The 4 Layers of Energy

Published on
March 15, 2025

Tony Schwartz of The Energy Project conducted what he calls The Energy Audit with 160 bank executives and discovered a series of startling things which further supported his theory that we’re all experiencing an under-recognized personal energy crisis:

Energy, after all, is the capacity to do work. In the face of relentlessly rising demand, fuelled by digital technology and the expectation of instant 24/7 responsiveness, employees around the world are increasingly burning down their energy reserves and depleting their capacity.

Tony urges us to think of our energy as divided into four layers:

Your physical energy – how healthy are you?

Your emotional energy – how happy are you?

Your mental energy – how well can you focus on something?

Your spiritual energy – why are you doing all of this? What is your purpose?

Building up all four of these elements for a greater capacity of physical energy will build the base for getting better at whatever it is you want to improve.