In addition to working full-time, all of us have busy lives full of responsibilities, and it can be a challenge to keep up with everything without becoming utterly exhausted.
The fact that we can all relate to this is why one of the most popular Ketchum University learning opportunities, offered by the agency is the “Managing Your Energy” workshop. This workshop focuses on ways employees can plan, do and renew in a more efficient way in order to conserve energy for the most important tasks that need our focus and attention.
Participants from the workshop regularly pass along useful articles, share ideas about how they manage their energy and suggest ways the community can put those ideas into practice. Here are my favorite pieces of advice from the Ketchum community:
1. Small tasks can feel like a big burden. Unfinished tasks, even the most minor ones, can add up to become burdensome and “mind-consuming.” Although we should focus our efforts and attention on the bigger, more important items, it is useful to schedule “regular housekeeping” once a week to finish up the smaller items that often hang over your head.
2. It helps to be more mindful at work. Mindfulness can have tremendous positive effects on performance and creativity, and can lead to one making fewer mistakes. In this Harvard Business Review article, researcher Ellen Langer gives several suggestions on how to be more mindful at work.
3. Sitting is the new smoking. Did you know that being sedentary on the job can be dangerous – even for those of us who work out regularly? Find great information, tips and tricks about how we can all be more active while at work in these two articles from the APA Center for Organizational Excellence and the Harvard Business Review.
4. Your post-work activities can help you at work too. It might be time to register for that photography class or start taking salsa lessons. It turns out that engaging in non-work-related creative activities could lead to a boost in your job performance. These activities are associated with increased creative problem-solving at work, as well as greater support of coworkers.
5. You’re never too busy to meditate. Meditation can make you more productive by clearing away distractions and focusing your mind. If you don’t have time to commit to a full meditation regiment, try “micro meditations,” which can be done several times a day for just 1-3 minutes at a time. Also, check out an app called Calm or the website www.calm.com for tips on quick meditation moments.
Feel calmer now? Ready to become more productive at work? Try out these five tips and let us know how your work-energy balance has benefited. Or share one of your tips in the comment section below or tweet it to us at @KethumPR.
