Your Energy: It's More Precious Than Ever

Using it wisely is a gift to yourself

When it comes to energy, I don’t have the same reserves I had when I was younger. That’s just true. And because it’s true, I’ve become more deliberate about managing it.

It started with noticing. What drains me? What doesn’t? What I keep doing out of habit or obligation that costs more than it returns? Once you start paying attention, you can’t really stop. The noticing becomes its own habit.

I’ve come to think of it as the Energy Hound — my name for that quiet, watchful awareness that keeps an eye on where my energy is going. It’s not a voice, more like an instinct that developed over time. It doesn’t tell me to avoid hard work or skip difficult things. It just keeps me honest about what is worth the effort and what isn’t.

Here’s a concrete example. When I decided to launch Older Artists, I had options. I know WordPress inside and out — hosting, themes, plugins, email systems, payment setups, all of it. I’ve done it for years. But every one of those things takes energy. A little here, a little there. It adds up.

I didn’t want to take all that on again. So, I chose Substack. Not because it’s perfect, but because it lets me leave a lot of that behind. That decision saved me money. More importantly, it saved me energy — and that energy goes straight into the work.

When I protect my energy, I write better, think more clearly, and enjoy the work more. And somewhere along the way, the choices started happening without much thought. I’d decide something and only later realize it was the more energy-efficient way to go. That’s the Energy Hound doing its job — quietly, in the background, without drama.

You notice it in small ways at first. A decision here. Something you let go of that you didn’t need to carry. And when you do, you feel it. That feeling stacks.

I suspect I’m not alone in this. The older I get, the more energy feels like the real currency.

See you next week.

— Barney