Let’s be honest:

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If you’re a high-performer trying to build

a life and a business (or career) you actually feel fulfilled by,

your biggest challenge isn’t managing your time, it’s managing your energy.

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Time management gets all the headlines, but

in reality it’s energy management

that makes or breaks us.

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How do I know this?

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I was the cautionary tale before I was the guide.

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I tried to lead a team with brutally tight deadlines

while being a mom to my then-4yo and 6yo.

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I believed I could “just power through”

because that’s what I’d always done…

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…until there was nothing left to power with.

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I became a shell of the person I had been —

exhausted, empty and deeply disconnected.

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That experience led me to start

building a better operating system for myself,

and eventually for the women I get to work with every day.

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This Energy-Impact Matrix is a core part of that system.

Why Most Prioritization Tools Fall Short

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You’ve probably seen or heard of

the Eisenhower Matrix.

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Urgent vs. Important.

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It’s fine…

if your only goal

is to stay busy and

check other people’s boxes.

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But for those of us designing

intentional, values-aligned lives,

this screening mechanism doesn’t deliver.

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Urgency and Importance are external filters.

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They tell you what’s important to someone else.

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Not what’s right for you.

Not what will keep you in alignment.

Not what will let you show up for the people, and the work, that matter most.

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That’s why I’m sharing a different approach.

Introducing the Energy-Impact Matrix

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The Energy-Impact Matrix is a visual decision-support tool

I teach my clients to use when their to-do list

outpaces their available bandwidth.

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This tool helps you assess not just what you do — but how and when you do it

so you can make smarter decisions about where to invest your limited energy.

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When bandwidth is tight, what you need most is clarity.

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Clarity about what’s actually worth doing.

Clarity about what needs to go.

Clarity about what can wait.

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That’s exactly what the Energy-Impact Matrix gives you.

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It helps you visually map your tasks based on two internal filters:

• How much energy does this require? (High / Low)
• How much impact does this create? (High / Low)

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Once you apply this framework, what you’re left with is

a clear picture of where to focus,

where to pull back and

where to let go.

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The magic is in the matching:

the alignment of effort & impact.

How To Use The Energy-Impact Matrix

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Step 1: Brain Dump

List every task, project, or commitment you’re holding — personal and professional.

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Step 2: Assess Energy

Ask: How much energy will this action require to complete — High or Low?

(Trust your first body reaction here. That’s usually your clearest data point.)

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Step 3: Assess Impact

Ask: How directly does this task advance my strategic priorities?

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(This requires knowing what your priorities are.

If that’s fuzzy — shoot me an email and

I’ll send you a tool to sort that out!)

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Step 4: Plot It On The Matrix

High Energy / Low Impact: Energy Traps​
Tasks that consume disproportionate effort without delivering meaningful results.

High Energy / High Impact: Strategic Investments​
Tasks worth your best effort — but require intention, boundaries and smart resourcing to avoid burnout.

Low Energy / High Impact: Quick Wins​
Low-effort, high-return actions that create momentum, build confidence or drive immediate progress.

Low Energy / Low Impact: Attention Traps​
Low-value tasks that clutter your plate and distract from what matters (but sometimes have to get done).

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Step 5: Pause & Reflect

Look at your matrix.

Ask yourself:

• Where am I over-investing?
• What’s getting neglected that could build momentum?
• What am I holding onto that doesn’t deserve my energy?

This is the moment for strategic discernment & self-preservation.

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Step 6: Align Your Work With Your Energy Flow

Once you know what is worth doing — it’s time to think about when.

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Because even the right work,

done at the wrong time,

will drain you.

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Your energy flows in predictable phases across the day

and the most sustainable schedules

work with those flows,

not against them.

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Here’s the simple Energy Flow framework I teach my clients:

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How To Apply This:

High Energy / Low Impact tasks → Try to get rid of them. If unavoidable, batch them & time-box in your Peak

High Energy / High Impact tasks → Schedule in your Peak windows

Low Energy / High Impact tasks → Use Recovery time (these are often creative or quick wins)

Low Energy / Low Impact tasks → Slot in during Troughs or defer entirely

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Now That You Know Where And When — Let’s Talk About How

Once you’ve mapped your tasks into the matrix

and you’ve figured out what to do and when,

you need practical, real-life strategies

to operationalize those decisions.

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And not just the obvious Yeses… those are easy.

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It’s the Nos that often require more nuance.

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That’s where my 6Ds Framework comes in:

your toolkit for crafting a qualified Yes

when a straight up No isn’t an option.

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The 6Ds are the boundary-setting strategies

I teach every high-performer I work with.

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They're your ways to say no without saying “no”by crafting a qualified Yes

that honors your bandwidth while still moving the work forward.

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The 6Ds: How to Apply Each Strategy

Do

Protect time and space for this task and give it your full attention.

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Plan for deep focus and execute without overcomplicating.

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Delete

Remove the task completely.

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Communicate clearly,

set boundaries respectfully and

let it go without guilt.

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Defer

Move the task to a future date when it will align better with your capacity, priorities, or energy.

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Put it on the calendar or tracking system so it doesn’t remain a cognitive burden.

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Delegate

Identify who else is capable of owning this task.

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Provide necessary guidance & resources,

transfer clear expectations

and step back.

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Downgrade

Simplify the task to a version that meets the need without overextending effort.

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Reduce scope, decrease polish, or minimize time invested.

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Design

Negotiate terms that allow you to say Yes sustainably.

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Adjust the timeline, format, level of involvement or criteria for success.

Final Thought

Saying No is powerful, but saying a smarter Yes

is what sets you up to build the life you want to live.

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This isn’t about doing less just to do less.

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This is about doing the right things

at the right time, in the right way

for the right reasons.

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Once you’ve done this work, what you will have built isn’t just a list — it’s an operating system.

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The Energy-Impact Matrix helps you decide what’s worth it,

The Energy Flow framework informs when to do it and

The 6Ds give you a path forward for how to engage.

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Your job now is simple — not easy, but simple:

Work the system.

Trust the process.

Protect your energy.

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And, as always, let me know how it goes.

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xx, Nicole

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