Capacity-based planning

What it is

Capacity-based planning considers the energy, attention, sensory, emotional, and recovery costs of an activity before committing to it. Workload and output are based on current conditions rather than an idealized level of functioning.

How to strengthen Sustainable Capacity Patterns

1. Activity and capacity tracking

Activity and capacity tracking means briefly recording what you did and how your capacity changed afterward. Choose one or two relevant signs, such as energy, concentration, irritability, or sensory overload, and track them for long enough to notice repeated patterns.

Example: For one week, rate your energy and concentration from 0 to 10 at midday and in the evening, and note the day’s main demands. You notice that two video meetings in a row regularly leave your concentration at 3 out of 10, while a short break between them keeps it closer to 6. When possible, begin leaving a buffer between demanding meetings.

2. Activity pacing

Activity pacing means spreading effort and recovery instead of repeatedly pushing until you’re depleted. Break demanding activities into parts, alternate them with lighter activities or rest, and pause before severe exhaustion makes recovery harder.

Example: You usually clean your entire apartment on Saturday morning and feel exhausted for the rest of the day. Try cleaning for twenty-five minutes, resting for ten, and stopping for the day after the kitchen and bathroom. Do the floors the next day. After trying this a few times, adjust the amount based on how much you can do without causing a long recovery.

3. Demand-resource review

A demand-resource review compares what a situation requires with what you currently have available to handle it. Demands may include time pressure, workload, emotional strain, physical effort, or sensory input. Resources may include time, energy, support, information, tools, money, or flexibility. When the demands are greater than the available resources, look for something you can reduce, delay, simplify, delegate, renegotiate, or get support with.

Example: You have four hours of client calls scheduled on the same day that a report is due, and the report usually takes three hours to complete. Explain the mismatch to your manager and ask whether the deadline can move, the report can be shortened, or some of the calls can be reassigned. The aim is to change the workload rather than automatically extending your workday.

4. Psychological detachment

Psychological detachment means mentally disengaging from work or another sustained demand during recovery time. Create a clear stopping point, remove reminders that pull you back in, and shift your attention to an activity that’s separate from the demand.

Example: At the end of the workday, write down the first task you’ll return to tomorrow, close your laptop, and silence work notifications until morning. If you remember something important later, write a brief note without reopening your email, then return to what you were doing.

5. Scaled routines

A scaled routine is a reduced version of an essential activity for periods when your usual capacity isn’t available. Decide in advance what the full, reduced, and minimum versions involve so that you don’t have to choose between doing everything normally and abandoning the routine entirely.

Example: Your usual evening routine includes cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen, and preparing lunch for the next day. On a lower-capacity evening, use a prepared meal and load the dishes without doing the rest of the cleaning. On a very low-capacity evening, eat something simple and leave the dishes for the next morning. The routine changes to fit your capacity rather than disappearing or requiring the usual level of effort.

Approach note. Activity pacing was developed in rehabilitation care for chronic pain and fatigue, and psychological detachment is a concept from occupational health research on recovery. Both are used well beyond clinical settings.