Rethinking Energy & Focus Management: A Smarter Way to Lead Yourself (and Others)
- Apr 15
- 10 min read
The other day I came across the phrase “Energy Manager.”
Not in a job listing—just in passing. A throwaway line.
But it stopped me cold.Because I thought: Wait… why isn’t that a real role?
And then: Hold on. I think I already am one.
If you’re leading a team, running a business, managing a household, navigating neurodivergence, or just trying to stay functional through meeting number seven of the day—chances are, you’re managing energy too.
You’re managing attention. Focus. Bandwidth. Burnout.
You’re an Energy Manager.
You just haven’t had the title for it.
Which is exactly why I created the Energy-Focus Method™—a simple, visual framework for anyone who’s juggling priorities, protecting their brain, and trying to make meaningful progress without collapsing in the process.
Built with leaders in mind.
Turns out, useful for literally everyone.
Especially if your brain doesn’t run in straight lines.
(👋 Hello, neurodivergent minds—this might just be your thing. My thing. )
The Energy-Focus Method™ is a wildly useful, and weirdly intuitive framework to help you manage your attention, protect your energy, and focus on what actually matters.
At the heart of this method are the Energy + Focus Zones™:
Five clear, concentric rings that help you sort your attention, avoid burnout, and stop treating everything like it’s urgent. It’s like a compass for your brain, without the pressure of a color-coded calendar.
From non-negotiable daily habits to long-term goals, deferred dreams, and full-blown distractions, this model helps you recalibrate—without needing to overhaul your life.
And the best part?
You don’t have to be a CEO to use it. You just have to be a human with things to do, energy to protect, and a brain that deserves better systems.
Let’s break it down...
What if your brain isn’t overwhelmed… it’s just unfiltered?
That’s where the Energy-Focus Method™ comes in.Originally built for the Gentle Leading crowd—you know, the leaders who want to stop micromanaging and actually enjoy leading—it turned out to be much bigger than that.
Because in the end, it’s not just about better leadership.
It’s about better life-ship. (Yes, I made that up.)
🎯 What Is the Energy-Focus Method™?
It’s a flexible, visual, slightly addictive clarity framework designed to help you:
✅ Know what deserves your attention
✅ Protect your mental energy (before it’s gone)
✅ Stop treating every task like a fire
✅ Actually follow through on what matters
At its heart are the Energy + Focus Zones™—five concentric rings that act like a mental map for your brain. From the inside out, you’ll define what’s essential, what’s active, what’s pending, and what’s noise. Think: leadership radar meets cognitive self-defense.
🚨 Why This Matters (Especially Now)
Because we’re drowning in inputs.And most of us are running our lives on urgency, reactivity, and low-key panic.
And for neurodivergent brains?Welcome to executive function roulette.
Too many ideas.
Too many tabs.
Too many expectations.
Not enough structure that actually feels good.
This method works because it isn’t rigid—it’s responsive. It gives structure without shame, and flow without chaos.
⚙️ The Energy & Focus Zone Model
A flexible, intuitive clarity tool for overloaded, high-responsibility minds.
Imagine your leadership focus as a set of concentric rings—like a ripple, a target, or a radar.Your energy flows from the inside out, depending on clarity, urgency, and alignment.
Each zone holds a specific function. Used regularly, this model helps you prioritize without pressure, stay grounded without guilt, and protect the energy that makes real leadership possible.
🧭 Zone 1: Core Energy & Direction
Clarity lives here. This is your internal basecamp—the part of you that doesn’t run on deadlines, but on alignment.
This zone holds your non-negotiables (sleep, movement, boundaries, regulation rituals), but also your strategic clarity—your vision, your “why,” your reason for showing up as a leader at all.
This is the zone to protect at all costs. When it’s solid, the rest flows. When it’s shaky, everything else becomes noise.
Examples:
Sleep and rest systems
Daily reset rituals
Emotional regulation tools
Weekly CEO Check-Ins
Anchored vision / strategic North Star
“Why does this matter to me?” → asked often
🎯 Zone 2: Primary Focus (Now Projects)
This is your current zone of intentional output. It deserves your sharpest attention and most protected time.
This zone holds 1–2 key projects, transitions, or business priorities that actively serve your vision. Not everything belongs here—only what is timely, strategic, and worthy of deep work.
Rule: If something is in this zone, it must either move the needle or protect the mission.
Examples:
A launch you're preparing
Building a new system or team structure
Strategic conversations or hires
Business-critical delivery
A key leadership habit you're reinforcing
🔄 Zone 3: Active Orbit (In-Motion Commitments)
These things matter—but they don’t need full focus right now. Still, they deserve tracking and occasional attention.
This zone is often where mental clutter builds up. It includes collaborative projects, in-progress deliverables, and medium-term responsibilities. You check in here—not constantly, but consistently.
Use this zone to hold:
Ongoing client work (that isn’t your strategic focus)
Team meetings and rhythm-based responsibilities
Follow-ups that don’t need to be driven right now
Projects in their “waiting on” phase
Admin work with known deadlines but low urgency
🅿️ Zone 4: Deferred Intentions (Mental Parking Lot)
What’s not urgent—but still meaningful? This is where ideas go to rest without being forgotten.
This is a holding space for potential—not procrastination. It’s where you park sub-projects, content ideas, offers, and upgrades you want to revisit after your core focus is honored.
Having this space reduces guilt, FOMO, and mental looping. You’ve made the decision not to do them now. That’s powerful.
Examples:
Ideas for future products
Systems you want to improve someday
“Maybe” collaborations or speaking gigs
Notes from brainstorms you don’t want to act on yet
Your “next phase” list for business or personal growth
🔕 Zone 5: External Noise
Not everything deserves your attention. Just because it came in loud, doesn’t mean it’s aligned.
This zone is a filter, not a to-do list. Here live the pings, emails, Slack messages, LinkedIn requests, urgent-sounding-but-not-actually-important asks.Use this zone to build boundaries.Honor your sensitivity.And remember: you’re not here to react—you’re here to lead.
Examples:
Unsolicited requests
Low-value meetings
“Shoulds” that don’t serve your strategy
Content rabbit holes
Tech & notification fatigue
👁 Real-World Examples That Show It in Action
Let’s look at two people who mastered energy and focus—not by doing more, but by doing what matters:
🔥 Shonda Rhimes: Building an Empire by Saying No
Shonda Rhimes created Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and more—juggling over 70 hours of primetime TV per week at her peak. But behind the scenes? She was exhausted, overextended, and slowly burning out.
In 2013, she made a radical shift: she started saying no.
She began protecting her time, delegating more, and filtering out anything that didn’t serve her top priorities. This wasn't about becoming less ambitious—it was about realigning her energy and focus to what truly mattered.
Her memoir Year of Yes shows what happens when a powerhouse gets intentional: less reactive hustle, more creative power, and a leadership style rooted in boundaries.
Zone mastery in action:
Zone 1: Self-regulation and personal boundaries
Zone 2: Only writing and producing what aligned with her voice and vision
Zone 5: Saying no to press, panels, distractions, and guilt
🧠 Simone Biles: Gold Medal Standards, Boundaries First
Simone Biles has 32 Olympic and World Championship medals—and one of the most powerful energy moves in athletic history.
At the 2021 Olympics, she stepped back from competing in several events due to mental and physical misalignment. Not because she couldn't—but because she knew continuing without clarity would cost her far more.
In doing so, she shattered the “push through at all costs” narrative and showed the world what leadership from Zone 1 looks like.
That one decision—to prioritize recovery over medals—arguably had more impact than any gold she could’ve earned. It changed the global conversation around mental health, performance, and personal agency.
Zone mastery in action:
Zone 1: Emotional regulation and mental clarity first
Zone 2: Focused return for the balance beam, where she felt safe and strong
Zone 5: Silenced critics, expectations, and performative pressure
These aren’t outliers. They’re models of energy and focus intelligence in action.
Let’s take another popular example: Marie Kondo.
She doesn’t just tell people to clean. She gives them a method: hold the item, check for joy, decide intentionally.
The brilliance isn’t in the organizing—it’s in the structure. And the permission to let go of what no longer fits.
The Energy-Focus Method™ does the same—but for your mind.
You hold your tasks, ideas, and obligations up to a framework and ask: Is this in my Zone 2—or just noise disguised as urgency?
And just like with Kondo’s magic… once you see what truly fits, you’ll never look at your to-do list the same way again.
💡 Benefits: What You Can Expect (and Feel)
✔️ More clarity, less cognitive noise
This framework helps you visually declutter your headspace so you can stop trying to hold everything in your brain all the time. You’ll finally see what deserves your energy—and what doesn’t.
✔️ Tangible progress without mental overload
By naming just 1–2 Zone 2 priorities, you start making real progress on the things that actually matter—without burning out or chasing urgency.
✔️ Better decisions, fewer regrets
You’ll stop second-guessing yourself or bouncing between tasks. Because once your Zones are clear, decisions become obvious.
✔️ Emotional regulation through structure
Zone 1 helps anchor your nervous system first, not last. That’s your leadership engine—regardless of whether you're managing a team or just trying to stay regulated through a Monday.
✔️ Neurodivergent-friendly by design
This isn’t another “just use a planner” approach. It’s sensory-friendly, flexible, and forgiving. Designed for brains that think in waves, not checkboxes.
✔️ A system you’ll actually use (and want to revisit)
No guilt if a day goes sideways. No punishment for adjusting. This method adapts to your real life—and still holds structure.
⚠️ Pitfalls: Where People Can Go Wrong
🚫 Trying to do it all from Zone 2
Zone 2 is sacred. It’s not for every task—just your most strategic 1–2 priorities. More than that? You’re not managing—you’re drowning again.
🚫 Treating it like a to-do list
This is a focus tool, not a task dump. If you try to list every open loop, it loses power. Think filter, not logbook.
🚫 Ignoring Zone 1 (until it’s too late)
Your energy tank isn’t infinite. If you skip core regulation—sleep, breaks, boundaries—you’ll burn out trying to “focus” on empty.
🚫 Letting Zone 4 become a graveyard
Deferred Intentions aren’t meant to be ignored forever. They’re valuable—just not urgent. Schedule check-ins or idea audits every few weeks.
🚫 Expecting perfection
This is a rhythm, not a religion. If something drifts into the wrong zone—cool. That’s called being human. Just notice, adjust, continue.
🧠 Who It’s For
Leaders, founders, managers
Neurodivergent minds (ADHD, gifted, autistic, sensitive) who need structure that isn’t rigid
High-responsibility humans balancing creative work, strategy, family, and/or impact
Coaches and consultants who guide others and need space to think clearly themselves
Burnout-recovering professionals who need a new relationship to productivity
Quiet rebels who don’t resonate with hustle culture but still want traction
This isn’t just for “corporate” leadership. It’s for inner leadership—the kind that starts with how you treat your energy, your time, and your brain.
❌ Who It’s NOT For
People looking for a 5am miracle morning or 12-hour hustle hack
Rigid perfectionists who can’t tolerate iteration or experimentation
Anyone who sees rest as laziness and multitasking as virtue
Those who want someone else to define their priorities for them
Folks who want a “quick fix” without self-reflection
People who need color-coded productivity systems to feel in control
🔄 Step-by-Step:
How to Embed the Energy-Focus Method™ Into Real Life
This isn’t just a theory—it’s a rhythm.
Here’s how to integrate it week by week (and day by day) without adding more to your plate:
🗓 Weekly Reset (10–20 mins)
Step 1: Draw Your Zones
Sketch or print your 5 rings. This is your visual compass for the week.
Step 2: Anchor Zone 1
Ask: What do I need this week to protect my energy? Sleep, breaks, boundaries, quiet? Lock those in first.
Step 3: Choose 1–2 Zone 2 Priorities
Only the projects or tasks that actually move your vision forward. These get your best focus.
Step 4: Sort Orbiting Work
Drop in existing collaborations, follow-ups, admin, or in-motion items into Zone 3.
Step 5: Park Deferred Ideas
Move anything not urgent—but still worth keeping—into Zone 4. Give it permission to wait.
Step 6: Filter Noise
List your common distractions (Zone 5). These are your filters—not your action list.
📆 Daily Check-In (3–5 mins)
Step 1: Morning Glance
Check Zones 1 & 2. How’s your energy? What’s truly on deck?
Step 2: Intention Match
What’s the one Zone 2 task I can advance today? What’s pulling me into Orbit or Noise?
Step 3: Protect Your Energy Window
Block time for Zone 2. Even 25 focused minutes is better than chasing 6 things all day.
Step 4: End-of-Day Pulse Check
Did I live from the center outward? Or did I spiral? Adjust for tomorrow.
Pro Tip: You don’t “fail” at this. You simply notice, realign, and repeat.
📦 Energy-Focus Method™ Starter Kit Overview
Zone | Description | Examples | Notes |
Zone 1: Core Energy | Foundational elements that sustain your well-being and productivity. Prioritize these to ensure overall effectiveness. | Sleep, nutrition, exercise, mindfulness practices, setting boundaries | Neglecting this zone can lead to burnout and decreased performance in other areas. |
Zone 2: Primary Focus | Top 1–2 priorities that align with your core goals and require significant attention and energy. | Key project deadlines, strategic planning, critical decision-making tasks | Limit to 1–2 items to maintain clarity and prevent overwhelm. |
Zone 3: Active Orbit | Tasks and projects that are important but not currently the main focus. Monitor and update regularly. | Ongoing collaborations, secondary projects, routine meetings | Regularly assess to determine if items should move to Zone 2 or be deferred. |
Zone 4: Deferred Intentions | Ideas and tasks that are valuable but not urgent. Revisit periodically to evaluate relevance. | Future initiatives, professional development courses, potential partnerships | Schedule regular reviews to decide on activation or further deferral. |
Zone 5: External Noise | Distractions and low-priority tasks that do not align with your current objectives. Minimize or eliminate these. | Unnecessary meetings, non-urgent emails, social media distractions | Identify and set boundaries to protect time and energy. |
Usage Tips:
Weekly Review: Allocate time each week to review and update each zone, ensuring alignment with your goals and energy levels.
Visual Representation: Consider creating a visual diagram (e.g., concentric circles) to represent the zones, which can aid in quick reference and clarity.
Team Integration: Share this framework with your team to foster a shared understanding of priorities and to support collective energy management.
⚡ Ready to Energize and Focus Your Team?
In today's dynamic work environment, balancing energy and focus is crucial for team success.
The Energy-Focus Method™ offers a structured approach to help your team prioritize effectively, reduce burnout, and enhance productivity.
Discover how this method can transform your team's performance and talk to us.
Learn how we can assist in embedding the Energy-Focus Method™ into your organization's culture for sustained success
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