Keys To Energizing Your Work and Your Life
by Gail Howerton, MA, CLP

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Our workforce is like cows; they produce more when they are contented and cared for. Creating a workplace that promotes peak performance through playful professionalism also decreases absenteeism, sickness, turnover, and stress while increasing morale, teamwork, creativity, and productivity. I share some of the most important keys below for those of you in the industry of coordinating people, policies, events, and training in order to help increase your personal energy. If we don`t take care of ourselves, then we cannot take care of others and share our energy in order to become contributors instead of consumers of productive energy. Implement these keys to increase your energy, decrease your stress and to start balancing your work and your life today.

What is your function in life? Studies show that those who have a purpose and are actively working towards achieving their goals are happier and wealthier than those who just show up for life each day. Set goals, change them, and actively work on them.

Take control of your immediate circle of influence. Realize you have the power to control your state of mind and reactions to whatever life hands you. You can also control your immediate physical environment such as your cubicle. Give yourself an energy boost by hanging up photos which cheer you up or putting a candy dish on your desk, having a nice rug under your feet, playing soft instrumental music to soothe your nerves.

Can you navigate through your space? Is it pleasant, comfortable, and workable or does it create stress? Are items easily accessible? If you are left brained, are things vertical behind closed doors? If you are right brained, are they horizontal and within view ? Do your desk accessories accommodate these preferences? What is the color or what type of furniture do you have and how is it positioned in the room? Do you like to be in this room? The key here is organize to energize!

Shift Shift tasks to increase energy

Adults in our infinite wisdom say that children have short attention spans, but they are just shifting to a task which brings them more energy when they are getting drained from the task at hand. Shift from left brain tasks such as budgeting to a right-brain task such as reading your mail or watering your plants. Your productivity will increase and your mind will feel refreshed.

Have you ever known somebody who could just light up a room... when they left? Do you have any of these people in your life? Just delete them! They will sap the life energy right out of you. External clutter is anything around you that "bugs" you such as dusting, unread newspapers and catalogs piling up, the lamp you got in the divorce, or the tacky souvenir your neighbor brought you. Internal clutter is such things as dishonesty, secrets, emotional stress, miscommunications, or any other "messalanea" which is clogging up your circuits to think freely and be charged up.

Fill your day with energy inserts, toys, and playful items which speak to you. Studies show that using colored pens, stickers, and getting creative will cause you to look forward to your daily planning sessions. Turn your daytimer into an adult version of a coloring book. Professionalism can be playful - remember to mix fun and effectiveness and bring your sense of humor to work.