The Creative's Guide to Managing Low Energy Days (Without Guilt)
My alarm went off way too early this morning. (7:15 am to be exact.)
And for most people, that probably isn't all that early, but for me it was earlier than my creative brain likes to function.
The only reason I had to get up so early was to take my mom to the airport. After driving back home, I'm now sitting here feeling completely drained before my work day has even really started.
But I know this drill. I’ve been dealing with low-energy days for the better part of a decade. I know that how I handle today is going to make all the difference in how I feel tomorrow.
I know that I can’t push through it all (and that I’ll likely need a nap). And that’s okay. The thing is learning to manage these days and figuring out how to work with my natural rhythms.
What are low energy days?
Low-energy days are usually when your brain feels foggy, when even simple tasks feel overwhelming, or when you're just... not feeling it.
If you've been following along with my blog, you know I've shared my own burnout story. How I literally had to step back and completely rethink how I approach my business and productivity after I landed myself in bed for six months.
I've learned, through my burn out experience, a few practical strategies for navigating these tough days, and I think they might help you too.
This isn't about pushing through or forcing yourself to be productive when you're running on empty.
It's about working with your energy levels.
About baking in strategies that help you right into your business.
After my burn out experience, I had no choice but to completely rebuild how I work. What I discovered is that having a strategy for low energy days is absolutely necessary when trying to create a sustainable business.
Finding Your Must-Do Daily Tasks When Everything Feels Hard
The first step I like to take is figuring out what my absolute must-do tasks are.
Because here's the thing, on low energy days, you can't do every single thing on your list (no matter how much you really want to try).
I've developed a couple of ways to figure out what needs to happen when I'm not operating at my full capacity.
Step 1 - Look for any approaching deadlines. Is there a deadline that needs to be met for a particular project? If it's a client or contract deadline that's approaching soon, it goes straight to the top of the list because, for me, those tasks are directly tied to my revenue.
Step 2 - Here's where it gets interesting, and this might sound a little unconventional, but the next thing I do is prioritize my tasks based on what is motivating me in that moment.
I know, I know, this goes against traditional productivity advice, but hear me out.
I've always been a person who seeks excitement and adventure. Not like an adrenaline junkie, but someone who loves new experiences and craves new things.
I'll even start five books in one evening to see which one I'm vibing with the most before making a decision on which one to read next. I am very much a mood-reader and a mood-everythinger.
So when it comes to business tasks, especially after burnout when things felt so hard for me to start, I thought - why am I fighting against my natural patterns?
Why not follow them instead?
When I struggle with tasks, it's usually because they're not novel anymore or they feel boring to me.
I have to ride the wave of what is the most interesting or exciting to me in the moment. Otherwise, I end up spaced out, just staring at my screen or in an endless loop of going through my tabs and picking up my phone to subconsciously kill time.
So, rather than waste time, I follow my motivation and do the things that are most exciting for me in that moment. This really helps to make my low-energy days feel fun and (I really hate this word) productive.
My Prioritization Toolkit
For prioritizing my tasks, I use whatever tools work for me in the moment:
Sometimes I write things out in my planner.
Other times I use a Google Doc.
If it's for my contract job, my coworkers and I will occasionally hop on a call and prioritize together.
Sometimes I use AI (Claude is my go-to app) to help me prioritize by chatting with the AI and asking it to help me figure things out (I know this can be controversial, but it has helped my neurodivergent brain quite a bit).
Other times, I chat with my business friends on Discord.
Here’s the process I use when working with Claude for prioritization in case you’d like to try it out:
Step 1 - Tell Claude I have a lot of things that need to get done and prompt for help prioritizing and organizing my tasks.
Step 2 - I add my to-do list, line by line, of everything I can remember that needs doing soon-ish (this sometimes takes time to compile because I need to check my email inbox, my planner, or other random places I add to-dos like on random strips of paper scattered about the house).
Step 3 - Hit send and let Claude work its magic. Then, I can focus on what’s easiest and most helpful for me in the moment.
Working With Your Low Energy Days Instead of Against Them
Here’s what low energy days used to look like for me versus how I handle them now.
The difference is pretty dramatic.
Before, I would literally push through everything.
I would work when I didn't feel well, work when I wasn't excited about the project, and I would push myself past physical boundaries.
It was not sustainable, and honestly, it's part of what led to my burnout. Now?
If I'm tired and need a nap, I take one. It's rare, but if I need it, I listen to my body.
If I’m sick, I will rest or do small tasks from bed.
If a task is hard for me, I try to figure out why it feels hard and then see if I can do something smaller or do one small initiation task to get me started.
The Magic of Just Getting Started (Even When It Feels Impossible)
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part.
The key to getting started can often times be making the barrier to entry as low as possible - sometimes that means just opening the right app or document.
Here are a few examples:
If I need to design a graphic but it's feeling really hard, I will simply open Canva. That's it. That action usually leads me to the next action.
If I need to write a weekly newsletter, I'll just open up a Google Doc or get out a notebook. Sometimes writing in a notebook feels less like work and more like a fun project.
If I want to write a blog post? I'll open up my voice dictation software - whether that's recording a Loom, using the Voice Memo app on my iPhone, or using dictation with an AI software.
Another thing I'll do is tell myself I only have to work on something for a specific amount of time.
Sometimes that's only five minutes. I’ll promise myself I must do it, and then I can be done with that task until another time. It really helps. Often, I'll find that five minutes is doable and sometimes, I can even continue on.
How I Discovered the Five-Minute Method to Getting Work Done and Off My List
I actually discovered this five-minute thing out of necessity.
I literally had no other choice.
I was struggling so hard to get anything done. My brain was overwhelmed and foggy, and I wasn't making any progress and I was getting behind in my work.
I had to come up with something to help myself make progress.
In the past, I'd used Pomodoro timers on YouTube that last for 25 minutes with a five-minute break. I thought to myself, are there any five-minute timers on YouTube? Then I looked it up and gave it a try.
Surprisingly, it helped me get started.
I could work for five minutes and then take a break for a little bit. Some days, I worked in five-minute increments until the day was over. And that helped me to build up my stamina again.
Over several days and weeks, I could see that I was actually making it through things. I wasn't getting stuck as much. I wasn't just sitting there staring at the screen or going through my "stuck loop" where I flipped through through different tabs in my browser and then looked at my phone over and over.
Creating Systems That Support You on Your Toughest Days
One thing I've learned to do is to prepare for the tough days when I'm actually feeling good. When my brain is working well and I have the energy, I'll create templates or set up systems that my future overwhelmed-self will thank me for later.
I'm also trying to find ways to get more mileage out of everything I create.
I ask myself: Can I make this blog post into five social media posts? How can I give this post have a longer “shelf life?” Can this social media post be turned into an email? Can the Q&A call with my client be repurposed into a mini-training?
Looking back at my previous business, I can see how much content I've created over 12+ years. (A LOT.)
Now, I'm trying to find new ways to take what I've already created and tweak it a little bit, then repost it, so I'm not constantly recreating the wheel.
Overall, I'm always looking for how I can get more mileage out of something.
Setting Boundaries and Managing Client Expectations
One thing that's been really important since my burnout is learning to communicate better with clients about my working style and building in buffer time.
With buffer time, I think about how long it takes me to do something and add a little extra time on, so that way I know I won't overwhelm myself to get the deliverable to my client.
I also communicate honestly with them about things. For example, I’ll tell my client, "I'm going out of town this afternoon and I won't be able to work on this until Monday."
It's much better to communicate up front, and good clients usually respect your boundaries.
I try to make sure client things don't all coincide with one another, as well, and I try to communicate with my clients as much as possible about when they can expect something from me.
If You're Currently Struggling
If you're reading this and currently in that foggy, overwhelmed state…first of all, I see you, and you are not alone.
My advice is to take a step back.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Do you need to take time off?
Are you in a place where time off is the best and maybe only option for you to be able to clear your head and get the rest you need?
Can you ask for extensions on your project deadlines?
Can you push back deadlines for something you're wanting to release, like an art collection or other type of launch?
How long can you realistically take off without harming your business and/or your client relationships?
Can you scale back for a season, just enough until you’ve healed/recovered?
Think this all through so you can take the time you need. And please, give yourself permission to work differently.
You don't have to follow traditional productivity advice if it doesn't work for your brain.
You don't have to push through when your body and mind are telling you to rest. You don't have to feel guilty about taking work breaks or following your natural energy patterns.
Building a sustainable creative business means learning to work with yourself and your energy.
It means recognizing that some days you'll have tons of energy and motivation, and other days you'll need to scale way back. Both are okay.
The goal isn't to eliminate low energy days - they're part of being human.
But you can strive to have simple strategies that honor where you are while keeping your business moving forward. (Even if it's just tiny steps!)
I hope some of these strategies resonate with you and help you approach your business in a way that feels more sustainable.
If you're dealing with burnout or with the regular low energy days we all have from time to time, be gentle with yourself.
Start small - maybe pick just one of these strategies to try this week. Maybe it's the five-minute timer thing, or maybe it's just paying attention to which tasks feel motivating to you in the moment.
Join the Conversation
I'd love to hear the strategies that work for your low energy days. Leave a comment below and let us know what works for you!
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