Keeping your energy topped up when you are self-employed is very important. If you are anything like me, you start a project and before you know it, the whole day has gone and you’ve not moved from your laptop.
This is absolutely fine, once in a while, but the chances are that there will be days, when you need to motivate yourself and keep your energy topped up to get through the day.
So here are my top tips on doing just that!
1 Go for a walk
Fresh air and a bit of rain or sun on your face is just perfect for clearing your head, stretching your legs and getting the heart pumping a bit. I usually do a lope in our local park, which takes me about 60 minutes, but even 15 minutes short walk is better then nothing. I often listen to a business podcast or music to keep my brain happy.
2 Listen to a music
I listen to music, when I’m working on something that doesn’t need my brain cells too much – like picture editing, website formatting or similar. It breaks the day nicely and it always cheers me up.
4 Have a breaks when it feels right
I work until I feel that I my energy and concentration is dropping and then I stop. Then I either switch tasks or have a break. My husband who is just getting used to not being 9-5pm and office based in a large company, finds it really difficult to understand that I don’t want to finish at 5pm on the dot. I often work from late morning and have a very late lunch and either stop around 4 pm for a longer break or work until 6-7pm depending on how I feel. I often ‘go back to work’ around 11pm and work on scheduling social media, editing pictures, updating websites and updating spreadsheets. To keep me motivated I always listen to radio comedy, which makes quite boring jobs suddenly really fun….(pun intended….)
5 Have a healthy snack
I put the emphasis on healthy, because it would be so easy to just polish the whole packed of biscuits! Smoothie, homemade energy bars or just a fresh fruit usually keeps me going and I don’t feel sluggish afterwards. Other foods, which help to release energy slowly are also good. These include fresh salads with beans, lentils or legumes, nuts and seeds on their own or even porridge
6 Drink water
I find, that drinking water through the day really helps me to focus, but even I sometimes forget. By the time my energy is dropping, it’s usually too late for immediate effect, but it’s still better to have some later then not.
7 Have a few minutes break to tune out…
Find a place that feels nice to you (in a window looking out, sit in the garden, on a comfy sofa) and just stopping for one minute or two with no pressure will give you a bit of a break from your computer screen and refocus your mind.
8 Take a break away from your desk
Ten minutes in the park at lunchtime would be enough to give you fresh air and recharge you so you’d be more productive in the afternoon. You’ll actually find you get more done so save time by taking time out!
9 Take a day time nap.
This is my favourite way to top up my energy levels, if I’m absolutely exhausted and can’t continue to work. I felt really guilty when I fell as sleep the first time, but now I don’t. I know that if I’m feeling rubbish, I won’t be able to do concentrate, so I either have an option to abort the whole day and do something else, or sleep for a bit and feel refreshed for the rest of the day.
10 Do something physical
If you’re feeling your energy dropping, quick walk up and down the stairs or anything else physical will boost your energy really quickly. Exercise releases endorphin – a ‘happy hormone – in your body and you will immediately feel happier. Dancing to your favourite song, quickly putting on washing or doing a quick hovering will help too.
11 Watch a film
Sometimes I watch a film in the middle of the day if I need to really disconnect and have a break. I often find that I have more energy afterwards and I’m really happy to carry working. I choose an uplifting film, detective story or even a action film, which makes me fully absorbed for 90 minutes or so and I forget about everything else.
12 Try aromatherapy
You could also try aromatherapy. Essential oils such as rose, lavender, citrus and myrrh are best for instantly raising your energy. Just smell them from the bottle, diffuse them or use them as a candle. I sometimes find it too strong to have a scented candle or diffuser constantly on, so sometimes I go to my garden and just crunch up a bit of lavander in my hand.
I’m sure that these 12 tips are not the only way to top up your energy during the day, so I’d love to know what works for you? Please do leave me a comment, I read them all and I look forward to your tips!
Magdalena
