Before reading, if you haven’t already, please read the following disclaimer. And if reading a few hundred words is outside of your capacity at the moment, skip ahead to the end for a TL;DR (too long; didn’t read, i.e. summary). My apologies in advance, this ended up being a little longer than I intended.
Our body runs on a kind of battery–one that’s always in use. We recharge it primarily through food and sleep, while energy is steadily drained simply by existing. On top of that, every activity we do draws additional energy, gradually depleting what’s left in the tank.
When we talk about chronic fatigue, what’s often happening, whether we realise it or not, is that we’re using more energy than we actually have. We’re turning on the backup generator and dipping into reserves meant for tomorrow… or sometimes for the next week, or even for the next month.
If you’ve spent time in chronic illness or fatigue circles, you’ve probably heard this idea explained through Spoon Theory (a concept that absolutely deserves a post of its own).
That’s why it’s so important to recognise that everything we do comes with an energy cost. To do anything, we have to spend energy to make it happen. This is easy to grasp when we think about high-effort tasks like playing sport, working, doing the groceries, or heading into the city with friends to dance until 3am. But even the things we consider restful, like scrolling social media, still burn through energy, sometimes more than we expect.
Download your copy of the Energy Audit here:
I can’t count the number of times I’ve told myself, “I’m just going to take it easy,” only to end up lying on the couch, doom-scrolling Instagram for hours–especially after the kids have gone to bed.
But here’s the thing: that kind of downtime isn’t necessarily restful. Scrolling through social media or watching Netflix or worse, when you combine the two, still costs energy–mental, emotional, and sensory. And that’s not even factoring in how blue light exposure before bed can disrupt your sleep (which, as many of us know, is a whole other issue when you’re managing CFS).
It’s so easy to reach the end of the day and think, “Why am I so tired? I haven’t even done anything today!” But the truth is, there are often dozens of things we’ve done that have quietly drained our energy. We just haven’t done the math. We don’t always recognise that every action, no matter how small, carries an energy cost.
The energy cost of these activities becomes less surprising when you consider just how demanding the brain is. Despite making up only about 2% of our body mass, it consumes a whopping 20% of the body’s total energy (Raichle & Gusnard, 2002).
If there were awards for being energy-hungry, pound for pound, the brain would be the undisputed MVP. The Michael Jordan (or LeBron James, depending on where you fall on that debate) or Serena Williams of energy use, if you’ll allow me the sports analogy.
Now, you might be thinking, “Alright, that’s all well and good, but how do I actually figure out what’s draining my battery?”
Excellent question. And the answer comes in the form of something very exciting, incredibly sexy, and definitely not boring: the Energy Audit.
To bring this idea to life a bit more clearly, let’s flip the battery analogy and stay on theme–think of your energy reserves as an Energy Budget. (I know, nothing gets the juices flowing quite like a good ol’ budget.)
The tricky part? We don’t actually know what our energy budget is, we have to reverse engineer it. And then, just to keep things interesting, that budget changes from day to day. The good news? With time, practice, and the right tools, we can start to build a clearer picture and hopefully reach a point where our energy budget becomes more consistent and predictable.
And remember: If you’re not up to doing this on your own, that’s okay. See if a friend, family member, or carer can help support you through the process. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s simply to start building a clearer picture of how your energy is being spent. Take your time and break it up into more manageable parts, we’re not in a sprint to the end.
Step One: List every unique activity you do for a week.
To get an accurate picture, write down everything you do–yes, everything. Even if something feels like it doesn’t take energy, it still does. The more detailed your list, the more helpful this process will be.
Step Two: Give each activity an energy score.
Use a scale that works for you, 1 to 5 or 1 to 10 both work well. Lower numbers reflect lower energy demands; higher numbers reflect more demanding activities.
A really helpful resource I have used is the Energy Points Chart developed by the Post-COVID-19 Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Network in Canada. This chart gives you a great reference to help you start assigning values.
That said, it’s important to remember this chart is just a starting point. Energy costs are subjective and highly individual. What’s low effort for one person might be exhausting for someone else, especially if you’re living with more severe chronic fatigue. Even getting out of bed might require moderate or high effort when your energy reserves are low. This chart might be completely off for you, and that’s okay. Assign energy values based on your own experience, not based on the experience of others.
Step Three: Rest.
The most important step of all. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve already done more than enough. Be kind to yourself. In the next week or two, we’ll look at how to use this information to guide Activity Pacing and better manage your energy day-to-day.
Now, I hear you saying, “Golly gosh Alex, that sounds like a lot of work. How am I supposed to do that?” And you’re right–it is a task that will use up some of your already limited energy. But it’s also a task I genuinely believe is worth it. It gives you the clarity to see where your energy’s going, helps you understand your personal budget, and ultimately lets you stay within it–so you can recharge, recover, and get back to doing the things you love. As I said earlier in this piece, do what you can to reduce the energy cost of this activity by either breaking it down into smaller parts, or complete it over a couple of weeks, or getting the help of someone you know and trust.
If you’re after the easiest way to get started, I’ve put together a simple (and free) spreadsheet to guide you through your own energy audit. The spreadsheet has been designed to take out most of the guesswork and give you a straightforward way to track where your energy is going. You can download it now and work through it at your own pace. Plus, the spreadsheet includes a couple of extra tools (including an adaptation of the aforementioned Energy Points Chart) we’ll be digging into over the next few weeks, which will tie in perfectly with upcoming blog posts.
Download your copy of the Energy Audit here:
That’s a wrap on step one of figuring out your Energy Budget.
Over the next two weeks, we’ll dive into how to actually use this information to pace your activities more effectively–so you can stay within your energy limits and (hopefully) avoid some of those frustrating crashes.
My aim is to make this process as practical and supportive as possible, no matter where you’re at. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, or have been navigating chronic fatigue for years, I hope this gives you a solid starting point to better understand your energy patterns.
As always, I’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions, thoughts, feedback, or your own experience with tracking energy. You can reach me anytime at alex.burjan@ep360.com.au.
Wishing you more high energy days,
Alex
TL;DR – The Energy Audit
Our body runs on a limited energy supply—like a battery (or better yet, a budget). Every activity you do comes with an energy cost, even the things that feel restful, like scrolling your phone or watching TV.
If you’re living with chronic fatigue, chances are you’re regularly dipping into reserves you don’t actually have—leaving you feeling wiped out with no obvious cause.
The first step toward managing this is understanding where your energy is going. That’s what an Energy Audit is all about.
👉 List out everything you do in a week
👉 Score each activity based on how much energy it takes
👉 And most importantly… rest.
I’ve made a free spreadsheet to guide you through the process. It’s easy to follow and includes tools we’ll build on in future posts.
This isn’t about doing it perfectly—it’s about learning more about your energy patterns so you can make choices that actually support your recovery.
If you’d like support beyond these posts, EP360 Exercise Physiology offers the Beyond Fatigue Program at our St Peters and Five Dock locations in Sydney’s Inner West. Depending on your situation, sessions may be accessible through NDIS or via a Medicare care plan from your GP. Get in touch if you’d like to find out what’s available to you.
References Raichle, M. E., & Gusnard, D. A. (2002). Appraising the brain’s energy budget. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99(16), 10237–10239. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.172399499
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is an energy audit for chronic fatigue syndrome?
An energy audit is a self-management tool for people living with CFS that helps you identify where your energy is going throughout the day. The idea is to list every activity you do — physical, mental, emotional, and social — and assign each one an energy score based on how much it costs you. Over time, this builds a picture of your personal energy budget, so you can start making more informed choices about how you spend and protect your energy.
Q: Why does scrolling my phone make me more tired with CFS?
It comes down to how much energy the brain uses. Despite being only around 2% of your body mass, the brain consumes roughly 20% of the body’s total energy (Raichle & Gusnard, 2002). Activities that seem passive — scrolling social media, watching TV, or processing sensory information — still draw on that budget. For people with CFS, whose energy reserves are already limited, these costs add up quickly and can contribute to the kind of exhaustion that feels hard to explain.
Q: What is activity pacing for chronic fatigue syndrome?
Activity pacing is a self-management strategy that involves spreading physical, mental, and emotional activity across the day or week in line with your available energy — rather than pushing through and crashing. It’s one of the most widely accepted approaches for managing CFS symptoms. The energy audit is the first step: you can’t pace what you haven’t measured. EP360’s Beyond Fatigue Program uses activity pacing as a core tool, guided by Senior Exercise Physiologist Alex Burjan.
Q: Can an exercise physiologist help with chronic fatigue syndrome?
Yes — an accredited exercise physiologist can play a meaningful role in managing CFS, particularly when it comes to activity pacing, graded movement, and building a structured programme that works within your energy limits rather than against them. At EP360 Exercise Physiology in St Peters and Five Dock, Alex Burjan leads the Beyond Fatigue Program, which is designed specifically for people living with CFS, ME/CFS, post-viral fatigue, and Long Covid. Sessions may be accessible through NDIS or a Medicare care plan — speak to your GP or get in touch with us to find out more.
This information is general in nature and does not replace personalised advice from a qualified health professional.
