I had a spike in traffic last Tuesday and I don’t know why 😆 I think I might’ve screwed up by not posting last week. Oh well.

I had a thought last week as I was trying to “do it all.” In the midst of it all, I was looking over our budget and reminding myself of my goal to live below my means. Sage advice for those crunching numbers and balancing a budget.

And then I started thinking about my “means” in more than just financial terms. What is the threshold of my “means” when it comes to time or commitment or energy or hours awake? And do I live below that? Do I constantly butt up against the “line” of my means? What does it look like to live comfortably below my mental means?

I am not a fan of the hustle culture. Rather, I am a strong supporter of the hobbit culture. But I also wouldn’t say that I currently live below my means when it comes to time/energy/commitment spent. I don’t know what that looks like. I have a bad habit of pushing myself to and over the line of exhaustion on nearly all fronts.

Yes, that’s the nature of full time employment and homeownership and motherhood and blah blah blah… but does it have to be?

I don’t think it does.

But I believe that means you have to be comfortable with nothingness. A quiet cell phone. An empty calendar. A free evening. A missed event or party or volunteer opportunity.

And I think the quietness makes space to begin reorganizing your life to include things that actually fuel you… not just stuff to stay busy and be involved. As an introvert, I tend to guard my energy. But peer pressure and social obligation still manage to drain me.

Life is busy right now. I have multiple nights a week booked with things for me or M or K. My days are filled to the brim with work and appointments and meetings. Our weekends start off empty, but usually fill up pretty quickly. And I feel very very blessed by all the love and energy and events that happen in our lives… but I think there’s value in cultivating what and when we say “yes” or “no.”

So this fall/winter I’m going to try to evaluate where my means begin and end, so I can reserve and spend more intentionally- like how I would with money. I don’t know if it’s possible, but it’s something I’d really like to try.

Do you treat your energy and time like currency?

-Aud