Some workdays are effortless. You feel energized and refreshed when you arrive at work. The sun is shining. You are productive. You have interesting interactions with your coworkers. You have a fantastic idea that is well-received by your supervisor. You get compliments on your outfit. Your lunch is delicious. You are incredibly productive. You feel on top of the world.
Other work days are a struggle. You wake up on the wrong side of the bed. You feel tired no matter how much coffee you drink. You feel unfocused. You are not as productive as you’d like to be. Your hair doesn’t look right. Your shoes hurt your feet.
It’s difficult to know why some workdays are great and others aren’t so good. I think a lot of it is about the energy and attitude we bring to our work. One thing that allows me to control the type of workday I have is to keep tabs on my mindset. This isn’t alway something that’s within my control, but I find that when I try to remain in a state of gratitude, it helps immensely. Sometimes I do a journal entry in the morning, before work, and I always try to end each entry by listing a few things I’m grateful for that day.
Another thing that helps me is to get up and move around. During my lunch hour each day, I try to either take a walk, go for a swim, or do a short workout at the gym. This helps me keep my energy up for the afternoon hours. And getting the blood flowing also helps keep my mind in a good state. Getting up and moving around once an hour or so is also a great tool for keeping up your energy. I have certain tasks to perform throughout the day (like sorting the mail) that build in a little bit of movement throughout the day.
There are a lot of great tools and tricks to stay in a good headspace at work – what do you do to hack your workday?
by Ellen
KU Career Center 