Energy Budget

What it is

An Energy Budget treats your focus like money. You only have so many prime hours in a day, and once they are spent, they are gone. This model helps founders allocate their best energy to work that compounds instead of leaking it on distractions.

When to use it

Use this when you feel tired all the time and cannot see why. If your days are full but progress feels thin, the Energy Budget shows where your focus is leaking.

How to apply (3 to 4 steps)

1. Map your last week: mark tasks that left you energized (+) and those that drained you (-).

2. Set a daily or weekly energy cap. Decide how many prime hours you truly have.

3. Allocate those hours to compounding work first (shipping, sales, hiring, fundraising).

4. Add guardrails: limit meetings, block deep work hours, and protect recovery.

Try it now (Micro task)

List your top three tasks for tomorrow. Circle the one that moves the business forward the most. Spend your freshest energy block on it.

Founder story

"Aisha ran eight sales calls in one week and realized she had zero time for onboarding fixes. By capping her prime hours and allocating six to product work, she saw onboarding completion rise 18 percent in two weeks."

Why it works (Evidence)

Cognitive science shows decision fatigue and context switching rapidly deplete mental energy. Protecting prime hours for compounding work increases both output and resilience.

Related models

• Maker vs Manager Schedule: Separate deep work from meeting creep
• Minimum Viable Operations: Keep the lights on when energy is lowest
• Boundary Rehearsal: Practice saying no with confidence to protect prime hours