I had never heard the concept of an energy pyramid before. For years, I struggled to get motivated to start creative projects. Then a good friend I‘ve contracted with for over 15 years showed me a framework that changes everything. It gets a project started, builds momentum, and carries it through to completion.
What Is the Energy Pyramid?
The energy pyramid breaks the creative process into five stages, each one funneling into the next:
- Energy – the initial spark. Whatever it takes to get started.
- Effort – the deliberate push that follows that spark.
- Activity – effort turns into consistent, repeated action.
- Productivity – activity compounds into real output.
- Results – the finished work.
You start at the foundation and build upward. Skip the foundation, and the rest of the pyramid has nothing to stand on.
Why This Framework Works
Once a project starts to take shape, it gets easier to continue. You’ve pushed through the hardest part — the blank page — and reached the point where it’s simply work. You know what it technically takes to finish. The energy pyramid works because it doesn’t ask you to feel inspired. It only asks you to create one small spark, and then trust the process to carry you forward.
My Personal Trick: Isochronic Tones for Focus
Lately, I’ve used isochronic tones at 40Hz. I mix them with trance, house, or lo-fi ambient music playing quietly in the background while I work. This combination helps with entrainment, keeps me focused, and lets me work for roughly three hours without interruption.
Here’s how it works: the tone plays slightly differently in the left speaker than the right. That subtle difference forces the brain to pay attention, which induces entrainment. Because the music itself is unobtrusive, it doesn’t distract. Instead, the steady pulsing rhythm helps lock in focus and even surfaces ideas and solutions while you work.
Putting the Energy Pyramid Into Practice
I had been struggling to start — or return to — several projects. Most were paintings with the graphite drawing already finished — some sitting untouched for years, just waiting for me to pick them back up.
So I put on the music, found my focused energy, and got to work.
The results so far:
- Seven paintings in progress, all completely different from one another
- A children’s book written by Mom and illustrated by me in graphite, then painted in watercolor
- A demo recording of an original song I composed on the guitar
- Drums, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, and bass, all recorded by me
Key Takeaways
If you’re stuck at the bottom of your own energy pyramid, here’s where to start:
- Don’t wait for motivation — manufacture a small spark of energy instead.
- Let that spark lead to effort, even five minutes of it.
- Use a focus tool (music, tones, a timer) to turn effort into sustained activity.
- Trust that productivity and results follow naturally once activity is consistent.
