So here we are, half way through the year! This can be a great time to reflect on how we are going with those resolutions and goals we set at the beginning of the year but it can also be a time when here in Sydney we are very much fixed on the work treadmill and can’t seem to lift our eyes from our desks.
Particularly for those working in finance this time following the end of the financial year can be particularly busy and often stressful dealing with tight deadlines and demanding clients. In the midst of all this we can feel exhausted, run-down and frustrated that we are not making progress on any of our bigger picture dreams and goals.
If this is you then you are in what psychologists call the ‘survival zone’, which is where you are feeling sub-optimal, struggling through each day or week, with that constant low-level fatigue, which you can’t seem to shake off.
So how to recharge?
To keep the finance analogy going, there are plenty of finance audits underway at the moment, analysing how much money is being generated and how much being spent, but what about considering an energy audit of your personal well-being? If you are using more energy than you are generating then you will gradually run yourself down and your performance at work will suffer.
A study conducted by The Energy Project in conjunction with Harvard Business Review in late 2014 (read report here) identified 4 sources of personal energy and their impact on people in the workplace:
Physical
We all know what we should be doing when it comes to looking after our physical health – focus on sleep, exercise, nutrition, so why aren’t we doing it?
An important starting point is making sure you have a good night’s sleep. Studies have shown that will-power and self-discipline are finite resources, which deplete when we are tired or hungry, so ensuring you have enough sleep and eat healthily will make all the difference to helping you find the energy to get out and exercise.
Find ways to schedule exercise into your diary so it becomes a priority. Tom Rath has lots of tips at www.eatmovesleep.org on how to make small changes in your daily routines, or commit to a new trainer or program to really switch things up a gear.
It’s also important to remember that studies suggest we need breaks every 90 minutes or every 45 after intense concentration so throughout the day take short breaks to stretch or walk around the block and get out in the sunshine to give you greater capacity to focus and think creatively.
Emotional
The critical factors for fueling emotional energy are a sense of enjoyment and a sense of trust.
Increasing the positivity of our relationships and everyday interactions will yield great results in terms of improving our well-being. All the research in positive psychology has identified that we need 3-5 times as many positive interactions as negative ones to sustain a positive mood. If you can bring your full attention to your interactions with colleagues and focus on the positive aspects of the relationship then that will in itself become contagious, bringing a more uplifted vibe to the whole team. The impact will be even greater if you are leading a team, when making team members feel appreciated was shown to increase their engagement by 58%.
Ensure as well that you find some time each week to do something just for fun – playing is a great way to improve mood.
The critical factors for fueling emotional energy are a sense of enjoyment and a sense of trust.
Increasing the positivity of our relationships and everyday interactions will yield great results in terms of improving our well-being. All the research in positive psychology has identified that we need 3-5 times as many positive interactions as negative ones to sustain a positive mood. If you can bring your full attention to your interactions with colleagues and focus on the positive aspects of the relationship then that will in itself become contagious, bringing a more uplifted vibe to the whole team. The impact will be even greater if you are leading a team, when making team members feel appreciated was shown to increase their engagement by 58%.
Ensure as well that you find some time each week to do something just for fun – playing is a great way to improve mood.
Mental
Mindfulness is now being embraced by the corporate community as a fantastic way to counteract the continual distractions of technology and constant busy-ness of the average office.
Learning to meditate and taking 15 minutes in the middle of your day to centre yourself will release the build-up of stress in your body and mind and enable you to focus better in the afternoon. Even a ritual throughout the day of 3 deep breaths can help you regain your emotional equanimity and boost your decision making skills.
Mindfulness is now being embraced by the corporate community as a fantastic way to counteract the continual distractions of technology and constant busy-ness of the average office.
Learning to meditate and taking 15 minutes in the middle of your day to centre yourself will release the build-up of stress in your body and mind and enable you to focus better in the afternoon. Even a ritual throughout the day of 3 deep breaths can help you regain your emotional equanimity and boost your decision making skills.
Spiritual
Spiritual energy means finding meaning in what you do and the study found that no single factor influences people’s engagement with their job as much as deriving a sense of purpose from their work.
You may not feel that you work in an organisation with a grand purpose but you can still look for the small wins each day, ways in which you can help others. Small achievements and serving others have both been shown to be essential to the feeling of progress which drives us to do more.
Taking some time to reflect on your core values and consider why you do what you do can remind you of what’s really important. Even when on the surface you are working purely to earn a salary it is possible to reframe your ‘profit goal’ into a ‘purpose’ goal by focusing on using the money for your children’s education or for travelling to visit family or whatever is most important to you.
Spiritual energy means finding meaning in what you do and the study found that no single factor influences people’s engagement with their job as much as deriving a sense of purpose from their work.
You may not feel that you work in an organisation with a grand purpose but you can still look for the small wins each day, ways in which you can help others. Small achievements and serving others have both been shown to be essential to the feeling of progress which drives us to do more.
Taking some time to reflect on your core values and consider why you do what you do can remind you of what’s really important. Even when on the surface you are working purely to earn a salary it is possible to reframe your ‘profit goal’ into a ‘purpose’ goal by focusing on using the money for your children’s education or for travelling to visit family or whatever is most important to you.
Renewal = Peak Performance
Tempting as it is to chain ourselves to our desks in an attempt to get everything done this is when it is essential to break that cycle and build in small changes to our daily work-life so that we perform at our best.
Factoring in holidays and time-out from work is terrific but if we are to sustain high levels of performance we also need to ensure that we manage our energy on a day-to day basis, which will ultimately get us through the busy times without crashing and burning!
If you would like support in re-energising your life please contact me at [email protected]
Tempting as it is to chain ourselves to our desks in an attempt to get everything done this is when it is essential to break that cycle and build in small changes to our daily work-life so that we perform at our best.
Factoring in holidays and time-out from work is terrific but if we are to sustain high levels of performance we also need to ensure that we manage our energy on a day-to day basis, which will ultimately get us through the busy times without crashing and burning!
If you would like support in re-energising your life please contact me at [email protected]
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