I recently had a conversation with a colleague who is a serial entrepreneur. I don’t know how many companies he has started but he has been successful several times. He is in his mid-50’s and is in the throes of yet another startup.
He commented that he did not have as much energy as he had in his 30s and he could feel, more so than in the past, the emotional and cognitive strain of getting a newborn company to stand on its own. We commiserated about having less energy now than we did decades ago.
I am not complaining. I feel vigorous and energetic. But I would not want to be one of those men who has a second family after they become Medicare eligible. And I don’t have any desire to return to the management hustle, political combat and stress about whether it will all work that was at the center of my full-employment life. I am energetic but not that energetic
As you age, your energy levels do drop. Your aerobic capacity begins to wane, and your muscle mass decreases by 5%-8% per decade after age 60. Sleep is lighter and more fragmented. Testosterone levels are reduced and exercise recovery time increases.
This all sounds rather depressing, but fear not!
While your energy levels will drop, you can become more energy efficient and be as active as someone 20 years younger. There are three keys to efficiency:
Waste less energy on things that don’t matter
Pace yourself better
Choose activities that give higher “energy return on investment (EROI)”
To reduce energy waste, I have created a “do I care?” spinner. If you bring an issue to me, I will flick the spinner to determine whether I want to spend time on your problem or not. As you can see, I have figured out that many things don’t matter.
The post includes a picture of what proper pacing looks like.
One of the best ways to fritter away EROI is doom scrolling. Doom scrolling is the habit of compulsively consuming negative, alarming, or outrage-inducing content online, even though it makes you feel worse. In this area of political rancor, it is easy to find web sites that have a political perspective different than your own and which are designed to get you agitated. You’ll live longer if you ignore them
To be more positive than avoiding certain online content, the activities below have a high EROI.
High quality sleep
Daily movement, especially walking
Strength training a couple of times each week
Chronic disease management
Purposeful activity/work/volunteer/hobbies
Time with the right people
Time in nature
Even if you are a high-energy 20-year-old, keep this list. It is timeless.
You’ll also note that this list does not have an entry “Eat Brussel Sprouts and Beets.” Both vegetables, no matter how well prepared, are not edible and, I am convinced, eating them will shorten your life.
Reduced energy as you age, is a fact of life. Between my “I care or I don’t” spinner, better pacing and a high EROI list of activities, I hope to slow down the speed of the reduction.
Time for a nap.