🚦 The Energy Signal Test

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Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’ve got a fresh Flocus Original! The Energy Signal Test: what it is, how to use it, and how it can guide your decision-making across all areas of life.

🚦 What’s the Energy Signal Test?

The Energy Signal Test is a quick way to figure out whether something’s good for you long term.

It applies to practically everything, from work and creative opportunities to routines and relationships.

To start using the Energy Signal Test, ask yourself a simple question:

Does this leave me feeling energized or depleted?

You can bucket your answers into 1 of 3 energy signals to guide your decision-making process:

• 🟢 Green light → Commit deeper

• 🟡 Yellow light → Adjust or set boundaries

• 🔴 Red light → Release or reframe

How else can you apply the Energy Signal Test to your list? Read on!

🤹 How Stack Overload Can Sabotage Your Life

Apart from the space they take up, too many stacks can also disrupt your life through:

• 🫠 Guilt and imposter syndrome — You can only carry so much, which means you’ll have to set down a stack at some point. This can lead to feelings of failure, inadequacy, and regret, which will only hold you back even more in other areas.

• ❤️‍🔥 Overload and burnout — The human brain isn’t designed to maintain hundreds of close friendships, or process thousands of news headlines a day. If you feel like you’re falling behind, it’s not because you’re incapable — it’s because you’re a human being with limits.

• 👀 Diverted focus — Ever sat down to work, only to get distracted or stressed out by something totally irrelevant? It’s bound to happen when you’re juggling lots of stacks.

Now that you know which signs to watch out for, read on to learn how to lighten your load in 5 steps.

👩‍🔧 Using the Energy Signal Test in 3 Steps

Pay attention to your energy levels before, during, and after any activity — here’s how.

⚡️ 1. Before

What’s your first energy signal when thinking about the activity? Excitement, dread, resistance, ease?

Tip: Do your best to release any judgments or notions about how you “should” feel. Don’t be afraid to dig a bit deeper to understand your reaction — some emotions, like anger or frustration, can have hidden root causes.

🏃‍♀️ 2. During

How do you feel while doing the activity or interacting with the person? Focused? Drained? Distracted?

Tip: Trying to make your “negative” emotions go away tends to reinforce them. When you’re feeling pulled away, go back to your fundamentals — the skills, tools, and routines that work for you. (Need some inspo and ideas? Peep this week’s Flocus Picks below!)

🏅 3. After

How are you feeling once the activity’s done? Are you buzzing, neutral, or wiped?

Notice what you’re drawn to after the activity. Do you feel called to do something fun or relaxing? Are you keen to socialize or spend time with friends? Or do you feel motivated to keep going? Listen to the rhythms of your body and brain!

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🧃 More Ways to Apply the Energy Signal Test

Doing this exercise a few times will reveal patterns that can help you remove some of your red light signals in batches.

Use the Energy Signal Test to review broader areas of your life by asking:

• What activities leave me feeling charged after?

• Which people, routines, or tasks consistently drain me?

• Are there any energy “imposters”? (e.g. things that seem fun but always leave me wiped)

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• How to Maximize Your Energy (The Flow Archives) — Your crash course to energy management — what energy actually is, how to rate your energy levels across all areas of life, and how to plan tasks according to their energy requirements.

• energy awareness, cleansing & redesign (Video) — Reset and recharge your energy with this 20-minute care guide from Lavendaire, a Flocus fave

• energetic lofi hiphop (Playlist) — Get the energy flowing with these instrumental jazzhop bops!

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Flocus is your space to tune into what energizes you.

Whether it’s checking off your most meaningful task, or setting the mood with ambient sounds and relaxing themes — Flocus helps you build a routine that feels good to stick to.

Want to be your most productive? Become a Flocus Plus to unlock everything you need to get more done! We have a limited time promo for our lifetime deal — buy once, use forever!

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The next time you feel any resistance or dread about an upcoming task, remember the Energy Signal Test.

What do you think about this concept? We’d love to hear your feedback!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team