Most people know how to budget their money.

Some even budget their time.

But almost no one budgets their energy.

And yet, energy is the one thing that determines whether any of the other budgets even matter.

Because when your hormones crash, when your dopamine disappears, or when brain fog hits out of nowhere, time becomes irrelevant if your energy has already been spent.

I used to plan my days like I was a machine:

Block out the hours.
Colour-code the calendar.
Set my intentions.
Write the list.

And then - boom.
A perimenopause day.
An ADHD day.
A “why am I so tired from existing” day.

Suddenly the beautifully structured plan I’d made at 7am was laughably unrealistic by 10.

And for a long time, I blamed myself:

“Why can’t I stick to my plan?”
“I should be more disciplined.”
“Everyone else manages. What’s wrong with me?”

Nothing was wrong.

I just didn’t understand the real problem:

*It wasn’t time management.

It was energy economics.

And once I saw that, everything changed.

Why Energy Economics Matter (Especially for ADHD + Perimenopause)

If you live in a body and brain that aren’t predictable, then your productivity can’t be rigid either.

ADHD gives you fluctuating attention, dopamine dips, bursts of hyperfocus, and sudden walls of overwhelm.

Perimenopause adds hormone swings, sleep disruptions, cortisol spikes, and a nervous system that gets overstimulated faster.

Put them together and you get days where…

• You’re wired but tired

• You can’t start but you can’t rest

• Your brain is loud but your energy is gone

• Tiny tasks feel enormous

• Your “motivation” evaporates for no logical reason

This isn’t weakness.
This isn’t laziness.
This isn’t a mindset problem.

*It’s an energetic mismatch.

You’re trying to withdraw from an empty account.

And like any account, when you keep overdrawing, the fees add up.

We call those fees: Burnout. Exhaustion. Anxiety. Shame. Self-doubt.

That’s why I stopped planning my days based on clocks and calendars - and started planning based on energy zones instead.

⭐ The 3-Level Energy Budgeting System

A simple framework that adapts to how your brain + hormones actually work.

This is the model I follow now…

1. High-Energy Hours → “Needle Movers”

These are the golden hours - short or long - when you feel switched on.
Maybe it’s early morning. Maybe it’s late afternoon. Maybe it’s random Tuesday magic.

This is where you do:

• Creative work

• Deep thinking

• Strategy

• Growth actions

• Anything with long-term impact

Think: writing, recording content, planning revenue streams, solving problems, mapping projects.

These hours are not for admin. Not for quick tasks. Not for errands.

These hours are your income-producing, clarity-generating, life-changing hours.

2. Medium Energy → “Functional Mode”

You’re not sparkling, but you’re steady enough to function.

Use this time for:

• Admin + inbox

• Planning

• Light meetings

• Editing

• Organizing

• Repetitive tasks

• Responding

• Scheduling

These are jobs that move the business forward without demanding intense creativity or emotional output.

3. Low Energy → “Recharge or Reflect”

This is where most people sabotage themselves.

Low energy is where your inner critic screams the loudest:

“You’re being lazy.”
“You should push through.”
“Other people get things done.”
“You’re behind.”

But the truth?

*Low energy is not a problem.

Low energy is a signal.

And what your body is signalling is simple:

Rest. Pause. Recover. Reset.

During low-energy blocks, I do things like:

• Take a walk

• Rest my brain

• Journal

• Gentle planning

• Mindless admin (if truly needed)

• Step away from screens

• Emotional check-ins

• Quick grounding rituals

And most importantly:

No guilt. No shame. No self-punishment.

Because when you honour low energy, you protect the high energy when it returns.

🔄 The Goal: Stop Overdrawing From Your Energy Account

Burnout doesn’t come from working too little.

It comes from spending energy you didn’t have - over and over and over again.

Once I started budgeting my energy like money, everything shifted:

• My productivity got calmer, not harder.

• My brain stopped feeling like a browser with 37 tabs open.

• My anxiety softened.

• I felt more in control.

• My expectations became realistic, not punishing.

• I stopped making plans that required a version of me that didn’t exist every day.

Energy budgeting helped me unlock a level of self-trust and consistency I didn’t even know was possible.

And whether you’re juggling ADHD, perimenopause, entrepreneurship, parenting, or all of the above…this framework will change how you work and how you feel.

🧩 Want to Try It This Week?

Here’s your simple assignment:

Step 1 - Identify your High, Medium, and Low energy windows.

Every day for the next week, check in with yourself every 2-3 hours and note which zone you’re in. (For women, its even better to track this long term for a few months so you can see on a monthly schedule where you sit - but you can start after having 1 week of data, and then optimise from there).

Step 2 - Match the right tasks to the right zone.

Don’t force deep work in a low-energy hour.
Don’t waste high-energy windows on admin.

Step 3 - Track the difference.

Notice how much calmer, clearer, and more productive you are when your energy - not your guilt - drives your decisions.

💬 Final Thought

You are not a robot.

You’re a human with a real brain, a real body, real emotions, and real fluctuations.

Discipline is optional. Consistency is flexible. Energy is everything.

Budget it wisely - and you will feel more powerful, grounded, and capable than you have in years.

^{_{Partner Disclosure: some of the links in my emails may contain affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support my work and allows me to continue providing valuable content to you free of charge. Thanks for your support!}}