Do you ever get sick of being tired? It's as if you wake up in the morning and, instead of feeling revitalized like the individuals in the advertisements, you drudge the sound of your alarm and smack it like Ted Williams smacks a baseball.
The toughest part is that you have work that needs to be done and you can't afford to slog all day. However, there are solutions available. Because your body is a holistic creature, adjustments in one area will cause a cascade of changes in others. As a result, these modifications will make you feel energized and inspired to go through the day.
Physical
1. Daily walks
Most of us have jobs that require us to sit for lengthy periods of time in uncomfortable chairs. The human body isn't built for it. So, every day, set aside 10-30 minutes to go for a stroll. It will assist your body in remaining healthy.
And if you don't think you have time for that, invite someone you need to meet with and go for a "walking meeting." You simply go on a walk and have the meeting that way.
There are no excuses for not participating in this activity; it is light, simple, and brief. However, it also gives your body with a much-needed energy boost.
2. Take a nap
If you believe that kids in pre-school are crazy for taking afternoon naps, you're losing out on a huge energy boost. A 20-30 minute snooze improves your focus, allows your "smart" brain to regroup, and prepares you for additional work.
Because their work required enormous amounts of cognitive focus, which drains your energy, all of history's greatest performers napped. That is why naps are essential.
3. Stretch
Sometimes all you need is two minutes of stretching. When you're stiff, especially if you don't workout first thing in the morning, your body hasn't woken up. As a result, it is critical to release all bodily parts and allow an uninterrupted flow of energy throughout it.
This will improve blood flow, particularly to your head, which needs to focus on difficult cognitive tasks. So get out of your chair and stretch since it will help you feel more invigorated. You can also attempt these easy stretches at work.
Emotional
4. Eat what fills the head and the stomach
I didn't include food in the physical section since most of us have an emotional attachment with our food, and there's a good reason for that. The sugar-heavy saturated meal gives us a high for a short period of time, but then we crash and lose all energy to do anything at 11 a.m., which is insane.
When you're considering about meals, consider usability and choose the one you'll use the most. Food high in fiber and protein will not only fill your stomach but also your brain, and you will not feel fatigued afterward.
5. Call a friend
Relationships are really important in our life. They are the primary source of our joy, and our entire species is known as a sociable animal. So, when you're feeling down, one of the best energy boosters is going out with friends and having a wonderful time.
Even when we think we have no energy left for anything, our social groups seem to replenish it.
If there are no "water cooler" conversations at work, simply contact a friend and speak with him for a minute. Don't message him; instead, call him and speak with him over the phone.
6. Play a game
Did you know that most CEOs report playing games to be more productive? It appears to be a bit paradoxical, but when you consider the nature of games, you realize why.
Games are as old as human civilization, and even though we fail at roughly 80% of the games we play, we nevertheless love them.
Playing a basic game of Minesweeper, for example, can make you feel more productive and energized. Think of games as energy amplifiers rather than energy wasters.
Intellectual
7. Play some music in the background
Music, whether it's just white noise in the background, classical music, or pop melodies, works wonders for our energy and motivation.
You know what works best for you and when, and this is just a reminder that sometimes you need music in your life to make magic happen. Here are some good encouraging songs to listen to: 30 Motivational Songs to Keep You Going in Life
P.S. I was composing this while listening to Dragon Ball- Cha La (German version). That song is just so motivating, inspiring, and invigorating for me that it makes me want to write until my hands bleed.
8. Books
The stimulation supplied by books allows you to refocus for a longer amount of time. So, if you haven't already, you should start reading.
People can't read more than a few of pages of a book before falling asleep. That's good since your brain is readjusting to the focus required to read tens of pages of a book.
After a month of daily book reading (20 pages per day would suffice)[1,] you will find it much easier to stay focused and enthusiastic at work since you will have trained your brain to stay sharp and focused for extended periods of time.
9. Change frames and perspectives
Frames are a strong weapon in the hands of those who understand how to wield them. When you encounter a problem or a challenge that causes you to quit before you even begin, the issue is not with the task itself, but with how you approach (frame) that type of task.
When you conceive of it in terms of levels in a game, doing a gym program of six exercises with four repetitions each becomes much easier. You begin a mission to improve your physical traits of strength and stamina, and each rep adds more experience, causing you to level up at the end of the gym routine.
Spiritual
10. Meditation
Taking only a minute to breathe in and out, focus and let go of your thoughts through meditation and mindfulness can instantly restore your energy levels.
Meditation has been used for thousands of years to relieve stress, bring enjoyment, and increase vitality. If you work in a congested office, finding a minute of calm and alone time to meditate will make a significant difference in your energy and motivation levels.
11. “Get in zone” ritual
The term "flow" is commonly used today. It's about striking a balance between boredom from trivial activities and worry from tasks for which we are incompetent.
When you enter into the zone, time distorts and you gain immense focus and energy to complete whatever is in front of you. This is referred to as "runners high" by runners.
I used to be a gamer who could sit in my chair for 10 hours without moving a muscle or even flinching. The amount of focus and energy I expended for that was unparalleled to anything else in my life.
It's not that we lack energy or motivation; it's just that we don't know how to channel it.
12. The power of now
We are always thinking about the next thing we have to do when we are doing anything. As a result, we are continuously chasing something that is in the future and is never fully here.
You're now working on a task for a customer, but you're continuously thinking about the meeting in three hours.
You're continuously thinking about going to the gym in two hours when you arrive at the meeting.
You are continuously thinking about dinner with your wife and children when you go to the gym.
When you sit down to supper with your family and children, you are always thinking about the report you need to send before going to bed.
When you go to bed, you think about what you need to do in the morning when you wake up.
And this never-ending cycle continues until you run out of breath, energy, and enthusiasm to do anything.
The point is to slow down and embrace the power of the present moment. Simply looking at a tree and thinking about nothing else but that tree is quite rejuvenating. When you live in the moment, you not only gain energy but also save energy that you would have spent thinking about and fretting about future tasks.
Small Changes Bring Big Results
When you read about these adjustments, they don't seem like a significant deal. In practice, however, they provide huge results, especially when combined. The large gains only come from the accumulation of minor things, thus the sooner you start working on them, the sooner you will notice the rewards in increased energy and motivation.
Taking daily walks, napping, and stretching are examples of tiny modifications in the physical realm.
Eating the correct foods, conversing with friends, and playing games are examples of tiny adjustments in the emotional realm.
Listening to music, reading literature, and shifting frames/perspectives are examples of minor modifications in the intellectual sphere.
Meditation, getting in the zone/flow, and being in the moment (having the power of now) are examples of modest improvements in the spiritual arena.
Small tweaks yield enormous results. What exactly are you waiting for?
