5 Ways to Stay Energized at Work

by David Lapedis

 

When we spend the majority of our waking day at work, it is important for us to stay energized. This can allow us to enjoy our jobs more and feel better while we are working. Here are some ways to stay energized:*

1. Move

Take a walk, stretch, stand up. This circulates blood and helps keep you physically alert. The more you move, the more energy you can create. Movement even brings more oxygen to your cells, and who doesn’t want more oxygen?

2. Eat snacks every 2-3 hours

Healthy snacks between meals (veggies, fruit, nuts, etc.) keep our metabolism going and give us energy. Drinking plenty of water is also helpful.

3. Take breaks

Work in cycles; this is natural for the body and spirit. Focus, engage and breathe. It is the quality of work you do, not the quantity. It is natural to rest and recover in between periods of intense focus. We are so often used to going from task to task without taking a break. This limits our ability to put energy into what we are working on.

4. Focus on one task

When our attention is present on the task at hand, the work is of better quality. Having several windows open on our computer encourages us to get distracted. With the amount of stimulus in a workplace or on the Internet, it is easy to lose focus. When you bring your attention to the task at hand, the more you can put into your work. This is about putting energy and presence into what you are working on.

5. Intention

Remember the reason you are working on task. When you give each task meaning, you can see how it relates to others and contributes to the larger purpose of your organization. An easy way to do this is to pause before beginning a task just to give yourself time to align your focus. One way to do this is to think: “I choose to do this because____________” before beginning a task.

Some example answers are: “it helps my customer see how we are serving them,” “it reminds my team what is an important priority this week” or “I enjoy writing content to remind professionals how to be happy at work.”

*The first three points are borrowed from The Power of Story by Jim Loehr.