A client recently shared with me that she deliberately puts herself in energy-saving mode in January. We do it for our phones when we want to make sure they're running effectively and to save their battery for the important stuff. So doing it for our human selves makes perfect sense.

Her deliberate approach gave me a bit of a tickle because my January was the opposite: relentless busyness forced me into low-power mode, focusing only on what was both urgent and important - coaching, workshops and design work for upcoming projects. And it hopefully explains the absence of my newsletter for the last few weeks.

Being forced into low-power mode isn't the same as choosing it deliberately though, so I decided to more intentionally work out my own version. And when I did, I quickly realised that one of my biggest issues is I'm rubbish at actually resting. I needed to delete some unnecessary clutter.

I used to think that all my hobbies were my way of winding down but if I'm honest with myself, I realise they're often major procrastination events. They become more jobs to do, more things that appear on a list. And if your hobby is on a list then it's not really a hobby, in my opinion.

Sewing projects started with enthusiasm sit on my dress-making dummy, staring at me with sly side eyes, making me feel guilty about not finishing them. An unnecessary DIY task takes up space on my dining room table, creating more physical and head clutter than one woman can deal with and I kick myself for starting it.

And if January taught me one thing, it's that the wellbeing dial matters.

All of this hobby noise wasn't adding to my wellbeing pot - it was actively taking away from it, robbing me of focus, time and energy for the areas that actually matter to me right now.

But Sarah, where does this connect to career activism? (I hear you ask). Well, wellbeing isn't a nice-to-have, it's a foundational element of solid career development. If your battery is constantly in the red, and your system is sluggish because you have too many apps open, you can't show up well for the work that matters, the opportunities that appear, or the career conversations that could change things.

So I've set an intention for THE WHOLE YEAR to be more deliberate about what drains my battery and what actually keeps me charged up.
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Here's how I approached it, if a framework helps:

🟠 List everything that keeps you busy - include hobbies and things you think you should be doing (whose 'should' is it?)

🟠 Work out what's essential right now (and for whatever timeframe you're working with)

🟠 For each non-essential thing, ask: What would I gain if I deleted this?

🟠 Then ask: What would I actually lose if I deleted this?

What about you? Are you proactively managing your energy or waiting until you're forced into low-power mode? What do you need to delete to keep your wellbeing pot topped up?

See you soon,

Sarah

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I'm working with corporate clients on talent development and retention in 2026. If you're in a role where you support the development of others, you’re always welcome to reach out for a conversation - be that for group coaching on the Core Career Dials, training your managers on how to have excellent career development conversations, or something more bespoke.