🎯 How to stop wasting your best energy

Read time: 3.2 minutes

Welcome to Better at Life, the weekly newsletter where I share one simple, actionable idea you can put into practice today to build better habits, sharpen your mindset, and live with more intention.

A few years ago, I realized something slightly horrifying: I was exhausted all the time… but not from doing hard things. From doing stupid things.

Scrolling “just for a minute.” Saying yes to meetings I didn’t need to be in. Checking email like it owed me money. By 2 p.m., my brain felt like an iPhone on 1% battery, and I hadn’t even done the things that actually mattered to me.

So I tried something new: an Energy Audit.

No spreadsheets.

No apps.

Just an honest look at what fuels me and what drains me.

And wow!

Turns out I wasn’t bad at time management.

I was just bad at energy management.

This Week’s Action: The Energy Audit

Here’s the 5-minute version:

  1. Draw two columns: one for “+ Energy” and one for “- Energy.”
  2. List your usual week. Meetings, habits, people, workouts, meals, whatever.
  3. Label each item: Does it give you energy or drain it?

Example:

  • + Energy: Morning walk, deep work block, lunch with a friend
  • – Energy: Slack pings, doomscrolling, late-night Netflix “just one more”

Now look at your list.

Circle one energy drainer you can cut or shrink this week, and one energy giver you can amplify.

That’s it. That’s the audit.

Why This Works:

Energy, not time, is your real currency. You can’t create more hours, but you can reclaim energy leaks. Research on attention and willpower shows that every small drain, like context switching or unnecessary decision-making, pulls from the same limited pool you need for meaningful work and connection.

Small tweaks compound fast.

Cut one daily drain, add one daily charge, and your week feels 30% lighter.

Mini Challenge:

Ask yourself:

“What’s one small thing that gives me energy I’m currently underestimating?”

Do more of that, even if it’s a two-minute walk or sending a dumb meme to your best friend.

Being better at life isn’t about doing more.

It’s about feeling more alive while doing it.

Small wins, smart energy, better days.

See you next week — a little better at life.

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