Your Two Most Valuable Resources: Time and Energy
We talk a lot about opportunity in athletics communications—better jobs, bigger platforms, more visibility. But underneath all of that, there are two assets that quietly determine whether any of it actually materializes:
Your time and your energy.
They are finite. They are non-renewable in the short term. And most importantly, they are constantly being spent—whether you’re intentional about it or not.
The Misconception: Time Is the Constraint
Most professionals in our space will tell you they don’t have enough time. The schedule is relentless—game coverage, travel, social, writing, stats, relationships, crises. It’s a valid concern.
But time is only half the equation.
You can have a perfectly organized calendar and still feel stuck, burned out, or unproductive. That’s because energy—not time—is often the real bottleneck.
Energy determines:
The quality of your work
Your creativity in storytelling
Your ability to connect with coaches, student-athletes, and media
Your resilience during long seasons
If your energy is depleted, more time doesn’t solve the problem. It just extends the struggle.
Where We Lose Both
In athletic communications, the leaks are subtle but constant:
Reactive work cycles – Living in inboxes, texts, and last-minute requests instead of proactive planning
Low-value repetition – Rewriting the same type of release without evolving your process
Unclear priorities – Treating everything as urgent, which makes nothing meaningful
Digital overload – Endless scrolling disguised as “keeping up with trends”
Each of these quietly drains both time and energy without producing meaningful progress.
The Shift: From Spending to Investing
Most people spend their time and energy. Very few invest it.
Spending looks like:
Completing tasks just to get through the day
Saying yes to everything to avoid friction
Operating without a clear outcome in mind
Investing looks like:
Prioritizing work that compounds (relationships, systems, storytelling quality)
Building processes that reduce future workload
Protecting mental bandwidth for high-impact moments
In this field, investing your resources might mean:
Creating templates that elevate your writing efficiency
Developing stronger media relationships that amplify your programs
Allocating focused time to long-form storytelling instead of just transactional recaps
Energy Management Is a Skill
Energy isn’t just about sleep or caffeine—it’s about alignment.
Ask yourself:
When during the day am I most focused?
What type of work drains me vs. energizes me?
Where am I overcommitting out of habit rather than necessity?
High performers in this space don’t just manage deadlines—they manage when and how they show up to those deadlines.
Boundaries Are Not a Luxury
In a profession that often demands availability, boundaries can feel unrealistic. But without them, your time and energy will always be dictated by external demands.
Boundaries might look like:
Blocking uninterrupted work time for writing or creative tasks
Setting expectations on response times when possible
Being selective about additional responsibilities that don’t align with your goals
This isn’t about doing less. It’s about doing what matters better.
The Long-Term Impact
Careers in athletic communications are not built in single seasons—they’re built over years of consistent output, growth, and reputation.
If you constantly deplete your time and energy without replenishment or direction, burnout isn’t a possibility—it’s a certainty.
But if you:
Protect your energy
Direct your time intentionally
Invest in work that compounds
You create sustainability. And sustainability is what allows you to stay in the game long enough to actually grow.
Final Thought
You don’t control every demand placed on you in this profession. But you do control how you allocate your two most valuable resources.
Time is what you have.
Energy is how you use it.
Manage both with intention, and everything else—your output, your opportunities, your trajectory—starts to align.
