An introvert-friendly guide to building a marketing (and productivity) system around your energy, not against it.
Prefer listening? Here’s the Youtube version
When I was younger, I assumed my energy was consistent and unlimited.
Spoiler: it wasn’t.
And I learned that the hard way.
Running my business alone, trying to do everything myself without clear structure, guess what? I burned out.
It wasn’t the only reason, of course, but working in ways that weren’t aligned with my energy rhythm made everything worse. I had no clear plan, no understanding of how I worked best, and I paid the price for it.
That’s why I started investing in something I had 100% overlooked: building my own system.
Right after my recovery I worked with a professional organizer, tested every productivity tool under the sun, reflected on how I function and slowly became obsessed with good organization.
So I created a workflow that was not only effective and flexible, but sustainable. It made me productive without draining me, and helped me respect my energy levels while still getting things done.
To these days, it’s still one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned.
And today I want to help you start building your own system, NOT by copying mine (otherwise what’s the point of this article?), but by giving you the same questions I asked myself when I started.
Because most productivity advice is made for the masses. It’s generic and rigid.
Techniques like the Pomodoro method, for example, are constantly recommended, but they never worked for me. My brain doesn’t function in 25-minute blocks and I don’t need more timers. I need systems that flex around me.
Remember: your energy is personal, your attention is unique and your brain is wired like no one else’s. You can’t copy-paste productivity, but you can test and build with self-awareness. So instead of forcing yourself into a cookie-cutter framework, let’s explore how you work.
My 5 reflection prompts
Grab a blank page, a pen, or a Miro board. Keep it light. Make it visual if you like. Use emojis if that helps. Make it fun, you want to stay on this.
1. What are your best and worst work hours?
If you already know your natural rhythm, great. If not, you can try a chronotype test or just reflect on your last two weeks:
- When do you naturally wake up if you have no alarm clock? And when do you go to sleep?
- When do you feel most focused and creative?
- When do you feel scattered or foggy?
Example: I’m an early bird. Mornings are my most focused hours. After lunch, my brain starts to drift. By 5 or 6 PM, I’m usually done.
2. What drains your energy?
Forget the “shoulds.” If something drains your energy, it drains your energy. Period.
List the tasks that leave you staring into the void like an amoeba.
For example:
- Long calls or meetings
- Responding to DMs or vague emails
- Repetitive admin
- Creating content under pressure
Even things you enjoy can still be draining if they require a lot of presence. That’s okay, but note it down.
You can rate tasks on a scale (1 very draining – 5 Easy to do) or use emojis (😞 → 🙂 → 🔥). Make it fun, make it yours.
3. What gives you a boost?
Ok, now flip it. What tasks feel light, fun, or energizing?
It might be:
- Designing visuals
- Writing your newsletter
- Organizing your Notion space
- Creating checklists or guides
4. How does your attention work?
Some tasks are fine in theory, but pull you off track.
Example: I work in social media and love creating content. But the moment I open Instagram, I risk losing 20 minutes in doomscrolling. So I block my feed on desktop and keep my phone out of reach while I’m working. That way, I can still create and stay focused.
Identifying your distractors and workarounds help you protect your flow.
Mark these down too with an icon, an emoji or whatever works for you.
5. How can you reallocate tasks based on energy?
Now you start turning awareness into structure.
If you’re using Miro or writing on paper you can color-code tasks:
- 🔴 Red = Energy-draining
- 🟠 Orange = Neutral
- 🟢 Green = Energy-giving
Now think:
- Which red tasks are essential and need high-energy slots?
- Which green tasks can fill in your low-energy windows?
Watch your system as it begins to take shape.
At this point you should have a pretty good overview of how you work and how to allocate your tasks in your days, but here’s the final boss: energy is unpredictable.
Instead of creating rigid daily time slots, create a flexible weekly task system:
- Must-do tasks: the non-negotiables that keep your business running. Assign these to your best energy windows.
- Bonus tasks: nice-to-haves that you tackle on higher-energy days.
Be prepared to move tasks around based on the energy days, but make sure to mark the tasks that must be done within a certain span of time to not miss any deadline.
Also plan everything with a 20% level of pessimism, so that if you have a particularly bad week you’ll still have time to recover in the next weeks, while if you have a high-energy week you can anticipate some tasks that will help you stay consistent and on track if some low-energy days are following.
This should let you stay consistent without forcing productivity on days when you’re feeling empty.
Optional tools that I tried and could help you
Here are a few tools that work well for my clients and me:
- Miro
Mapping tasks, color coding, visualizing patterns. Very easy to use and a lot of free templates that allow me to organize and work in the same place. My top choice with Notion - Notion
My second top choice to organize all the content I write, my ideas, my admin work etc - Trello
Not my favourite, but it’s simple and immediate. Lot of people love it, if you feel overwhelmed when the tool is too complex, this might be your pick. - Asana
Classic project management tool, very good to track progress on projects with your team or clients. I really like it honestly because it’s simple and straightforward. Plus you can see unicorns and confetti when you complete tasks, I mean, isn’t it already a great reason to use it? - Airtable
Similar to Asana but very versatile. It’s like excel but on steroids. You can do automations, adapt your database to your needs. Cons is that if you’re a beginner you might find it complex and overwhelming. - Google Drive
Honestly, the easies and most common tool around. A well organized Google Sheet can go a long way. Ah, and it’s free.
I personally use Notion and Miro for all my system design, they’re flexible, mostly free (on generous tiers), and intuitive even if you’re not a tech nerd.
If you’re not sure how to navigate this properly, you can get my free masterclass here. I made 4 short videos to guide you through the full process, plus emails to support you, and extra material to help you if you get stuck.
