Recharge Your Battery Throughout the Day
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
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Your internal battery needs to be recharged on a regular basis. You can’t continue at break neck speed and expect to stay happy and keep reaching your goals.
The hard part is making your recharge a daily habit. If as many people meditated as much as they drank beer we would not be so stressed out and exhausted.
Drinking alcohol is fun. I enjoy a good dark beer every so often, but I stopped drinking every day because of the drag on my body.
I also stopped relying on vacations to recharge my battery. Needing a vacation is a myth that I want to crush right here. You don’t need a vacation. Yes, it may be nice, but you don’t really need one.
The Reality
In reality a vacation is nice, but I will say that vacations actually make you feel more tired. Think of the last vacation that you went on. How did you feel after you got home?
Tired?
You probably felt tired because taking a vacation takes you out of your element, which is fun but not usually refreshing. Dealing with the packing, double checking reservations, checking in to your flight online, getting to the airport, sleeping in a weird bed, new noises, more drinking than usual, staying up late, and all the other stuff that comes along with traveling it can be exhausting.
The real reason you go on vacation is for some extra excitement not to recharge your battery.
Your Help
I’m putting together an e-course to help you keep your energy at a high level so you can get more done and feel happier doing your work. I need your help. If you could fill out this online survey right here and let me know what you need in an e-course to help you with your energy at work I would be very appreciative. It should take less than a minute to fill out.
The thing is I don’t want to create something that none of you care about, so if this course doesn’t interest you then that’s cool. I’ll move on to a different project.
Your Need for Relaxation
It all comes done to creating habits that will support your energy level. You have to learn how to develop habits that fit into your day. Your body is giving you a lot of cues that you are probably ignoring. The human body isn’t meant to sit for 8 hours at a time.
You have to move around and keep that blood flowing.
Check in and notice how you feel throughout the day. Is your back getting tight or maybe you are feeling anxious. What are you doing to balance out these feelings?
Recharge Tip
You need to make time during the day to recharge your body without having to go for a quick fix like coffee. Drinking coffee at 4 in the afternoon so you can make it til 5 is not the healthiest choice. It’s better to have a routine during the day that helps you sustain your energy without too many spikes.
Every time you are done a project take 60 seconds to check in with yourself. Notice where the energy is trapped. My energy usually gets caught in my neck and lower back. Take 60 seconds to do a back twist, neck stretches or whatever else you need to slow down and release that tension.
By using this transition time to slow down and check in with your body you are more apt to make smarter choices.
Your Turn
What do you do to recharge your battery at work?
How do you check in with your body, so not to let irritability take over?
Side note: Party Time
I’m throwing a Twitter Party with Johnny B. Truant and Pace Smith this Wednesday 2-16 at 8pm ET. We are celebrating the launch of Profitable Idealism. You should join us and hopefully win some free prizes. Over $300 in prizes will be given away. Check out the details and sign up at Party Biz Connect.
* Join the Work Happy Now Facebook Page and interact with other people who are trying to improve their superpowers. It’s very basic right now, but it’s a fun place to visit. We ask good questions, support each other, and laugh. Stop by and hang out.
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Image courtesy of candrews
Hi Karl,
Wonderful advice and good luck with your e-course. I have really improved my energy level by doing some form of physical activity every morning or afternoon. My one vice is probably too much caffiene. I think if I could conquer this habit I would have much more energy and a more level mood. I guess all we do is keep working at it little by little.
Hi Joe, Energy is so important to accomplishing great work. It’s all about practicing little positive habits every single day.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by goalsetting2011, Mukesh Chapagain. Mukesh Chapagain said: Recharge Your Battery Throughout the Day http://bit.ly/hUEjKy [...]
Hi Karl,
I agree that developing good habits to help us recharge our batteries on a regular basis is the best long term strategy. Taking care of ourselves so that we feel refreshed and energized on a regular basis should be a high priority for our own well-being–never mind how it plays into being more productive for someone else’s benefit.
I also agree that sometimes vacations can leave us more tired than refreshed if we don’t take a mindful approach to the purpose of our vacation.
I’ll politely disagree with the assertion that we don’t actually need to take vacations. We do. We need a change of pace and scenery to recharge our mental and inspirational batteries as well as our physical energy levels. There are a few studies out there that suggest in the long run, employees who take their scheduled vacation time and get out of the office for a couple of weeks perform better, are more enthusiastic and often have their best ideas when they’re away from the work environment.
So yes, we need to instill good habits to recharge our energy on a regular basis. We also do need time away to get fresh perspectives and new ideas as well as to have fun and exploring new surroundings. And for those of us who live in climates where we don’t get much sun during the winter, getting away to sunnier skies really is important for replenishing vitamin D levels!
Have a great day.
Hi Sue, A vacation if done right can be re-energizing, but unfortunately this doesn’t usually happen. I’m not suggesting that we don’t need to take time away from work, but I think it’s our daily actions that have a bigger effect on our energy levels.
Thanks for your insightful comment. It’s always nice to hear other points of views.
Good ideas Karl. I think it really depends on the type of vacation. Crowding into a one bedroom suite with three adventurous teen boys is anything but restful and recharging. We make great family memories, but I always need a looooong recovery time after our vacations.
Hi Audra, Yeah, we need a vacation from our vacation.
I think a vacation is not really that bad. we all need a break. Breakaway from all the stress and at least renew your moral and uplift your self. Meditation is also a good suggestion. At least get something spiritual that will keep you believing.
I like the idea of recharging your battery throughout the day. I am at my best in the morning and at my lowest around 2pm. Recognizing this, I try to perform my more mentally engaging tasks early in the day. A nice walk, cup of tea or visit to a coworkers desk usually gives me enough energy for the rest of the work day. I agree, the coffee fix is not the answer. I’ll definitely be checking out the Twitter party.
Karl, you echoed my thoughts exactly. A productive day for me depends greatly on my ability to maximize down-time. If I don’t take coffee breaks, or workout breaks, or meditation breaks, or sometimes just “drive around and listen to music” breaks, then I can’t maintain focus on my projects over the course of the day.
It is so important to recharge our batteries. Every day has a “flow” to it – you can’t just grind yourself to a halt. You need to be mindful of your energy levels throughout the day and know when you need time away.
Hi Karl — yes, I think that exercise of checking in with the body once in a while as we sit and do a task can be very helpful — often, I find that just becoming aware of places where I’m holding my body tight, which like you is often in the lower back, can actually have that area release, which has working start to seem easier and more relaxing.
Thanks for the advice, it’s really difficult to recharge our energy these days, all the work that needs to be done and the stress we go through in college… and as you mentionned it, vacations are not a great idea. Actually I prefer taking free time at home than to go out in a camping vacation so an army of mosquitoes can eat me up and so I can have a bad sunburn. It makes me angry and more stressed that before.
Finally congratulations for your e-course, I could be interested in taking it.
Cheers,
Javier.
Karl,
This was a terrific article. It couldn’t have been more timely either. I know I should recharge my batteries throughout the day by getting away from my desk and doing something relaxing. Lately I’ve had so much on my plate I end up sitting for hours straight and then wondering why I’m so exhausted.
Thank you for the great advice and great tips.
As a charge nurse on a busy labor and delivery unit, I try to emphasize “me-time” for the nurses as much as I can. Many nurses are too busy and want to work through lunch or eat and work. I highly discourage this because I feel that nurses need time away from the unit and everything that goes on with their patients. They need this time to “recharge” as you say, refresh, and reflect on the occurrences of the day. It helps them to rejuvenate and make it though the next 5-6 hours of their shift. By decreasing the amount of time they are exposed to high-stress, they improve their endurance and their critical thinking abilities. They are happier employees, in general, and happy employees make happy patients. It’s a win-win situation. Additionally a little down time in the evening is also beneficial. This is not always possible but when it is I encourage nurses to take a walk by the fountains, peruse the gift shop, or go to the coffee shop. Just a short 15 minutes can help them recharge and improve morale. The return for me is more cooperative employees who are willing to work and give excellent patient care.
Hi M-i-t-m, That’s exactly it. Getting out of the stress and letting the brain relax. Even a 15 minute gift shop visit can ease some of the pressure.
Hi Karl-great ideas here along with a wonderful dose of positivity on this blog. I used to attempt to practice work life balance back in the days when I had a pressurised job, it didn’t work for me. Now I find I don’t have to re-charge my energy battery quite so much because I ‘m totally absorbed in doing work I love, personal development and I have made a choice to have work/life integration and become my own boss. Now I have total control over my work and that is one hell of an energy boost.
Getting my Birkman Method Report back in 2000 was the game-changer for me – for the first time I was able to understand what energised me and why (and what tended to short my battery out like a wrench across the terminals). While I think lack of vacation becomes toxic for those around you if not for you yourself, I also totally agree that recharge on a daily basis is critical (Birkman just helps me do it accurately and intentionally)