Productivity comes down to many different factors. Beyond following systems, having effective habits and achieving flow, it’s important to get enough rest to keep the mind fresh. After all, our minds are not robotic, we have to use the off-switch and unplug occasionally.
The reason we need to prioritise rest and relaxation is that our time is fixed but our energy can flex. Today we’re taking a step away from work productivity to focus on rejuvenation.
This post will run through the main ways we can boost our energy to stay ahead of the pressures of the modern day workload. It probably goes without saying, but this isn’t your typical post on productivity.
Personal Energy as a Renewable Resource
Our personal energy can flex depending on how much we rejuvenate everyday. When we’re feeling fresh, we can easily accomplish twice as much as when our energy levels are low.
There are 7 practices we should focus on everyday to make sure we feel recharged.
- Sleep
- Eat
- Move
- Connect
- Play
- Reflect
- Unplug
Sleep
While many busy people brag about their few daily hours of sleep, nightly rejuvenation is the foundation of productivity. Sleep helps us stay mentally sharp and improve our ability to learn, remember and grow. It helps us balance our emotions, reduce stress and recharge our bodies.
Being fully present in the workplace allows us to make better decisions. In short, we can’t function fully without a good night’s sleep.
Naps are a good way to stay on top of your quantity of sleep. You can squeeze in a few extra hours a week with daytime sleep. In terms of quality, it’s important to shut off all screens an hour before bedtime.
Eat
Healthy food is the most important part of our diet. Generally speaking, natural foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts and meats are better than anything that comes in a box. It’s also good to avoid energy drinks and soda that are loaded with sugar and offer short-term energy.
It’s important to study what a healthy diet looks like. You shouldn’t assume it’s as simple as some advertisements make it seem. Depending on your diet, you may even need additional supplements like B12 and vitamin D. As a vegetarian, I’ve found myself lacking in B12 as well as minerals like iron, magnesium and zinc.
A surprising number of workers skip lunch to try and get more work done in a day. However, it’s incredibly important to eat lunch, because the energy intake helps us avoid midday fog and drowsiness.
It’s also good for the mind to get out during lunch. We generate a lot of creative insights when we go outside and switch up our environment. Getting out of the office and sharing a meal with a friend or colleague is a great short-term stress relief. It’s also great for building long-lasting relationships.
Move
In addition to sleep and a good diet, exercise is one of the most important components of good health. And just as in the first two examples, good health makes us more productive.
There’s a common misconception that it takes a lot of energy to exercise. In reality a good workout is one of the best energisers. A regular exercise routine has been linked to increased energy as well as weight control, lower stress and reduced risk of heart disease. There’s really no limit to the benefits of exercise.
Exercise doesn’t just strengthen your body either, but your mind as well. Working out can “immediately boost higher-order thinking skills” which are great for productivity and efficiency throughout the workday. It also improves executive function, which helps you formulate arguments, develop strategies and creatively solve problems.
Because many of the benefits of exercise kick in immediately, it might be the closest realistic option we have to a “productivity hack”. Exercise is quick, simple and a key component in optimal routines.
Simply put, exercise lowers our stress and makes us feel like we can conquer the world. This mindset carries over into how we approach both our home and work responsibilities.
Connect
A large part of managing energy levels also comes down to other people. The people around us can boost or drain our energy faster than nearly anything else.
Investing in quality time with friends and family boosts our performance, while emotional vampires drain our energy. In this sense, productivity is largely interpersonal.
To see how you may be impacted by interpersonal energy levels, it might be worth conducting a social audit. Are you surrounding yourself with energy producers or energy drainers? Even if you’re somehow stuck in an energy-draining relationship, simply being aware of the energy-draining effects can help prevent the worst of it.
Remember, many of the best things in life come from the intentional moments we make for other people.
Play
Whether we’re talking about golf, painting, fishing or a sleuth of other activities, play is defined as activity for its own sake.
Play sometimes involves challenge and competition. Other times, it’s just goofing around. Because play has no end goal, it flows along on itself. You’re free to step back and experiment, try new things and imagine the world differently. Play helps us think in new categories and make new associations.
All highly successful people have a clear routine of habits. Their hobbies are among the most important habits! An unexpected number of US presidents painted during their time in office: George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight Eisenhower. Even Winston Churchill painted, which helped him stay positive and creative through the depths of World War II.
Spending time in nature is another great way to play that reduces stress and helps us rejuvenate. We’re hardwired to spend time playing, relaxing and resting – particularly in nature.
The key to play is deviating from our work routines. We use our minds and bodies differently at work than we do in play.
Reflect
Reflection can take the form of reading, journaling, introspection, meditation, prayer or worship. It’s easy to miss out on reflection when we trull along with a frantic and social media-laden existence.
However, reflection is key in developing awareness. On the other hand, a lack of reflection results in a life lived haphazardly. The Stoics reflected daily with a morning and evening routine. Because reflection is a key component of awareness, development and fulfilment.
We should aim to reflect a little everyday with thoughts and questions, such as:
- What ideas really matter to you?
- What are you feeling?
- Which decisions, wins, losses, ideas and insights (and anything else) made the day unique?
The GTD methodology offers the weekly review as a time for reflection to ensure we’re on track with our projects and goals. It’s a great opportunity to identify any changes we may need to make in our day-to-day lives.
Reflection should help us feel we’re connected to a larger purpose, a “Why?” so we don’t get lost in the trivialities of day-to-day life.
Unplug
The last aspect of rejuvenation is about unplugging from work. We need to stop thinking about work when we’re not working. This means not talking about work or reading about work. It especially means not doing any work!
Once you’ve logged off for the day, you should direct your mental energy towards non-work related endeavours.
Unplugging also refers to our “digital lives” like endless scrolling on social media. It’s important to fill our rejuvenation time with meaningful non-work activities like play, connection and reflection. These activities are the best way to rejuvenate.
Living a Rejuvenated Life
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day at work. Sometimes, it feels like there’s just a never-ending workload coming our way. All we may want in these situations is to increase our productivity and tackle the tasks head-on to get things done.
It’s important when we feel this way to take a step back and understand that we also need to rejuvenate every day. Rejuvenation comes down to the 7 key practices discussed above: Sleep, Eat, Move, Connect, Play, Reflect & Unplug.
The purpose of rejuvenation is to improve our mental health. In an unprecedented age of stress, mental health itself is a great reason to prioritise rejuvenation. It’s also an added benefit that rejuvenation will ultimately boost your productivity output.
Rejuvenate effectively with Mind & Practice today.