I have an old Cateye wireless on my bike. No GPS, no power, no cadence, just the basics. I don't run apps on my phone other than to verify calibration of the Cateye. I also have specific routes of varying distances that I rotate through (albeit, somewhat at random).
While I want to know things like total time, stopping time, avg speed, etc., I don't really care that much to compare one day's ride to another (don't log the results). Conditions change everyday, even if it's just slightly, like cloud cover or wind direction that can dramatically affect my ride that day. I also live near the beach so many of my routes have portions along the beach. Some days I push hard, some days I enjoy the view. I don't have any real goal on a ride other than to get home safely. I listen to my body. When it tells me to slow down, I do. If it says "you can do better than this", I pick up the pace. So that overall the ride was vigorous, but not exhausting (like you said).