How to Gain, Preserve, and Conserve more of the *Right* Energy

Have you noticed that sometimes a task is extraordinarily easy and other times, the VERY same task feels arduous…or even painful?

Most of us experience energy patterns of ebb and flow. At times we are simply more ready and energized for work, creative endeavors, and even cleaning the house.

I know I am better in the morning. To do anything creative, it’s easier for me to do it before noon. Late afternoon is the worst time for me. Of course, working a full-time job (in a corporate office) doesn’t always allow me to organize my activities according to my best energy. Most of us are navigating the needs of other people and commitments – colleagues, bosses, family members, store hours, gym hours, class schedules, oh my! We can’t always do things when we want to or when it feels right.

However, we can work to create structures that support our best work (and energy) at better times – even if it’s not perfect.

[Some video I shot on FB Live about this topic…]

If you are early in your career, and you have less autonomy in the office, take some time for YOU either early morning (perhaps before you head to work), or right when you get in. This could mean:

• an early morning practice of exercise, meditation, journaling, time with your kids
• executing a few key tasks for something you are growing – i.e. working on personal development or starting a business
• time to get chores out of the way… change a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher in order to return to a welcoming, restorative environment
• an at-work morning routine to ensure you do what YOU need to do before opening email (which invariably puts you in a reactive, instead of proactive, stance)get situated – coffee, tea, water; check your calendar; make some notes

As you advance in your career, in order to take advantage of your best energy (and limit disruptions during “best energy” time) some ideas to try:establish office hours – time when your team is free to ‘approach’ (call, or IM) for any need/questions

• schedule short check-in calls – frequency would depend on the needs of a team or project
• establish a communication solution with your team to minimize time responding to email- for example, you could include indicators within the body of the text such as, ‘no need to respond’

More broadly, in order to gain more energy, (and to preserve and conserve the precious energy we begin with), consider the suggestions below and try one out. Just one thing. Observe, be kind, and create structures to support you – to HONOR you – in order to feel better, for better interaction, and ultimately, to be a better YOU!

• take breaks! – take a short walk, divert with a fun colleague (briefly!), go to a quiet place and shut your eyes for 8 minutes, etc.
• stay hydrated – a great work-day break is getting up to get water. Drink a full glass while standing at the water dispenser, then refill to brink back to your desk.
• sleep – or rather, do whatever you can to ensure better sleep. Sometimes this is more challenging than it appears (you might have to the evening schedule and establish a pre-sleep routine to better prepare yourself for sleep). Of course, what we eat and drink can impact sleep too. Again, just pay attention and be kind to yourself.
• exercise – IMO, the fitness industry has led us to believe that nothing short of “boot-camp-like” activity will lead us to our fitness goals. We can, in fact, keep our energy up with simple exercise routines like walking and stretching. From my experience, (and much of what I have read), the impact of food has a much more significant negative effect on health than the potential positive effect of exercise – mostly because we are terrible judges of what we consume (a 30 minute run might gain us one beer). Of course, I am not a nutritionist nor fitness coach! In an article entitled, Exercise vs. Diet: Which Is More Important for Weight Loss?, the author provides more detail to help substantiate my claim.

Simple adjustments can improve your energy. Although, ‘adjustment’ means change and change is never easy (especially when we’ve done things a certain way for a very long time).

If you are ready for this kind of change transformation, and would like a helpful hand, consider contacting me for some one-on-one coaching.