How to Audit Your Energy Like a Balance Sheet

ByGuyAfterWork

In business, a balance sheet is a snapshot of financial health. It tracks assets (what you own) and liabilities (what you owe). If your liabilities consistently outweigh your assets, you are insolvent. You’re out of business.

In 2019, I was physically and mentally insolvent. I was treating my energy like an infinite credit card. I kept “spending” on extra video projects, corporate stress, and later the 122kg of physical strain, assuming I could just pay it back later with a vacation or a weekend on the couch. But you cannot “bankrupt” your health and expect to keep your career.

The Energy Audit

To find my alignment, I had to stop looking at my calendar and start looking at my Energy Balance Sheet. I began to categorize my life into two simple columns:

1. Assets (Energy Inflow):

  • The “Core Four” habits from my Daily Baseline Checklist
  • 20 minutes of silence on a Latvian trail
  • High-quality “fuel” and proper hydration
  • Deep work that aligns with my long-term horizon

2. Liabilities (Energy Outflow):

  • The “Sock Problem” (minor, constant drains)
  • Decision fatigue from having too many choices
  • Procrastination (which is just “interest” paid on a task you’re avoiding)
  • Carrying extra weight – both physical and mental

Calculating Your Net Worth

Most people spend their lives managing their “Income” (how much they do) while ignoring their “Equity” (how they actually feel).

By using my Daily Baseline Checklist, I created a daily “Closing Bell”. At the end of the day, I look at my assets. Did I move? Did I seek silence? Did I fuel correctly? If the answer is no, I don’t “hustle” harder the next day. I subtract a liability instead.

I stopped trying to “increase my income” of tasks and started “reducing my debt” of stress.

The View from the Black-alder Swamp

When I stand on a frozen boardwalk in Ķemeri at -18°C, my balance sheet is perfectly clear. There is no debt there. There is only the asset of the cold air and the signal of the forest.

That is why I created these tools. The Guardrail Budget protects your financial assets, and the Daily Baseline Checklist protects your physical equity. Together, they ensure that you remain “solvent” enough to enjoy the view at the end of the day.

Your energy is your most valuable currency. Stop spending it on things that don’t pay you back.

— GuyAfterWork

If you’re ready to move from theory to action, you can find the complete framework for this system in The Clear Sight Guide.

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