Before I ever started consulting, back when I was still working full-time and trying to figure out what I wanted “next,” I had no grand five-year plan.
I didn’t know my strengths. I didn’t know what kind of role I actually wanted.
I mostly just knew that I felt tired and vaguely dissatisfied, which is not exactly actionable (or a place you want to start from.)
So instead of trying to think my way out of it, I tried something much simpler.
I kept a journal of everything I did in a day.
Meetings, emails, analysis, people management, problem solving, admin tasks. And beside each item, I put one little face.
A happy face. 😃
A medium face. 😐
Or a sad face. 😥
I did this without judgement for a few weeks, just to collect the data. Then, I reviewed.
What surprised me most was how consistent it was.
Certain types of work were always happy face. Certain things were almost always medium face. And the big realization. The thing I had completely misunderstood about myself.
Managing people was… medium face.
Not terrible. Not awful. Just consistently “meh.”
I like people (I promise!) I like collaborating (sometimes.)
I like helping. But I did not like being responsible for other people’s work, their questions, their performance, or wondering if I was being a good or bad boss. I always assumed leadership was the obvious next step if you wanted to be successful. Turns out, that assumption wasn’t true for me.
What lit me up was owning my own work product. Solving problems. Going deep. Being accountable for my output and only my output.
Realizing that gave me a lot of confidence to start consulting. It wasn’t that I didn’t want responsibility. I just wanted the right kind of responsibility. And once I made that shift, a huge amount of mental noise disappeared.
I wasn’t worried about managing up, down, or sideways. I wasn’t second-guessing leadership decisions. I wasn’t carrying things that didn’t belong to me. That freed up an incredible amount of energy.
Where’s the Value-Added You?
In lean and supply chain, we talk a lot about value-added work versus non-value-added work. Just because something takes time doesn’t mean it creates value. And just because something looks important doesn’t mean it’s the right use of resources.
That applies to people too.
Some activities give you energy and move you forward. Others quietly drain you, even if you’re “good” at them or think you should enjoy them.
My little smiley-face exercise was basically a personal value stream map. It showed me where my energy was actually being created, and where it was slowly leaking out.
An End-of-Year Thought Experiment
As we head toward the end of the year, here’s something to try. You don’t need a new job, a new business, or a dramatic life overhaul.
Just a little experiment to notice -
What parts of your day consistently give you energy.
What parts are always medium face.
A few things worth paying attention to:
Types of work. Deep focus, meetings, admin, problem-solving, learning. You might be surprised which ones light you up and which ones feel heavier than expected.
Time of day. When do you feel sharp and engaged versus sluggish or scattered?
People interactions. Some conversations leave you energized. Others take more out of you than you realized.
Context switching. Even people who like variety often find constant switching more draining than staying in one lane.
Ownership. Do you feel better owning the final outcome, or supporting someone else’s decisions?
A few patterns tend to surprise people. Managing others isn’t always energizing. Being “good” at something doesn’t mean it fuels you. Admin work can actually feel calming. And often, it’s not workload that drains us, but lack of autonomy or clarity.
The point isn’t to change everything. It’s to collect data. Your energy is information. Once you see where it’s being created and where it’s leaking, small, intentional adjustments become much easier.
Final Thought
You don’t have to optimize your whole life overnight. Sometimes the most useful insight comes from paying attention to how your day actually feels.
And sometimes, a few smiley faces can change everything. 😉
Let me know your results!
