8 unbeatable ways to get energized

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Leisure activities, the right goals and other sources of strength in case the internal batteries are completely depleted.

1. Remember three axioms

Sorry, we promised new and unbroken ways, but at the beginning we have to remind you of something banal. You already know that you need to sleep well, eat and exercise. We will not decipher, all the same, very few people follow this. Let's say a few words about introducing a healthy lifestyle into your daily routine.

How to energize with exercise

Work out at lunchtime, or at least go for a walk. In 2004, researchers from the City University of Leeds found that workers who attend a corporate gym performed better and dealt with stress more easily. They also enjoy work better, feel less stress, and feel less tired in the afternoon, despite the energy expended during the workout.

How to sleep more

Rearrange the alarm. Let it ring not in the morning, when it’s time to get up, but in the evening, when it’s time to go to bed.

As John Durant says in The Paleomanifesto, the technique of setting an alarm for the evening is very useful to remind yourself to go to bed. The signal should sound one hour before hang up. After the reminder, you need to complete all the work, turn off the TV and excess light, and gradually get ready for bed.

How to switch to a healthy diet

Ask yourself, "What would Batman eat?" This is the advice given by Cornell University professor Brian Wansink.

When deciding whether or not to eat dessert, think about what your childhood idol would do. If it doesn't work the first time, ask yourself three times. It will be easier to make a sound decision.

The boring and obvious have been dealt with. To get energy at the right time, there is no need to mock your body. Better to change the schedule.

2. Find out when you are baddest

Do you know how strongly the change of time zones affects a person? When, for example, a soccer team crosses three time zones to play, its chances of winning are halved, even if the opponent is weaker.

But we're not talking about athletes now. It's just that if you are a pronounced owl, then it is foolish to schedule important tasks at eight in the morning.

Pay attention to your circadian rhythms and stay in the black: athletes win and break records when they adjust the time of the competition to the internal clock.

One of the studies, highlighted in the book by David Randall "The Science of Sleep: An Excursion into the Most Mysterious Sphere of Human Life", showed that records in running, powerlifting, swimming were more often set by athletes whose competition schedule coincided with the second period of daily activity. In the long jump, for example, athletes at their peak of energy showed a result that was 4% better than average.

Set up synchronization with your internal clock? Super. Now we are learning to give up business.

3. Set the right goals and don't tell anyone about them

Maybe you have relative goals: "I want to be better than Sasha." Or maybe objective ones: "I want to get the highest score on testing."

But if you want to increase your energy level, then one goal should remain in your head: to become better.

Research by the American psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson shows that focusing on improvement increases the desire to work. We work with interest and dedication when we think about progress, not just a task. Interest does not force you to work with your last strength, but fills you with energy.

It's not that hard. Just think about how to do better at everything you do.

And now the second part: keep quiet. Research has shown that you can't talk about your goals if you don't want to unleash the energy you need to achieve them. Scientists have concluded that pleasant fantasies do not come true, because they do not give energy to move towards the desired future.

So, we tuned in for the best and remembered that happiness loves silence. Where to get energy?

4. Be optimistic

Soldiers need to make a 40 km march in full armor. But some were told that the distance was 30 km. Others - that they will have to walk 60 km.

After completing the march, the researchers measured the level of stress hormones in the blood of both groups. What happened? It turned out that stress does not correspond to reality, but to expectations.

What conclusion do we draw? Everyone gets what they expect.

The brain does not like to force the body to waste resources until it sees a real chance of winning. Physical strength is not available until there is no faith in success, because for the human body there is no worse situation than to waste all resources and fail. The moment confidence appears, a gate opens through which a stream of energy flows. Hope or despair is what we program ourselves for, say the authors of Maximum Brain Power.

Optimists have more energy. Pessimists have more stress. It all depends not on objective circumstances, but on the point of view on them.

Are you energized by the positive? Good. But maybe it's time to redo a bunch of things? What is needed for this?

5. Do What You Can Do

What projects are you involved in at work? What household responsibilities do you have? If you do what you do well, you will see the difference.

Research has shown that harnessing strengths at work makes people happier. And at the same time it increases the level of energy.

The longer a person works on what he can, the more cheerful, happier he is, and the more he respects himself. Using your strengths makes you smile, learn interesting things.

A positive assessment of the past day, depending on the number of hours spent on a favorite activity / percentage of respondents:

Number of hours	0–3	4–6	7–9	10+
Felt happiness	75	89	92	93
Felt rested	58	67	69	73
Experienced self-respect	87	92	93	95
Laughed or smiled	66	84	91	87
Have learned something new	43	66	70	72
Found energy for other things	71	87	92	93
According to the Gallup Institute, 2012

You know what to do. But what mistake kills motivation?

6. Follow one thing to the end

We often work on five tasks at once. But focusing on only one process dramatically increases motivation.

Dan Pink, author of the bestselling Drive, an expert in motivation, explains the secret of "small victories": tasks that seem insignificant can significantly affect our condition. Science only confirms this.

Internal energy increases or decreases depending on how far the projects, even small ones, have progressed. Modest victories have unexpectedly strong positive effects, while small losses, on the contrary, have negative effects.

Maybe you can redo whatever you wanted. But you will still find yourself in a state when the tanks are empty. How to make decisions when a tired brain refuses to work?

7. Listen to your inner voice if you are tired

Research results say that when there is a lot of energy, you need to listen to the voice of the mind. And when the head is porridge from fatigue, rely on intuition.

Executive functioning depends on the amount of energy that glucose provides. And many cognitive processes are impaired when energy is insufficient. When making decisions with a low blood glucose level, you need to trust the unconscious more, although when your glucose level rises, you should return to conscious thinking about decisions.

So, you are already making progress. Congratulations. But what is the best way to spend your vacation in order to accumulate energy for tomorrow?

8. Recover actively

Doesn't sound too logical. But if today you are exhausted, and tomorrow you do not want to get tired, take an active rest: go to a workout or chat with friends. No get-togethers in front of the TV or at the computer.

Kelly McGonigal in Willpower says:

The American Psychological Association found that the best recovery strategies are exercise, sports, reading, prayer, music, relaxing with family or friends, massage, walking, yoga, and creative hobbies. Worst of all rests during gambling, shopping, smoking, video games, surfing the Internet, watching TV or movies (more than two hours).

Kelly McGonigal "Willpower"

What to remember

So you know how to recharge. Now let's summarize: the best way to get energy.

• Apply three axioms: exercise at lunchtime, an alarm clock before bedtime and the question: "What would Dobrynya Nikitich eat?"
• Identify your peak activity: owls have important work to do in the evening, and larks in the morning.
• Set the right goals, focus on improvement, and don't share your plans with anyone.
• Be optimistic. Remember, what we count on is what we get.
• Do the work that you know how to do. Using your strengths brings happiness and energy.
• Finish things. Small wins lead to big goals.
• Remember, the inner voice is the best guide for a tired mind.
• Get active rest. Companionship is great. Midnight on Netflix isn't great.

And finally. What Charges Batteries and Warms Your Heart? Helping others. Sounds illogical again? These efforts will not cut you off. On the contrary, help is a tonic. It can even save a life.

Lawrence Gonzalez's research focuses on survivors in a dangerous situation where a lack of energy meant death. Those who provided support to others were more likely to be saved.

Helping someone is the best way to protect yourself from death. It helps to rise above fears, to conquer yourself. You are no longer a victim, but a rescuer. When your leadership work becomes a lifeline for others, you gain energy and can stay afloat for longer. You help those in need, their reaction energizes you. Many people who managed to survive alone say that they got out for the sake of someone else (wife, loved one, mother, children).

If you are already tired of reading, offer your help to those close to you. Not for the sake of a selfish desire to receive energy, but to make both yourself and another person happier.