Want to feel more energy throughout your work day? Here are seven strategies to get you started on your own personal energy project. Read more: https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2017/09/01/7-work-energy-tips

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2. Feeling stressed or tired isn’t uncommon. Yet while most of us
understand the importance of recharging our batteries, few of us
actually do anything about it.
Just like balancing the books, managing your energy is about
making sure your energy expenditure is balanced with energy
renewal, says Tony Schwartz, founder of The Energy Project.
Feeling more energised lets you accomplish more in a day, and the
best news is that getting more energy isn’t that hard. Read on for
strategies to help you keep your energy levels high at work.
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3. 1.
AUDIT
YOUR
HABITSTake a hard look at your daily activities to
look for the things that sap your energy.
Do you skip breakfast and rush to work? Do
you reach for sugar or caffeine for a quick
energy boost, only to feel the crash later?
Try stepping outside to eat your lunch in the
park instead of at your desk; it gives your
eyes a rest from the computer screen and
can lift your mood for the afternoon.

4. 2.SCHEDULE
REST
Rest is what we need most to refresh
our energy, yet it’s often underrated.
If you want to feel more energetic, give
rest breaks a higher priority, and don’t
feel guilty about it.
Take regular breaks during your work
day and plan that relaxing holiday.

5. 3.
SLEEP
WELL
Good-quality sleep gives you energy to take on a new day.
A bad night’s sleep can flatten your productivity.
If you’re not sleeping well through the night or waking up
feeling tired, try skipping the afternoon coffee, avoiding
alcohol at night, and getting to bed at the same time each
night – early enough to get eight hours of sleep.
If your mind won’t shut down, try writing down your
thoughts earlier in the evening. You can clear your head
for sleep and come back to your list in the morning.

6. 4.GET
MINDFULMindfulness training can
decrease stress and improve
performance and wellbeing.
Mindfulness can be as simple as
paying attention, being aware,
engaged and on task.
Giving something your full
attention helps conserve a
significant amount of energy so
you can refuel and refresh for a
new day.

7. 5.
DON’T
WORRY
You can waste mental, emotional and physical
energy by worrying over things that haven’t
happened, and ruminating over past events.
When you do this often enough, you not only
feel stressed and anxious but you are more
tired at the end of the day.
Mindfulness meditation and cognitive
behaviour therapy are both effective ways to
learn to worry less.

8. 6.
BREATHE
DEEP
Breathing deeply into your belly
provides a natural energy boost that’s
quick and free. Shallow breathing
drains energy from our system.
A daily practice of slow abdominal
breathing, also called diaphragmatic
breathing, will trigger the body’s
relaxation response.
Slow abdominal breathing can be
done anywhere, even at your desk.
Lie down, or sit comfortably, with your
hands on your belly. Breathe in and
out deeply and let the belly move up
and down with the breath. Practise
for at least two to 10 minutes daily.
Slot it into your workday between
projects, when you need an energy
boost or to calm yourself.

9. 7.PRIORITISE
SELF-CARECaring for others is honourable,
but caring too much can send you
into compassion fatigue.
Remember, if you don’t take care
of yourself, then you won’t be able
to take care of others.
Becoming more aware of the
energy drains in your life, and how
best to replenish your energy, can
make you better at looking after
others and, ultimately, lead to a
more productive you.

10. CLICK FOR MORE RESOURCES FROM INTHEBLACK:
Can your body clock make you less productive at work?
7 tips to keep your energy levels high at work
Will time out of work hurt your career?
Eating for energy: food that boosts your productivity
7 ways to switch off work without feeling guilty

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