🌱 You’re Not a Machine. So Stop Expecting To Be.
Energy ebbs and flows — and that’s not a flaw!
Hello and welcome back to Edit Your Life!
Have you ever looked at your to-do list, remembered what past-you used to manage… and then felt quietly ashamed that you can’t keep up right now?
Yeah. Me too. I really struggle with frustration when I’m unable to meet my goals. I blame myself, and I likely sabotage my next day’s energy by doing so…
But here’s the thing: You - and I - are not static machines.
Your energy isn’t broken. It fluctuates.
It’s responding to life, to stress, to seasons, to hormones, to grief, to joy.
And when we stop expecting ourselves to operate at one consistent speed, there’s more compassion, more sustainability - and often, better results.
This Week’s Edit: Work With What You’ve Got
What would change if you treated your capacity like the weather, not a fixed trait?
This week, try tracking it like a forecast - and planning with it, not in defiance of it.
Three quick ways to do this:
🌀 Name the forecast. Is today “overcast but functional”? “Storm warning: do the bare minimum”? “Sunny with a breeze”? Use a metaphor if it helps you get clear.
🧭 Pick the path that matches the weather. A foggy day doesn’t need a work marathon. A sharp sunny day can handle the complex stuff. Match your energy to the task.
💡 Pre-write your “low capacity” plan. A go-to list for tired, overstimulated, underpowered days. (Example: one nourishing meal, one walk, one reply, one lie-down. Done.)
Ask yourself:
→ What’s draining me more than it’s worth right now?
→ Where could I pause instead of pushing through?
→ What would a kind pace look like today?
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Thank you!! B x
A Bit of Theory: Spoons, Pacing and Respecting Energy
Spoon theory was coined by Christine Miserandino to explain what it’s like living with lupus. She used spoons as a metaphor for her daily energy - finite and precious.
Every action costs a spoon: getting dressed, answering emails, seeing a friend. Once your spoons are gone, they’re gone. So choose what you spend them on wisely.
People with chronic illness, ADHD, burnout, or fluctuating mental health often use spoon theory to articulate something most of us aren’t taught: You can’t spend energy you don’t have.
And trying to will yourself through it often leads to worse outcomes like burnout, illness, resentment, crash cycles.
So pacing becomes essential. Planning before burnout. Responding early, not after the fallout.
For all of us, it’s important for us to look at how many spoons / how much energy we have that day to ensure we haven’t overspent by the end of it.
⚡ Is there anything we can shuffle? Do later? Do in advance?
Your capacity is real and respecting it is not giving up. It’s adapting wisely, and protecting your future energy too.
Real-Life Reminder: You’re Not a Machine
And I’m directing this at myself as much as you, dear reader.
Energy isn’t a moral issue and you don’t owe anyone your peak performance.
Even high performers rest. In fact, athletes schedule recovery time. Even the most “together” people get wiped out. Burnt out. Sometimes behind closed doors, and then pop up a year later with a book about it. It happens.
You are not a robot.
Quick Edit
💬 Instead of: “Why can’t I do as much as I did last week?”
✨ Try: “What does my capacity look like this week — and how can I work with it, not against it?”
Let’s Talk
What’s something you could pause this week, just to see what changes in your capacity?
Reply and share it if you’d like - or just take a quiet moment to choose.
As always, thank you so much for being here and reading.
I’ll bring you more on resilience and adaptability next Thursday.
Have a great week!
Beth x
PS. I used to record this as an audio file too to listen to. Would that be something you want back? Let me know!