The Energy Alignment Method: How to Diagnose and Fix Career Motivation Issues

"I've lost motivation, but I don't know why."

That’s how my coaching session started with Brandon, a successful professional who, on paper, had everything going right in his career.

"I love the company that I work for. I have a really great team and I'm in the role that I want to be in, but for some reason I just don't feel motivated. I can't put my finger on why and I don't like this feeling."

This situation comes up more often than you might expect, even for successful professionals who seem to have everything lined up perfectly in their careers.

The Truth About Mysterious Motivation Loss

Before I start coaching someone, I have them complete a brief Career Clarity Assessment. This tool helps me understand their current career headspace, challenges, and strengths. What's fascinating is that this assessment often reveals something crucial: the problems people think they're facing are usually symptoms of a larger issue, or they confirm suspicions about ongoing challenges affecting their performance.

Brandon's assessment revealed something unexpected. While he couldn't identify why he felt "off," the results clearly showed he was out of alignment. Despite loving his job, it was requiring him to stretch in ways that weren't natural to him. Over time, this misalignment was affecting his overall disposition and performance. Brandon was approaching burnout without realizing it.

A Practical Exercise for Clarity

If you're feeling like Brandon (or know someone who is), I'm going to share a practical exercise that has helped numerous professionals gain clarity around what needs to change. This exercise is particularly powerful because it helps surface unconscious patterns that might be draining your energy.

Step 1: Mapping Your Energy Landscape

Start by drawing a line down the middle of a paper (or create a two-column table if you're working digitally). This simple act creates a visual representation of your work life's energy balance.

On the left side, list all of the things that you enjoy doing at work:

• What activities energize you?
• What could you do for hours without getting tired?
• When do you do your best work?
• With whom do you perform best (alone or with a team)?

Once you've created the list of things that you enjoy doing at work, turn it into a brief descriptive sentence. Here's an example:

"I'm energized by engaging with and educating customers—I’d give presentations all day if I could. I do my best work in the afternoons, once I'm fully in the swing of my day, and I’d schedule all my meetings after 11 a.m. if possible. I thrive in a collaborative environment and love exchanging ideas with others."

Next, on the right side of the page, list all of the things that you dislike doing at work:

• What activities leave you feeling drained?
• What tasks would you never do again if given the choice?
• What times of day are challenging for deep work or meetings?
• What environments diminish your productivity?

Similar to before, once you've created the list of things you don't like doing at work, turn it into a brief descriptive sentence. For example:

"I feel drained on days filled with endless meetings because they keep me from getting real work done. I dislike putting together weekly status reports—they're so manual, and if I could avoid them entirely, I would. Late-day meetings are frustrating because they make it feel like there's an expectation to work late or on weekends. Commuting to the office is also a major inconvenience, taking three hours out of my day that could be spent being productive."

Step 2: The Reality Check

Now comes the revealing part. Look at your two lists and ask yourself:

• What percentage of your time is spent in your ideal state (left side)?
• What percentage is spent in your less than ideal state (right side)?
• Which state dominates your typical work week?

If you're feeling "off" like Brandon, you might discover that despite loving your job, you're spending more time in your less-than-ideal state. This misalignment is often the hidden source of motivation issues.

Step 3: The Critical Question That Changes Everything

We all have to do things we don't enjoy - it's part of life and builds character. However, when most of our waking hours are spent at work, the goal should be to spend the majority of that time feeling energized and engaged, not merely counting down to small moments of excitement.

If you've discovered your work life has become imbalanced, ask yourself this crucial question:

Is this change temporary or permanent?

I've had periods in my career where I needed to spend significant time on less-than-ideal tasks, but I knew relief was coming. These temporary sacrifices were manageable because I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, when draining activities became the new normal with no end in sight, I knew it was time to reconnect with what energized me.

Finding Your Path Forward

For Brandon, this exercise revealed that his current state was temporary - his manager was actively hiring more people to fill the gaps. Armed with a clear understanding of his ideal work state, he could now have meaningful career development conversations with his manager about optimizing his work portfolio for the future.

This exercise isn't just for career challenges - you can apply it to any area of life where you're feeling "off." The key is identifying the patterns that either energize or drain you, then making conscious decisions about how to adjust your path forward.

Want to Try This Exercise Yourself?

I've created a free downloadable template you can use to work through this exercise on your own or with others. It's designed to help you gain clarity quickly and create an action plan for realignment.

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