It’s great to start your day at work with high physical and mental energy. Everything seems so achievable, and you feel like you can deliver any output at the highest quality and on the most efficient timeline.
Keeping that same energy level is another story entirely. It’s a limited supply, just like our energy for sports or household chores is also limited.
Luckily, we’ve got some energy-boosting advice for you so you never have to worry about shutting down in the middle of your work routine.
Turn on the music (but not too loudly!)
This is probably one of the most popular motivational workplace habits. Music is so good at energizing us not only because it’s fun, but also because it has rhythm. It helps your mind and body to work at a certain rate or tempo. It reminds your whole being that you have to be on the move, that you have to be doing something.
Changing the type of music you listen to throughout the day also helps a lot when you need to…
Pace your work
This is because different types of music have different rhythm. If you need to slow down and avoid going into overdrive, listen to mild and steady music that will sustain your activity and soothe you into a moderate working pace. Alternatively, listen to up-tempo music if you need to kick your efficiency up a notch. Results may vary, and certain types of music may have the opposite effect. Experiment with your playlist: it’s fun to listen to different genres, and it gives you an additional tool to pace your work.
Or, if you don’t particularly enjoy music, use something else to stagger your efforts and match your work pace to your physical, mental and motivational condition. Divide your day into different activity blocks when needed. While doing this, you’ll surely be able to…
Constantly review your progress and goals
It’s important to track where you are within the context of achieving your daily, weekly and monthly goals. You can find out if everything is going according to plan, or if you need to adjust to capitalize on efficient work or compensate for inefficient work. You can also review any opportunities and threats that may have come up while you were presently working.
Having proper knowledge of your progress relieves pressure and allows you to…
Take time to exhale every now and then
The freedom to take a quick rest comes with knowing exactly where you are in terms of achieving your goals or accomplishing your objectives. It’s also a solid opportunity for you to recover from both physical and mental exertion. Starting new phases of your projects or objectives is easier from a state of rest, because you’ve relaxed the tension built up from the efforts you previously made.
A brief pause is an ideal time for you to…
Talk to your team
Remember that for bigger projects, your entire team is involved. This means that you may benefit from exchanges of updates on your individual tasks, or troubleshoot possible setbacks together. For solo projects, there may be someone else on your team with experience handling the same type of workload who can then give you advice. If nothing else, the occasional idle chat with your team is a stress reliever.
While talking with your team, you may wish to…
Replenish your chemical energy (in other words, eat!)
Apart from the usual reminder to eat properly during mealtimes (breakfast, lunch, or dinner, whichever is covered during your shift), put aside some time to have a snack. Both your mind and body will thank you for the extra fuel!
The usual craving for a snack hits during the break between the middle and the end of the shift. You could also munch on some treats while having a brief meeting with your team.
When all is said and done, and you’ve punched out and started heading home…
Reflect on your day
Step back and take a better look at how your day at work was. Much of what happened will dictate what else you need to do for your next day at work. Were there any opportunities or obstacles that you could’ve handled better? How many of your critical objectives did you clear off of your to-do list? What general points do you need to remember when planning your next shift? Anchor your plans around this self-assessment.
And of course, remember to go through these phases again when you get back to work the next day!