#MondayMotivation – Maintain your Energy and Attention with These Tips
Your energy and attention, are two of the most valuable assets you currently have, because whatever you pay attention to and spend energy on, is what grows. In fact, with enough energy and the right amount of attention, anything can be inspiring, even work. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for many of us. We take off every morning, refreshed and with goals to accomplish, only to realize by lunchtime, that we’ve gone down paths completely different from our original intentions, and have no energy to redirect course. It happens to all of us, yet, it’s a phenomenon you should make as scant as possible if you’re ever going to achieve the goals you set out to achieve when embarking on your career journey. So, here are six tips to help you conserve energy and attention:
- Exercise
This doesn’t have to be complicated, you don’t even have to hit the gym, all you need is a mat, a pair of dumbbells, and 15 to 30 minutes, three times a week; and you’re good to go. It will take a while to see the benefits, but soon enough, you’ll notice that you have more energy than usual, and more energy means you can spend more time chasing your goals. Here is a list of exercise routines you can do at home in fifteen minutes
- Eliminate Junk Food
Junk foods are big energy drainers, they release excess sugar into your bloodstream on consumption, causing your body to release insulin, which rapidly removes the sugar from your blood stream and stores it in your liver. However, this sudden drop in sugar levels, causes you to feel tired, and sleepy, a phenomenon common with heavy meals; speaking of which,
- Keep your Lunch Light and Protein Filled
A lot of us eat heavy meals during lunch and then struggle to stay awake for the rest of the day; eating vegetables, protein rich food like meat, fruits, and beans (in small amounts) will help you avoid the midday crash that comes after lunch
- Meditation
Meditation has proven to be very effective in training attention span, and emotional regulation. With your attention span sharpened, you’re able to focus for longer, and an increased ability to regulate emotions, means you’re not subject to the mental stress that comes with fluctuating feelings, helping you conserve more energy for the important things.
- Noise Cancelling Headphones
Sometimes, your colleague and work environment in general, are the energy and attention drainers in your life. A decent pair of noise cancelling headphones paired with a playlist designed to enhance focus, does the magic. See here for a list of affordable noise cancelling headphones, and here, for playlists designed to help you focus while working.
- Flight Mode
Your phone has the ability to turn off its network; this feature, is a handy tool against the distraction that is social media. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are part of the biggest time wasters workers of today, have to battle. Scheduling a time to scroll through social media e.g. during your lunch break, and putting your phone on flight mode for the rest of your work period is one of the best things you can do for your energy and attention span. Also apps, such as freedom and so on help you block access to social media apps and sites, for a set amount of time.
Conserve your energy and attention, and watch the miracle of focus, take your career to the next level
