Keep gas in the tank

Literally and figuratively, you don't want to be running on empty

No one particularly enjoys filling up their gas tank. If you’re on the way home from work and the light comes on, who wants to stop and add even more time to the end of the day?

But if you’re driving on empty and plan to get gas in the morning, that means leaving a little earlier — which your future self isn’t going to be thrilled about either. What if you sleep through your alarm? What if there’s a major accident that reroutes you farther from a gas station? Or worse, what if there’s an emergency in the middle of the night? I'm sure that will be fun finding a 24-hour gas station as you’re racing to get to a friend or relative in the hospital.

Better to put gas in your tank and not run on empty. Life serves up plenty of drama. There’s no need you to add to it.

Avoid a crisis

Refilling before depletion is wise in other realms as well. Is your household stocked with essentials? Sometimes a late night run to the drugstore for a prescription is inevitable. A midnight run for feminine hygiene supplies or diapers is not. You know if you or someone in your household need these items, and it’s not hard to see when you’ll run out. So don’t get to empty.

Likewise, you want to keep your phone and computer reasonably charged. From time to time, charging won’t go as planned. Maybe the power goes out, or the charger isn’t plugged in right. When that happens, you don’t want to find yourself with inadequate juice in your phone to get through the day, or at least to make an emergency call. Best for your default to be charging more frequently than is necessary.

Don’t leave it all on the track

You also want to keep gas in your tank metaphorically as well. I admit, I’m a bit judgmental when I read running essays by people who talk about “leaving it all on the track.” If you’re not actually in a competition…why? Is there nothing else you will need to do in your life after you run? When I come home from a long run that means it’s time for me to take over with the kids (who my husband has been with while I run). It doesn’t work to get to empty. Similarly, if you’re on a tough work trip, but your spouse has been watching the kids solo for a week while you’ve been gone, you’re going to get a toddler in your arms the second you walk in the door.

So keep some gas in the tank. When you’re not running on empty, you can be more calm about life and also deal with the unexpected. It often doesn’t take much to refuel, but doing so means a lot less stress.