F71 — GENIUS ENERGY

Where does your best thinking and creative energy actually go?

Have you ever noticed that there are certain things you can do for hours without getting bored?

You become completely absorbed.

Ideas come easily.

You lose track of time.

You feel curious, engaged and enthusiastic.

And then there are other activities that make you feel mentally exhausted after approximately eleven minutes.

Filling in forms.

Sorting out paperwork.

Dealing with complicated online accounts.

Attending meetings that could have been an email.

Or trying to remember seventeen different passwords, none of which apparently meets the required security criteria.

It's rather extraordinary that the same brain can feel so alive doing one thing and so utterly defeated by another.

Which raises an interesting question.

Where does your best mental energy actually go?

And are you making enough room in your life for the things that bring it out?

What is genius energy?

Let's start with an important distinction.

Genius energy isn't an established scientific theory, a formal psychological category or a diagnosis.

It's simply a useful way of describing those moments when your mind feels particularly engaged, capable, curious or creative.

It doesn't mean you're a genius.

Although if you happen to be one, congratulations.

It means recognising that different activities bring out different aspects of our abilities.

You might be wonderful at generating ideas.

Solving problems.

Making connections.

Understanding people.

Teaching.

Writing.

Designing.

Organising.

Building things.

Thinking strategically.

Or finding practical solutions that nobody else has considered.

Some activities seem to bring out our best thinking.

Others consume enormous amounts of effort without leaving us feeling particularly fulfilled.

The aim isn't to discover one magical talent. It's to understand when and how you tend to think and work at your best.

Being good at something isn't the same as being energised by it

This connects closely with the sheet (YOU'RE GOOD AT IT, BUT DO YOU ACTUALLY LIKE IT? - ask for details)

You can be extremely capable at something and still find it draining.

Perhaps you're brilliant at administration.

You organise everything.

Remember deadlines.

Manage complicated schedules.

Keep everybody on track.

People constantly tell you how wonderful you are at it.

But secretly, you'd rather spend the afternoon doing almost anything else.

Being competent doesn't necessarily mean an activity gives you energy.

And the reverse is also true.

You might be relatively inexperienced at something but find it fascinating.

Perhaps you've started learning about psychology.

Or photography.

Or gardening.

Or writing.

You may not yet be particularly skilled.

But you feel curious.

You want to learn more.

You find yourself thinking about it in your spare time.

That interest can be worth paying attention to.

Sometimes the activities that energise us reveal possibilities we haven't yet developed into skills.

The difference between mental effort and mental exhaustion

Not all difficult thinking is draining in the same way.

You might spend two hours working on a challenging project and finish feeling satisfied.

Your brain has worked hard, but you've enjoyed the process.

Alternatively, you might spend thirty minutes dealing with an irritating administrative task and feel completely depleted.

Both require effort.

But the experience is different.

Researchers distinguish between several relevant concepts, including cognitive effort, mental fatigue, motivation, interest and engagement.

These aren't interchangeable.

A task can be demanding and enjoyable.

Easy and boring.

Difficult and frustrating.

Or absorbing and rewarding.

The important question isn't simply how much effort something requires.

It's how you experience that effort.

When do you do your best thinking?

Some people feel mentally sharp first thing in the morning.

Others take a while to get going.

Some become more creative in the afternoon.

Others suddenly have their best ideas at ten o'clock at night, just when they should be going to bed.

Our alertness and performance can vary across the day.

Sleep, circadian rhythms, chronotype, workload, stress, health and individual differences all play a part.

And different tasks may suit different times.

You might find that analytical work feels easier in the morning.

Creative ideas arrive during a walk.

Administrative tasks are manageable in the afternoon.

Or that you think most clearly when the house is finally quiet.

There's no universal timetable for genius.

Despite what some productivity gurus might suggest, getting up at 5 a.m. doesn't automatically make you a more successful human being.

It may simply make you very tired by lunchtime.

Rather than forcing yourself into somebody else's ideal routine, it can be useful to notice your own patterns.

The magic of becoming absorbed

Have you ever been so involved in an activity that you barely noticed time passing?

Perhaps you were writing.

Gardening.

Playing music.

Painting.

Working on a complicated problem.

Playing sport.

Or having a fascinating conversation.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi studied experiences of deep engagement and developed the concept of flow.

Flow describes a state of absorption in an activity, often involving focused attention, clear goals and a balance between challenge and skill.

It's not simply enjoying something.

Nor is it proof that you've discovered your life's purpose.

But it can offer clues about the conditions under which you become particularly engaged.

What were you doing?

How challenging was it?

Were you working alone or with other people?

Did you have freedom to approach it in your own way?

Was there a clear goal?

Did you receive useful feedback?

These questions can reveal more than simply asking what you're good at.

Your best ideas may arrive when you're not trying

There's another curious phenomenon.

You can sit at your desk trying desperately to solve a problem.

Nothing happens.

You stare at the screen.

Make another cup of tea.

Stare at the screen again.

Then you go for a walk, have a shower or start doing something completely unrelated.

And suddenly the answer appears.

Creative thinking can involve both focused effort and periods in which attention shifts away from the problem.

Research into incubation suggests that taking a break can sometimes support creative problem-solving, although the effects depend on the task and circumstances.

It doesn't mean your unconscious mind is secretly solving every problem while you fold the washing.

But it does suggest that relentless concentration isn't always the most effective approach.

Sometimes stepping away is useful.

And occasionally, going for a walk really is productive.

Even if you haven't got a spreadsheet to prove it.

What drains your mental energy?

It's worth noticing the activities that leave you feeling depleted.

Perhaps it's:

• Constant interruptions.

• Switching between tasks.

• Repetitive administration.

• Long meetings.

• Making numerous small decisions.

• Working under pressure.

• Dealing with conflict.

• Trying to concentrate in a noisy environment.

• Tasks that feel meaningless.

• Spending hours doing something you have little interest in.

Some activities are draining because they're cognitively demanding.

Others because they're emotionally difficult.

Some because we're bored.

And some because we're tired, stressed or overloaded.

It's important not to assume that every draining activity is fundamentally wrong for us.

Life contains responsibilities that aren't especially exciting.

The dishwasher still needs emptying.

The bills still need paying.

And apparently, the car still needs servicing.

But we may have more control over how we arrange these activities than we realise.

The hidden cost of constant interruptions

Imagine you're working on something that requires concentration.

You're making progress.

Ideas are developing.

You're completely engaged.

Then your phone pings.

You check the message.

Reply.

Remember an email.

Open your inbox.

Notice something else.

And twenty minutes later, you've forgotten what you were doing.

Research on task switching and interruptions suggests that moving between activities can create performance costs, particularly when tasks require attention and working memory.

Not every interruption is equally disruptive.

But if your best thinking requires sustained concentration, protecting some uninterrupted time may be valuable.

You don't necessarily need a perfectly silent office overlooking the sea.

Although that would be rather lovely.

Sometimes thirty minutes without notifications can make a meaningful difference.

Are you spending your best energy on the wrong things?

Here's where the subject becomes particularly interesting.

Imagine that you do your clearest thinking in the morning.

You feel alert.

Creative.

Focused.

Full of ideas.

But every morning you spend those hours answering routine emails, sorting paperwork and dealing with minor administrative tasks.

By the time you reach the work that genuinely interests you, you're tired.

Your best mental energy has already been spent.

Of course, not everyone has complete control over their schedule.

Jobs, caring responsibilities, school runs and other commitments can dictate how we spend our time.

But perhaps there are small opportunities to change the order of things.

Could you protect one morning a week for creative work?

Could you group administrative tasks together?

Could you tackle a demanding project when you tend to feel most alert?

Could you take a walk before trying to solve a difficult problem?

Sometimes improving how we use our energy matters more than simply trying to find more time.

What about life outside work?

Genius energy isn't only about productivity.

In fact, it would be rather sad if we reduced all our mental abilities to how useful they are for earning money.

Perhaps your best energy appears when you're planning a holiday.

Teaching someone a skill.

Organising a family celebration.

Playing music.

Helping a friend think through a problem.

Creating something.

Learning about a subject that fascinates you.

Or simply having a wonderful conversation.

These activities matter too.

Not because they make you more employable.

But because they make life more interesting and fulfilling.

You don't have to monetise everything you're good at.

Some things are allowed to remain hobbies.

Imagine that.

When your energy changes

It's also worth recognising that our capacity to concentrate and think creatively isn't fixed.

Sleep deprivation, stress, illness, hormonal changes, medication, caring responsibilities and emotional strain can all affect how we feel and function.

Sometimes we interpret a difficult period as evidence that we've lost our abilities.

"I'm not as sharp as I used to be."

"I can't concentrate anymore."

"I've lost my creativity."

But a temporary reduction in mental energy doesn't necessarily mean a permanent loss of ability.

Equally, persistent or significant changes in memory, concentration or fatigue shouldn't simply be dismissed as a motivation problem. They may deserve discussion with a healthcare professional.

Self-awareness includes recognising when we need rest or support.

Not simply demanding more from ourselves.

You don't have to be brilliant all day

There's an enormous amount of pressure to optimise ourselves.

Morning routines.

Productivity systems.

Time-blocking.

Habit tracking.

Efficiency.

Peak performance.

And now, apparently, we're supposed to identify our genius energy as well.

But this isn't another invitation to turn your entire life into a productivity experiment.

You're allowed to have unproductive afternoons.

You're allowed to be tired.

You're allowed to do things badly.

You're allowed to enjoy activities you're not particularly talented at.

And you're allowed to spend time doing absolutely nothing useful.

The purpose of understanding your energy isn't to squeeze more work out of yourself. It's to create more room for the things that matter.

What does the psychology tell us?

Several areas of research can help us understand differences in attention, engagement and mental energy.

Flow: Deep engagement can occur when an activity provides an appropriate balance of challenge and skill, alongside other supportive conditions.

Circadian rhythms and chronotype: Individual differences in preferred sleep–wake timing can influence when people feel most alert and how performance varies across the day.

Task switching: Switching between tasks can carry cognitive costs, especially when tasks require sustained attention.

Mental fatigue: Prolonged cognitive demands can affect subjective effort, motivation and aspects of performance, although the mechanisms are complex.

Incubation and creativity: Taking a break from a problem can sometimes support creative thinking.

Self-determination theory: Activities that support autonomy, competence and connection may contribute to greater motivation and engagement.

These findings don't establish a single category called genius energy.

They simply help explain why our experience of thinking, creating and concentrating varies.

A little coaching reflection

Think about the activities that fill your days.

1. When do I feel most mentally alert?

Morning, afternoon, evening or at different times depending on the activity?

2. What activities absorb me?

When do I become so engaged that I lose track of time?

3. What am I good at but don't particularly enjoy?

Where am I using competence without much satisfaction?

4. What am I interested in but haven't yet developed?

What subjects or activities make me curious?

5. What consistently drains me?

Are there patterns involving tasks, people, environments or interruptions?

6. Where does my best mental energy currently go?

Am I using it on things that matter to me?

7. What small changes might help me use my energy differently?

Could I adjust my schedule, environment, workload or expectations?

Try this: The seven-day energy map

For one week, notice how different activities affect your mental energy.

You don't need a complicated tracking system.

Simply record a few observations.

Time of dayActivityHow engaged did I feel?How did I feel afterwards?MorningMiddayAfternoonEvening

You might use simple descriptions:

Engagement: Absorbed / Interested / Neutral / Bored / Struggling

Afterwards: Energised / Satisfied / Neutral / Tired / Drained

At the end of the week, look for patterns.

When did your thinking feel clearest?

Which activities seemed to bring out your creativity?

Which left you feeling satisfied, even if they were difficult?

Which consistently drained you?

Were there particular times, places or conditions that helped?

And what might you change?

Perhaps you'll discover that your best ideas come during a morning walk.

Perhaps you work better when you have uninterrupted time.

Perhaps you've been spending too much of your day on activities that don't use your strengths.

Or perhaps you'll discover that your greatest mental energy appears when you're doing something that has absolutely nothing to do with your job.

That's worth knowing too.

A final thought

We spend a great deal of time thinking about how to manage our time.

But perhaps we don't spend enough time thinking about how we experience it.

Two hours can feel completely different depending on what we're doing.

One activity leaves us feeling alive, interested and engaged.

Another leaves us staring at the clock, wondering whether it's socially acceptable to have another cup of tea.

We all have responsibilities.

We all have tasks we'd rather avoid.

And we can't organise our lives entirely around the things we enjoy.

But perhaps we can become more aware of what brings out our best thinking.

What sparks our curiosity.

What absorbs our attention.

What drains us.

And what makes us feel most like ourselves.

Your best mental energy is worth paying attention to — not because every moment needs to be productive, but because your time and attention are valuable parts of your life.

Perhaps the question isn't simply:

"How can I get more done?"

Perhaps it's:

"Am I giving enough of my attention to the things that make me feel most alive?"

And if your answer is that your finest thinking happens in the shower?

Wonderful.

Just remember that at some point you do have to get out.

Sources and further reading

• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper & Row.

• Schmidt, C., Collette, F., Cajochen, C. & Peigneux, P. (2007). A Time to Think: Circadian Rhythms in Human Cognition. Cognitive Neuropsychology, 24(7), 755–789.

• Monsell, S. (2003). Task Switching. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 7(3), 134–140.

• Boksem, M. A. S. & Tops, M. (2008). Mental Fatigue: Costs and Benefits. Brain Research Reviews, 59(1), 125–139.

• Sio, U. N. & Ormerod, T. C. (2009). Does Incubation Enhance Problem Solving? A Meta-Analytic Review.Psychological Bulletin, 135(1), 94–120.

• Ryan, R. M. & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78.

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