want strength, gentle when you need space.
Reserve your spot through our website or via eventbrite!
Stay tuned for next Friday’s EmpowerFlow newsletter where we’ll dive into the second pillar of Peak Performance: Focus!
Warmly,
Tara