There’s a moment most recruiters know too well:

You’re staring at your screen.
Your brain feels foggy.
Every call feels harder than it should.
You can’t quite articulate why… you just feel off.

Most recruiters label this as “tired” or “unmotivated.”

But here’s the thing:

Low-energy days are signals and if you treat them properly, they become your biggest performance advantage.

and this isn’t mindset dribble.
It’s neuroscience, psychology and years of recruiter reality converging in one simple idea:

Energy management beats time management – every single time.

And it’s something the world’s best performance minds have been screaming about for years.

Why You Feel Cooked (According to Actual Experts)

Psychologist Roy Baumeister’s research on ego depletion showed that mental energy is finite.
Every decision you make drains it.

Recruitment is one giant decision machine.

• Who to call
• Who to prioritise
• Who to chase
• Who to walk away from
• What to say
• What message to send
• How to negotiate
• How to coach a candidate or client through doubt

That’s hundreds of micro-decisions – before lunch.

Then you stack emotions on top:

• Candidate goes quiet
• Client moves the goalposts
• A deal dies
• A hiring manager goes from warm to cold in 24 hours

Neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman (who is a personal fave of mine, I have been listening to his podcast for years) explains that the brain burns enormous energy managing emotional load and uncertainty – two core ingredients of recruitment.

So when you hit a low-energy day?

It’s not failure.
It’s not lack of discipline.
It’s biology.

The question isn’t: “How do I avoid days like this?”
The real question is:

“What do high performers do when these days hit?”

High Performers Don’t Push Harder – They Switch Systems

There’s a pattern across elite performers – athletes, founders, special forces, leaders.

When energy drops, they don’t try to perform their way out of it.

They pivot.

Psychiatrist Dr. Judith Beck (expert in cognitive behavioural performance) says:

“Recovery isn’t the opposite of productivity. It’s part of it.”

This idea is central to recruitment performance but almost never taught.

Most recruiters only have one “mode”:
Push.

Top performers build two modes:

1. Peak Mode

For high-energy hours:
• BD
• Influence calls
• Negotiation
• Strategising
• Writing job ads
• Candidate coaching
• Anything requiring presence, persuasion or creativity

2. Recovery/Reset Mode

For low-energy hours:
• Pipeline hygiene
• Admin
• Updating notes
• Easy follow-ups
• Reference checks
• Email replies
• Ads you copy/paste templates for
• Anything that moves the day forward without heavy cognitive load

This is the system that helps you bounce back faster – because you’re not fighting your brain.

You’re working with it.

How to Build Your Own Energy-Based System (Simple & Zero-BS)

This three-step method is what I’ve used myself and with recruiters I coach – and yes, it’s something we deep dive into at LAUNCH, but here’s the practical, do-it-now version.

Step 1 – Map Your “Profit Hours”

For one week, track your energy in three blocks:

Morning / Midday / Afternoon
2 sentences per block:

• “Did I feel sharp, flat or foggy?”
• “What work felt easiest?”

After 5 days, patterns appear.

That’s your blueprint.

Step 2 – Assign Work to the Energy Levels

Sharp = revenue activities
Flat = system/process activities
Foggy = reset tasks (walk, movement, admin-only)

This removes 80% of the guilt recruiters feel on low-energy days.

Step 3 – Build a “Low-Energy Menu”

This is your rescue kit.

Mine looked like:

• Update all active candidates
• Reply to admin emails
• Review next week’s interviews
• Prep candidate notes
• Run quick check-ins
• Clear the CRM
• Write lists for tomorrow
• Go for a 10-minute walk between calls
• One “needle mover” only – not three

When your brain is cooked, decisions feel heavier.

A pre-built menu removes the decisions.

That’s the magic.

Why This Works (And Why It Makes You More Money)

When you work against your energy, you bleed hours and confidence.

When you work with your energy:

• You bounce back quicker
• You reduce burnout
• You reduce slump time
• You get more done in less time
• You give your best hours to the work that actually pays you

High performers are not necessarily the most disciplined.

They’re the most aligned. They understand themselves.

They build systems that help them recover, not punish themselves for being human.

Final Thought

If you’re feeling exhausted, flat or foggy right now, don’t fight it.

Use it.

Your energy is data.
Your fatigue is information.
Your off days are part of the rhythm – not a sign you’re falling behind.

Build a system that catches you on those days…
and you’ll find yourself recovering faster, staying more consistent, and performing at a level you didn’t think was possible.

If you want to go through this in more detail, don’t miss out on your tickets to LAUNCH: The Mindset of a Million Dollar Biller, as these types of strategies are exactly what we will be covering on the day. Early bird pricing available until December 21st, or sign up to my mailing list to get special, Lone Recruiter audience pricing.

https://www.rcsa.com.au/Site/Shared_Content/Events/Upcoming_Events.aspx?Keyword=launch%202026