How to keep high energy levels at work

Read time - 02:13
Most companies expect their employees to be productive at work and maintain high energy levels throughout the day. But this is not always practical as we are prone to fatigue, stress, and boredom in the workplace. How can this be curbed and energy increased without you taking time away from work?

Here are 4 things you should practice in order to feel revitalized at work.

Deal with burnout proactively
Chasing deadlines, solving problems, or being stuck in a loop can lead to burnout. But as an individual, it is best to always have a plan of action on how you can proactively deal with burnouts when they occur, as they are inventible. For example, taking regular breaks in the office. Research suggests that taking 15 minutes breaks for every 90 minutes re-energizes your productivity levels. So take regular breaks even if they are not 15 minutes long.

Understand your chronotype
Your chronotype or your body's biological clock is the way in which your circadian rhythm is set to manage energy levels throughout the day – it is your body's natural timeline for various activities you do on a daily basis like eating and sleeping. By understanding your body's chronotype, you can work in harmony with it in order to get the most out of your day. For example, figuring out if you are a morning person or night owl can make a difference in how you live each day.

Eat for energy
Digestion is one of the major drains on your energy supplies, so Harvard Medical School reckons you should eat for energy. This is because your body needs fuel (food) to function, and without it, your energy can slope down. You don't have to change your diet altogether as you may already be eating some of these foods like fresh fruits and nuts but what you have to do now is eat them at the right amount and right time. For example, quit having heavy dinner, what are you going to do with all those calories in your sleep?

Be happy
Research shows that happiness has a direct link to a rich source of energy that no amount of exercise or healthy eating can match. So make sure that you really are happy at work, happy with your colleagues, at home, or in other spaces where you consciously spend time in or risk using unnecessary energy that could be used to your overall satisfaction and career growth in trying to solve those problems that caused you to be unhappy. 

Exercise
Contrary to what you might believe about exercise – it does not make you feel tired. In fact, it gives you more energy. In a study published by the Journal of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, researchers found that inactive people who complained of fatigue could increase their energy by 20%, by simply participating in the low-intensity exercise. The study further found that; when people walked more steps, they ended the day with more energy than on days when they walked less.

So include exercise in your daily or weekly routine. You do not necessarily have to go to the gym, your house, regular walks and generally keeping active will make a difference. 

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