Friday, November 29, 2013

Time is finite. But while we can’t increase the number of hours available in a day, we can increase the personal energy level that helps us make the most of them.

From The Energy Project, a consulting company that helps organizations improve employee satisfaction and productivity, comes a list of 10 mental and physical strategies everyone can use to help reduce stress and improve general well-being:

Stay active and moving – Physical activity helps clear the brain and increase oxygen intake. Once or twice a day, even if you are planted in front of a computer, get up and take a short walk, outdoors if possible.

Eat well – The right physical nourishment prepares us for positive outcomes. Research good nutrition, plan your meals, and eat at regular intervals.

Take back your lunch – Eating at your desk should not become a habit. Take a lunch break, take a walk, relax to music, or read a bit for pleasure even if only for half an hour.

Change channels on Friday – Energy levels ebb by the end of the week. It’s a good day for open-ended work like brainstorming or long-range planning.

Start Mondays slowly – Avoid the stress of beginning the week with an untenable to-do list. Make a list on Friday of the two most important things you need to do on Monday.

Do one thing at a time – Try to focus totally on the job at hand, blocking out thoughts of all the things you area aware you must tackle next.

Accentuate the positive – At least once a week, take time to make a list of all the positives in your life – relationships, goals, upcoming events, past pleasures.

Walk the talk – Take some time to observe the behavior of others. What behaviors do you admire? What behaviors do you hate? Make the effort to emulate what you admire most.

Practice realistic optimism – We can’t change what happens to us, but we can make a choice about how to respond. Look for a hopeful or empowering aspect to events.

Reflect on how you make people feel – After a business or personal conversation, ask yourself if the other person went away feeling better or worse. Understanding how others feel is the first step toward building better relationships.

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