“Sarah” was crushing quarterly targets.
📈 Her team was hitting every metric.
👏 Her boss and skip-level loved her.
But when I asked, “When did you last disconnect completely?”…she went silent.
“Three years ago. My honeymoon.”
😳 Three. Years.
Not a single weekend without Slack.
Not one vacation without “quick calls.”
🎄 Even Christmas morning — laptop open by 7 AM (in her jammies and bunny slippers).
She wasn’t leading.
🔥 She was drowning in slow motion.
🧩 The 10-Minute Exercise That Shifted Everything
The Energy Audit
I had her track one week, not tasks, but energy.
🟢 Green = energized after
🟡 Yellow = neutral
🔴 Red = drained
Her calendar?
80% red.
🔴 MBR prep
🔴 ”Working Backwards” (strategy) sessions she once loved
🔴 Even her 1:1s
The pattern was unmistakable: She’d become a high-functioning robot, powered by obligation, not purpose.
🌱 The Shift
We didn’t overhaul her calendar.
We started with one rule:
🛡️ Protect 2 hours weekly for one “green” activity.
Her pick?
💡 Wednesday mornings, designing product roadmaps, the work that made her fall in love with tech years ago.
No meetings.
No Slack.
Just her, a whiteboard, and actual thinking time.
Week 1: She almost canceled twice. Still showed up.
Week 3: Her team noticed she was sharper.
Week 6: She blocked Friday afternoons for strategic planning.
Week 12: She took her first real vacation in 3 years — phone actually off. 📵🌴
🚀 What Changed
She didn’t work less. She worked differently.
Instead of being always on, she became selectively intense.
📈 Her team’s performance? Up 30% in 6 months.
🏆 Her promotion? She’s on track for advancement in 2026.
But here’s what she told me last month: “I thought being indispensable meant being available 24/7. Turns out it meant being fully present when I showed up —and having the wisdom not to show up for everything.”
🔋 Your Energy Audit Starts Now
Pull up next week’s calendar. Mark each commitment:
🟢 Green = gives energy
🟡 Yellow = neutral
🔴 Red = drains energy
If you’re more than 50% red, you’re not leading —you’re just surviving with a better title.
Start with 2 protected hours. Guard them like board meetings. 🛡️
Because burning out slowly still ends in ashes. 🔥
💬 What percentage of your calendar would be red if you were honest?
💥 Hi, if we haven’t met yet, I am Howard— an executive coach and former consulting leader who helps high-achieving professionals navigate what’s next. Blending coaching, consulting, and practical strategy, I take a “no script” approach—start broad, get tactical fast, and focus on what moves careers and organizations forward.
If you liked this post and want to see more insights on leadership, growth, and navigating change with purpose: Connect with me