15 Every(work)day Energy Hacks

Lockdowns… Zoom fatigue… darker Winter days… they’re all testing our energy levels. I’m often described as “energetic” but I have to remind myself that there’s things I can consciously do to keep my spirits up, too! Here's some top tips and habits that keep me buzzing:

(1) Choose your mood. ?How do you start your day? I wake up to the 3 different signs in my room: (1) 'How happy do you want to be today?' (2) 'I am happy, I am healthy', (3) 'Good Vibes Only'. Set intentions for your day, rather than just rolling into it and taking whatever comes to you. I try to take a few moments of gratitude practice and set my mind into a 'can do' mode.

(2) Belt some music. If morning mantras feel a bit cheesy for you, you can’t go wrong with your own curated playlist of favourite music to wake up to. Pick wisely though - melancholy tracks aren’t going to be the best choice for your morning alarm to get you jumping out of bed. My Morning mood setting playlist?has some of the classics (e.g. Eye of the Tiger), alongside feel good anthems (e.g. Happy by Pharrell) and a bunch of pure sass. I get soooo fired up some mornings I can’t sit still!

(3)?Get moving. Now you’ve got those tunes playing you can’t just lay there! I’m an early bird and one of my longest going habits is to get a workout under the belt before work, to get those endorphins flowing. It doesn't have to be a gym workout. You could go for a walk, and get a head start on meeting your daily 10K steps target (which will be another dopamine hit later when you meet it!) You shouldn’t do something you THINK you should do; do something YOU enjoy. Yoga? Jumping on the bed (or trampoline)??Heck, just DANCE LIKE NOBODY IS LOOKING – whatever the time of day.?

(4)?Inject some colour. Colour changes your mood. It’s not just your physical location that you can brighten up with plants, flowers or a feature wall… Are you going to reply with your feedback in a red font or choose a more cheerful colour? Is your zoom background a plain white wall or something more representative of your personality? The colours you wear also impact your mood: rather than being in head-to-toe of passive grey, add some blue (calming), green (harmony) or orange (energy).??

(5) Do what you love. Whilst we can’t just change career or industry at the drop of a hat, nor can we Marie Condo our diary to only be full of things that bring us joy, you can try to shift the balance. Make a list of all your work tasks split by what does and doesn’t bring you joy. Then try finding ways to spend more time on the stuff where you feel you’re in flow, and shift the balance to have a higher mix of work tasks that give you a buzz (or ask your boss for them). For me, it’s less time cleaning data in spreadsheets, and more time developing a new idea.

(6) Organise & prioritise. As lovely as it is having a nice notepad to scribble in, I find a digital to-do list is far easier to maintain. Even with a simple spreadsheet you can customise it with filters by project/stakeholder/priority/status and keep an archive of things done. I set 2-3 clear priorities for the day ahead, meaning I know where to focus my energy. It's far less stressful having a manageable amount and this way you don’t kick yourself for not meeting an unrealistic to-do list.?Sort emails into folders based on urgency of response rather than replying to everything the day it arrives: don't be a slave to your inbox (but don’t ignore people either). Set rules for newsletters to go into a separate folder so you can catch-up on them when it suits you, rather than getting distracted every 10 minutes.?

(7) Take breaks. Even F1 cars need pit stops, so use that lunch break! I even try to squeeze in a cheeky power nap some days ?? We shouldn't feel guilty for taking time out for ourselves - when you’re functioning and feeling your best, everything else follows. Can you squeeze in 3 minutes of meditation to clear your head? Set the timer and let your thoughts pass over like clouds, without trying to dwell on any in particular for too long. To keep your energy levels high, you need moments to refuel and refocus. You need time to reset and doing nothing will make you more energetic on the next thing.

(8) Timebox your diary. ?Get organised and allocate time in a way that utilises your energy in the best way for you. Energy is finite and back-to-back meetings are a sure way to deplete it; how can you avoid being getting yourself into a burnout situation? I timebox for planning my day's priorities, catching-up on emails, time to actually get some (Deep) work done and, of course, breaks. It’s worth keeping some flexibility in your week’s calendar for the unexpected.

(9) Concentrate. Fragmented thinking produces lower quality work that can be easily replicated, so Cal Newport recommends having 1 hour of Deep Work a day. Rather than churning out non-cognitive ‘shallow work’ that doesn’t create much value, we need to minimise distractions for a period of time to get into ‘a state of flow’ and produce output at peak level instead. Scheduling these periods of attention makes them easier to stick to. I’m not saying you need to quit social media altogether but you can at least turn notifications off of the myriad of apps on your phone; I now chose when I want to check the News or Instagram rather than it constantly distracting me with pop-ups and flashing lights. When you concentrate and deliver something of higher value, that’ll boost your energy for the rest of the day.

(10) Avoid multitasking. Everyone likes to think they can multitask but a quick Google shows the myriad of evidence on multi-tasking being a myth and that it not only leads to anxiety but drains the energy of your brain. Your brain can’t process multiple cognitive tasks at once which means you won't retain any of the information – like when people are on their laptops/phones in a meeting and you just know they’re not listening…. But of course, when your meeting is on Zoom it’s much harder to resist flicking tabs and zoning out. Either fight the urge to juggle, or consider leaving the meeting altogether if you have other priorities needing your attention. Be all in, or out.

(11) Work flexible hours... Some days I feel flat as a pancake and procrastinate no end...and other days I'm absolutely flying. Ideas, left, right, centre... I’ve got 10 ideas and it’s not even 9am! Are you a morning person or late-night owl? Try tweaking your hours accordingly – maybe in 2/3 bursts - rather than trying to slog through a 9-5. Doist writes about asynchronous communication, whereby teams aren't necessarily online at the same time or responding straight away, as means to reducing stress and aiding higher quality, thoughtful responses (instead of knee-jerk ones).?Most things aren’t urgent, and knowing this will reduce your anxiety. Flexible hours doesn’t mean shirking, or working more hours, but you do need trust to make it work.

(12) Know your triggers. Identify what triggers you and either avoid those scenarios, or find ways to consciously manage them better e.g. allowing time in your diary for managing those inevitable work curve balls. When emotions go up, your intellect goes down. Try drafting that reply email but not sending it straight away, before you continue the chain of snapping.?

(13) Replace drains with radiators. We effortlessly get on with around a third of all people, another third we're pretty indifferent to, and then there's a third that no matter we do we just don't see eye-to-eye with (some sources say it's 20% but you get the idea). Rather than being around people who drain your energy and leave you depleted, how can you surround yourself with that people that give you energy? Make time for those that inspire you, are on your wavelength and part of your tribe, rather than being hung up about those that bring you down.

(14) Laugh. Why so serious hun? Laughing at work not only reduces your stress levels but can actually make you more productive & collaborative. Whilst we’re missing that office banter, you can still get your comedy dose elsewhere… podcasts, audiobooks, videos of rolling pandas or a Netflix comedy first thing in the morning (who says you can't watch TV before work?). Failing that, have some go-to photos/videos from times gone by that you just can't keep a straight face to.?Laughter is the best medicine.

(15) Nail the basics. Then there’s all the classics that aren’t really specific to work… Drinking 2-3 litres of water to stay hydrated. Eating the right stuff: slower releasing glucose from low-glycemic food increases alertness and cognitive performance... i.e. sticking to low-glycemic foods (e.g. proteins and fats) earlier in the day and leaving higher-glycemic foods (e.g. high-carbohydrates) for later in the day reduces energy spikes and crashing in the day.?Avoiding coffee after 3pm helps getting that precious 7-8 hours sleep to recharge.

Energy is contagious, so go spread the good type!

You've got this.

#JSafdar

PS. Here’s some podcasts you might enjoy to get more ideas: Everyday Positivity (also an Alexa Skill), Eat Sleep Work Repeat, Squiggly Careers, …and some books: Joy of Work, Own The Day Own Your Life, Atomic Habits, The Tyranny of Email (Book review) …and Nir Eyal’s Blog (author of Indistractable);

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All views and reflections are my own and not of any affiliated organisations