“The problem is not always an excess of activity, but rather activity undertaken badly, without adequate motivation, without a spirituality which would permeate it and make it pleasurable. As a result, work becomes more tiring than necessary, even leading at times to illness.” -Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium
(Peter Baer | Flickr | Modified)
Exhausted, you boot up your computer. 32 unread emails, enough to keep you busy all day.
You take a sip of your coffee and dive right into your inbox. After what feels like 4 hours of email slinging, you glance over to the digital clock flash flashing on your computer monitor, it’s only been an hour!
Your bloodshot, downtrodden eyes stare at the blank cubicle wall, How am I going to get through 7 more hours of this?
Avoiding the Mid-Morning Blues
We’ve all been there, showing up to work tired, unmotivated, and just plain blah in the hopes of white-knuckling our way through the workday. But after an hour you’re already burnt out and regretting not calling in sick.
If you haven’t experienced the dread of facing the workday, then you’ve come across the wrong blog. Everyone I know has experienced it. Heck, even Pope Francis has experienced it in his line of work.
If this has happened to you, or is currently you now, keep reading, because there are only two paths you can take from here:
1. Either continue to show up to work drained.
2. Or take necessary measures to alleviate the dullness and inject purpose and energy into your work.
If you decide to take the first path, good luck to you. I know some folks who decided to take that path long ago and are banging their heads against their cubicle walls (no really, I can hear them now).
But if you are tired of being tired – and I’m in the same boat as you – let’s figure this out together.
I’ve compiled a list of three crucial steps to ensure you show up to work energized and rested, approach your work with a sense of purpose, and build productive rest times throughout the workday.
Take necessary measures to alleviate the dullness and inject purpose and energy into your work.
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Step 1: Today Begins When Yesterday Ends
Unless you have a five-month-old at home like me, your days shouldn’t blend together. It’s important to have a shutdown routine every night at a set time. I suggest incorporating some of the following into your shut down routine:
- Turn off the TV, computer, and store your phone out of site
- Take a hot shower to relax
- Pack your lunch and pick out your clothes
- Pray or meditate (or take a few moments to reflect on your day)
- Settle down with a good book (but not too good to keep you up)
- Head on the pillow and lights off at least 8 hours before you need to wake up
Once you’ve established a new shutdown routine, a bootup routine will naturally follow. Try some of the following during your morning:
- Wake up on time without hitting the snooze button
- Drink a full 8-ounce glass of water (and a cup of coffee to get things started)
- Pray or meditate (or take a few moments to visualize your day)
- Exercise or go for a run
- Check your commute to make sure there isn’t any unexpected traffic
- Write down a list of 3 goals you want to accomplish today
By following a particular morning and night routine, you’ll be more prepared to start the day.
Step 2: Focus on Your One Thing and Not Your To-Do List
Even if you have a “pointless desk job,” keep in mind there is greater reason to why you work. Even if said reason is to support your family or pay off student loans, I’m willing to bet you aren’t sticking around because you’re a masochist.
Besides personal reasons, what you do at your job affects other people – whether it’s your co-workers or customers, your actions matter.
So when you roll into work, before even logging into your computer or punching in, remind yourself of The One Thing, the real reason you are there today. Keeping this in perspective helps to identify the necessary tasks that need to be taken care of today.
However, if you still have ambitions and dreams of moving beyond your current job, keep these in mind as well. By doing your best today, you are disciplining yourself for the future.
Even if you have a “pointless desk job,” keep in mind there is greater reason to why you work.
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Step 3: Recharge
You’ve completed Steps 1 and 2, but there is still no denying the reality that work sometimes is just…not fun.
The drab, the mundane, the boring yet necessary tasks fill most of our workday. So how do we avoid draining all our will power over these simple tasks?
Build productive rest into your work routine. Instead of checking your Facebook or glancing at your personal email, you could:
- Do something nice and unexpected for a co-worker
- Take a 5-minute walk every hour
- Drink coffee (but not too much)
- Work standing up (it’s not really rest, but some studies show it helps your mood)
- Reorganize/declutter your workspace
In the end, following these three steps will lead to an energized and purposeful workday.
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Discussion Question: What other steps do you incorporate into your workday to feel more energized and full of purpose? Share on Twitter or in the comments.
The post 3 Steps to an Energized and Purposeful Workday by Declan Wilson appeared first on A Millennial Type.