Boundaries that Protect Your Energy
The Insight:
Most managers focus on time management while ignoring energy management, leading to packed calendars full of activities that leave them drained rather than productive.
Energy boundaries aren't about being selfish - they're about protecting your capacity to do your most important work well. Without clear boundaries, you'll default to saying yes to everything urgent while neglecting what's actually important.
This creates a cycle where you're always busy but rarely effective, always responding but never creating, always available but never present.
Sustainable leadership requires identifying what energises versus depletes you, then systematically designing boundaries that preserve energy for your highest-value contributions.
The Tool: Energy Shield
4 steps to try now
01.
Audit Your Energy Drains and Gains
Track
Track what energises versus depletes you throughout each day. Note specific activities, interactions, and work types that drain you: certain meetings, particular people, administrative tasks, or interruptions.
Also track what energises you: strategic conversations, problem-solving, developing people, or creative work. Pay attention to time of day - the same activity might energise you at 10 AM but drain you at 4 PM. This audit reveals patterns you can design boundaries around.
02.
Create Three Types of Boundaries
Set
Establish commitment boundaries based on your energy audit.
Time: Block peak energy hours for high-value work, limit low-value meetings to specific slots, create buffer time between intensive activities.
Access: Designate times for interruptions, use "office hours" for questions, create signal systems for focus time.
Commitment: Develop criteria for what you'll say yes to, delegate tasks, limit simultaneous major commitments.
03.
Practice Boundary Language That Doesn't Apologise
Articulate
Develop specific phrases for protecting boundaries without lengthy explanations or apologies.
Instead of "Sorry, I'm swamped," try "I can't take this on right now, but here's what I can do..." Replace "I don't have time" with "That's not a priority this week."
For interruptions: "I'm in focused work time until 2 PM - can we connect then?" Practice these phrases until they feel natural. Boundary violations often happen because we don't know how to say no clearly and kindly.
04.
Review and Adjust Boundaries Based on Results
Adjust
Regularly evaluate which boundaries work and which need adjustment.
Ask: "What's still draining my energy despite boundaries?" and "Where am I saying yes when I should say no?" Notice patterns: Are you boundary-strong with some people but not others?
Adjust based on what you learn. Sometimes boundaries need to be firmer, sometimes communicated differently, and sometimes you need to address underlying issues like unclear priorities or people-pleasing tendencies.
Why it works
Clear boundaries prevent energy depletion before it happens rather than trying to recover from exhaustion. When you protect your energy strategically, you have more capacity for the work that truly matters.
Use it when
You feel constantly drained despite being productive, struggle to find time for important work, feel guilty about saying no, or notice your energy is scattered across too many commitments.
Bonus tip
Start with one small energy boundary and practice it consistently for two weeks before adding others. Building boundary muscles gradually is more sustainable than trying to transform everything at once.
