---
id: ins_langley-barth-human-tokens
title: "Product marketers should think of their energy and focus as 'human tokens' to be spent wisely."
operator: Langley Barth
operator_role: 'Staff PMM @ Intuit | I turn customer insight into decisions, not decks | GTM · Positioning · Launches | Top 100 PMM Influencer | Navy Vet'
source_url: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7443578214645485569/
source_type: thread
source_title: "Product marketers should think of their energy and focus as 'human tokens' to be"
source_date: 2026-04-10
captured_date: 2026-05-03
domain: [pmm]
lifecycle: []
maturity: applied
artifact_class: framework
score: { originality: 3, specificity: 3, evidence: 2, transferability: 3, source: 3 }
tier: C
related: []
raw_ref: raw/linkedin/reactions/linkedin-reactions-2026-04-10.md
---

# Product marketers should think of their energy and focus as 'human tokens' to be spent wisely.

## Claim
As I've been leveling up my Claude usage, I used to think the whole concept of tokens was so dumb. Nowadays, I can relate to it. I find myself when working on a last minute brief or putting an unruly kid to bed thinking, jeez, I could use more human tokens right now.

## Mechanism
The analogy helps PMMs prioritize their limited cognitive and emotional bandwidth, especially when juggling urgent work and personal life. It reframes productivity as resource management rather than just time management.