Energy Accounting Framework
There are so many ways to plan and prioritize our time: by importance, by urgency, by eating the frog. An overlooked dimension is considering how much energy we need for different kinds of tasks and different kinds of environments. It also includes how much recovery time we need afterwards.
For many folks, but particularly neurodiverse folks, they will need to mask or camouflage throughout a typical day and this can be quite draining because it’s a lot of active attention and inhibitory control (or executive functioning); even more so when additional stressors are added through sensory demands, work demands, school commitments, family dynamics, health, and mental well being.
What is Energy Accounting?
Energy accounting, developed by Autistic Clinical Psychologist Maja Toudal, is about figuring out how much energy is needed for a certain task ahead of time and then planning for limiting how much additional energy is being demanded across other parts of the day or week.
It’s about adding recovery sessions when you know you need to expend a lot of energy or mask. It’s more than just getting an early night before an exam or work presentation; it’s also about building in recuperation time as part of your daily/weekly planning!
By gaining insight into the “cost” of particular situations or tasks, you can reduce burnout and dysregulation spirals and feel more empowered about how you plan and prioritize your time.
You can visualize this energy as a battery. Or you could imagine your energy as so many spoons, a framework developed by Christine Miserandino.
When Should We Think About Using Energy Accounting?
This framework is worth exploring when you or your child feel constantly depleted by the demands of daily life. That might look like a packed schedule that leaves no room to breathe, or a season of change that’s asking more than feels manageable right now.
It’s also useful during times of illness, when routines need to shift alongside medical treatment rather than just pushing through.
And if you’re finding yourself dreading commitments you’ve already made, that’s a signal too. Over-scheduling has a cost that doesn’t always show up until it’s already taken a toll.
What Does Burnout or Too Much Masking Look Like?
If you or your child are experiencing burnout, it will often look like some or many of the following symptoms:
- Avoidance
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Increased frustration and emotional dysregulation
- Difficulty communicating needs
- Heightened sensory awareness and overwhelm
- Sleep dysregulation
These signs don’t always appear all at once, and they can be easy to dismiss or attribute to something else entirely. If several of these feel familiar, it may be time to take a closer look at what’s being asked of you or your child each day.
Gathering the Data
You know what recharges you and drains you. Awesome! It’s always a good idea to periodically reflect if anything has changed for you over time because what gave you energy in the past might not always stay the same.
- Start small. Pick an event, activity, or part of your day that you want to capture and take note of your energy level before the event, during the event, and after the event. Just capture it, don’t analyze. Do this at least a few times before reflecting on whether the situation ultimately gives you energy, depletes your energy, or has a neutral effect. You could use a number scale, a mood scale, a color scale, whatever makes sense for you.
- Make it easy. Keep a pocket-sized notebook on hand or start a digital note, whatever is quicker to access.
- Keep it short. Don’t overdo the data taking. Limit the timeframe. You’ll get a good sense of things quickly once you begin to practice this skill.
- Take note. Explicitly write down the situations that boost your energy and which take a lot from you. You can reference this, add to it, and become an expert on accurately predicting what you will need to balance out with recovery techniques.
Recovery Techniques
Knowing what drains you is only half the equation.
The other half is building recovery into your plan before you need it, not after you’re already running on empty.
That means treating rest and recharge time as a non-negotiable part of your schedule, not something you fit in if there’s room left over.
- Plan for time to recover after particularly energy-demanding situations or environments. Block it out on your calendar or whatever planning method you use.
- Prioritize time without masks or demands. It is not a nice-to-have, but a necessity.
- Reflect on what you like and dislike; your true interests, values, sensory profile and identity. You could do this in therapy, through journaling, art, meditation, or in discussion with people you trust.
- Use different environments or activities to create a recharge space. It could be calming or energizing, quiet or loud, bright or dim, in solitude or with others, in nature or a busy cafe. Sometimes our nervous system needs sensory input and other times it might need a reduction in sensory input. When our nervous system is regulated, we are optimizing our executive functioning!
Additional Resources
If you want to explore energy accounting further, these are worth bookmarking.
Video: Energy Accounting: Neurodiversity-affirming Approach to Stress and Burnout
Website: Energy Accounting
Working With the Right Support
This post was written by Annabel Furber, Ed.M., founder of Abel Pathways and executive function coach with 20+ years working at the intersection of neuroscience and learning. If energy accounting resonates with you or your student, Annabel offers 1:1 coaching built around how neurodivergent brains actually work, not a one-size-fits-all template. Her first consultation is free, and there’s no pressure, just a real conversation about where you are and where you want to go.
For families with K-12 or college students who need academic support alongside these strategies, Jamie The Scholar works with students the same way: starting with how they actually function, not how they’re supposed to. Our tutors and coaches help students build systems that hold up under real school pressure.
Contact either of us to set up a consultation today and get the help your student needs.
