Structure isn’t sexy

Hi fam,

In the last mail, I shared why I hit pause.

This week, let’s flip it: what happens after the pause.

When you’re back in motion, the worst thing you can do is fall into old patterns. Filling your calendar with obligations, reactive tasks, calls, and doing for the sake of doing.

The lever that changed how I work and made growth feel sustainable again is this:
Structure.

Not the corporate kind. Not micromanaging every hour.

I’m talking about a self-designed system that removes thinking from your daily execution.That protects your energy.
That lets your business scale without stealing your time.

Let me give you a tactical one:

Energy Mapping - a better way to build your calendar

Most people plan their days based on urgency. Or availability.
But what if you structured your week based on your natural energy patterns instead?

Here’s the full breakdown of how I do it:

Step 1: Track your energy for 3–5 days

Set a reminder every 2 hours (or just check in naturally during the day) and rate your energy on a scale of 1-10.

Ask yourself:

• How focused do I feel?

• How creative or clear-headed am I right now?

• Could I do deep work or just shallow stuff?

Example from one of my tracking sheets:

• 8am: 9/10 (brain on fire)

• 10am: 8/10

• 12pm: 6/10

• 2pm: 5/10

• 4pm: 3/10 (email brain)

• 6pm: 4/10

Step 2: Identify your Power Zone

This is the 2-4 hour block where you consistently score your highest energy levels.
For me, it’s between 8am and 12pm. I don’t start with meetings anymore those are sacred hours.

In your Power Zone, you should ONLY do:

• Strategic thinking

• Deep work (creative, financial, systems, planning)

• Hard decisions

Everything else can be done later or by someone else.

Step 3: Rebuild your weekly calendar around this

Don’t just protect your Power Zone design around it.

Here’s how mine looks:

• Mornings (Power Zone): Strategy, creative direction, team briefs

• Afternoons: Calls, reviews, Slack, async work, light execution

• Fridays: No meetings. System thinking, review, catch-up

• Sundays: 30-min planning ritual (3 big rocks, no more)

This single shift gave me clarity, confidence, and peace because I’m no longer running on empty or decision fatigue.

It’s simple. But not easy.

You’ll have to say NO more often. Reschedule people. Block your calendar even when it feels selfish.

Next week, I’ll walk you through how we structure team operating systems and delegation frameworks using this same principle energy-first execution.

If you try this for 3 days and want help reviewing your Power Zone map, hit reply. I’ll read everything.

Structure is your silent growth lever. Start wielding it.

Cheers,
Markus