When You’ve Lost Your Mojo: How the Mojo Meter Was Born

A Conversation That Sparked an Idea

The idea for the Mojo Meter came from a conversation in session with a client I’ve been seeing for some time.

She was telling me about a reward system that a family member had created for her grandchildren, called Dojo Points, inspired by their new interest in martial arts. It is also something used in some primary schools, and as she was describing it, I found myself smiling—not because it was just a nice idea for children, but because something about it felt unexpectedly relevant.

As she spoke, it struck me that this kind of simple tracking system might have something to offer beyond behaviour management, particularly in the context of what she herself had been going through.

Living with the Weight of Ongoing Challenges

She has been living with a series of significant health setbacks, the kind that don’t just affect the body but gradually wear down your energy, your mood, and your sense of yourself over time.

She does what she can. She uses the strategies we have worked on, she shows up to sessions, and she puts in the effort to keep her mind and emotions steady.

And still, there is a weight to her circumstances that doesn’t simply lift because you are doing the right things.

At one point, it became clear in the way she spoke about it that something deeper had shifted for her. She described it quite simply: she felt like she had lost her mojo.

It Wasn’t About Motivation

What stood out to me in that moment was that this wasn’t about a lack of motivation or willingness. If anything, she was trying very hard.

But when life has been this demanding for this long, it is not motivation that tends to disappear. What goes first is your energy, your rhythm, and that internal sense of momentum that helps you move through your day with some ease.

Trying harder doesn’t restore that.

Rethinking the Idea of a Reward System

As she continued talking about Dojo Points, I started to consider what this idea might look like if it were adapted for her situation—not as a behaviour chart, and not as something rigid or prescriptive, but as a simple way of tracking what supports her and what doesn’t.

I suggested that we could create something similar, but instead of focusing on behaviour, it could be centred around her energy and her sense of wellbeing.

The idea wasn’t to reward or punish, but to gently notice what gives something back, what takes something away, and what helps her come back to herself when things feel off.

That was the starting point for what became the Mojo Meter.

What Is the Mojo Meter?

The Mojo Meter is a simple way of tracking your energy across the day, beginning from a neutral point and gradually building awareness of what lifts you, what drains you, and what supports recovery.

There is no expectation to get a perfect score and no sense that you are doing it right or wrong. The value of the process comes from the patterns you begin to notice over time.

A Shift from Productivity to Awareness

What I appreciate about this approach is that it shifts the focus away from productivity and performance, and towards something more useful in moments of difficulty, which is understanding your capacity.

When life feels heavy, having some structure can be helpful, but only if that structure is flexible enough to meet you where you are rather than pushing you further than you can realistically go.

This is not about doing more or becoming more disciplined. It is about paying closer attention to how your energy is actually moving and making small, manageable adjustments that support your nervous system and your overall wellbeing.

Working with Your Energy Instead of Against It

Instead of asking yourself why you cannot get back to where you were, it can be more helpful to ask what might support you to feel a little more like yourself today, and then to track that in a way that is steady and consistent.

Over time, this kind of awareness can help you reconnect with your own rhythm, rather than constantly working against it.

If This Resonates

If this way of working resonates with you, I have created a printable version of the Mojo Meter along with a Monthly Tracker so that you can begin to observe your own patterns over time.

It is designed to be simple, practical, and adaptable to your own pace and circumstances.

You can explore it here:
The Mojo Meter and Monthly Tracker

For Psychologists and Practitioners

For those working in the field, the Mojo Meter offers a simple, adaptable tool that can be integrated into therapeutic work, particularly with clients navigating chronic health conditions, burnout, or prolonged stress.

It can be used to support:

• awareness of energy patterns and capacity
• conversations around pacing and self-regulation
• a shift away from performance-based thinking towards embodied awareness

The structure is intentionally flexible, allowing it to be tailored to the individual rather than applied as a rigid framework.

A Different Way Back to Yourself

Losing your sense of momentum does not mean it is gone for good.

Sometimes it simply needs a different kind of support to find its way back.

• When You’ve Lost Your Mojo: How the Mojo Meter Was Born
• Why You Can Feel Lonely Even Around People (And How to Build Real Connection)
• Why Meaningful Social Connection Is Essential for Mental Health and Longevity
• Emotional Boundaries for Therapists: Why Courage Matters
• Validation Is Energy Conservation