How to have more energy in the office

Office life can be quite draining, as you’re prone to sit down for hours on end either at your desk or in meetings. This passive physical state slowly triggers energy depletion. Moreover, the lack of fresh air contributes to depleting your mind and body of energy. I have long suffered from this and have identified five useful ways to help overcome this:

1. Start your work day with a vigorous workout 

Particularly if your commute to work involves driving or using public transport rather than walking, you need to find ways to bring meaningful movement into your workday. Going to the gym in the morning is a great way to set you up for the day by getting your daily exercise done and spending the rest of the day enjoying the benefits of it, such as more mental clarity and physical energy, even as you sit down at your desk. Also, by getting your exercise done early in the morning you can perceive the rest of the time you are pinned down to a desk chair as well-earned relaxation and recovery after a strenuous work out.

2. Go to meetings and interact with your work colleagues

Many people (myself included) tend to perceive meetings as a waste of time. And they are. But there is something energising in the social interactions that meetings bring about. You get to talk to people, make yourself heard, find out something new, and get fresh perspectives.

3. Climb up the stairs and walk around the office

If you work in a building with multiple floors, as tempting as it might be to take the lift, climbing up the stairs whenever you need to visit the various floors in your office, will enable you to get little bursts of workout into your working day, which will in turn give you more energy.

4. Surround yourself with plants and happiness artefacts

I talked at length in Creating an Inspirational Workplace about the many ways in which you can make yourself happy at work. From placing small plants on our desk to benefit from the oxygen they create to bringing a nice perfume that you enjoy wearing and spritzing it on yourself whenever you need a little boost. All of these things will give you a burst of energy and enthusiasm to do your most productive work.

5. Make the most of your lunch break

If you are fortunate enough to have a full hour for lunch, make the most of it. Create lunchtime adventures for yourself. If you work in the centre of a city, take advantage of it. There will surely be events that you can go to in your lunch hour. Perhaps you can visit the farmers market that just happened to pop-up in the city centre. Or, the beauty shop close to your workplace is offering complimentary beauty treatments that you could go and enjoy (these will likely be no more than 15 minutes). Alternatively, you could exercise or go to a pilates class, if you didn’t get to do it in the morning or if you don’t fancy doing it in the evening. Another thing I love doing is going to a nice cafe and writing my thoughts in a blog article, or reading a book, checking and respondig to my personal emails. The list is endless. There are so many things you could indulge in your lunch break. And once you do, you will come back to work more refreshed, energised, with a clear mind, which will help you achieve a burst in productivity for the second half of your work day.