Treat your energy as if it’s expensive

When announcing her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, on the New Heights podcast, Taylor Swift said, “You should think of your energy as if it’s expensive. . . . Not everyone can afford it.” She was encouraging people to have a healthy relationship with social media and not get sucked into online drama and endless scrolling. 

As a working mom with three kids, this hit me deeply—about much more than social media. I have spent a good portion of my adult life talking about productivity, apps, and tools to save time. But Swift used a different word: energy. I can do dozens of things to save time in my day, but if I don’t have any energy left, what have I really gained?

If you want to treat your energy as if it’s expensive, you should think about how you’re spending your time and what things drain too much of your finite energy resources. Here’s how to get started.

Audit how you spend your time

Think of a block of time in your day—maybe for a meeting or picking your kids up from school. What drains your energy far beyond the amount of time on the clock?

Years ago, I was part of a book club that I really enjoyed. But then the group started fighting about everything from the books we chose to the members we accepted. As much as I loved the people I met through the group, it was draining too much of my energy. So I left.

A good way to audit your time is to ask yourself: What is taking up too much space in my brain? If you get sucked into work drama, you’ll probably find yourself upset or stewing hours later. A 30-minute meeting ends up absorbing much more of your time and energy.

Things that take up too much of your energy leave you feeling drained, defeated, or exhausted later. Identifying these is the first step to setting boundaries.

Reframe your priorities

Next, you’ll look at the demands on your time and energy. Figure out what is required and how you can cut back on things that are too “expensive.”

A meeting with your boss might require a lot of your energy, but you have to do it because it’s part of your job. Volunteering for a local organization might require a lot of your time, but is low energy or something you enjoy.

Break down your time into four quadrants: high-priority + high-energy, high-priority + low-energy, low-priority + high-energy, and low-priority + low-energy. 

Low priority + high energy is not a good combination. If you treat your energy as expensive, those are things you should cut back on. Low priority + low energy might be something you can cut altogether, unless it’s something that can give your brain a reprieve and doesn’t interfere with your high priorities. 

Reclaim your energy for what matters the most

While you can’t necessarily get rid of high-priority + high-energy demands, you can try to protect yourself. Keep the interactions or work to the bare minimum.

I used to work with a group of people who were very high-drama. Meetings turned into battles, and the disagreements would continue in long strings of emails. I couldn’t escape the interactions, because it was part of my job. 

But later in the day, I would complain about the group at dinner with my family. I would stew over the interactions while I was driving around. I let the drama absorb way more of my energy than it deserved. With effort on my part, I learned to say, “Nope. I’m going to leave work at work.” 

You can also find ways to recharge your energy, whether it’s a walk, a nap, or locking your phone so you don’t get sucked into an endless doomscroll. 

Recharging isn’t a luxury—it’s essential, especially when you’re locked into a lot of high-priority + high-energy work. If you’re not careful with how you spend your time, it’s a quick path to burnout, feeling frazzled, or lacking the energy for things that matter in your life. 

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