How You Can Be More Energetic And Productive

Do you sometimes feel like you are totally soaked out? Then read this article to get some ideas on what you can do against it.

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It can be challenging to stay productive and energized throughout certain periods of our lives. Especially when there is a lack of motivation for the tasks that lie ahead. If you are currently experiencing a loss of energy or a decline in productivity on a daily basis, there are some ideas and strategies that you can use to reclaim the energy you require to achieve your goals and ambitions.

First and foremost, I’d want to attempt to answer the following question. I am not an expert, however. These are only my personal opinions and experiences:

What causes our lack of energy and productivity?

I believe there are a variety of explanations for this:

• Lack of physical activity
• Dietary issues
• Overthinking
• Overwhelmed by tasks
• Stressful living surroundings
• Bad sleeping or resting habits
• Personal situations (e.g. relationship issues)

If you are unsure whether one or more of the elements apply to your present circumstance, you can use each one and reflect on your current everyday situation (s). Here are some questions as examples:

• Do I have a lot of work to do right now that stresses me out from morning to night?
• Have I not participated in sports on a regular basis recently?
• Is my personal situation stressful (e.g., illness, relationship or family problems, property damage)?
• Do I spend enough time in a serene and calm setting?
• How often do I go for a nature walk?
• Is it possible that I’m overthinking things and can’t get enough sleep?
• Is my diet appropriate?

Answering such questions yourself might help you think about your circumstances and figure out what is causing your decreased productivity and energy. Take a few minutes to figure out where the problem originated. Make some notes as this can be supportive for figuring out your cause.

As soon as you could figure out the reasons for your current issue, or you may have several clues, the next step would be to find solutions for your issue(s).

Here are a few of my recommendations. I have tried every mentioned suggestion by myself when I notice a lack of energy, productivity, or motivation.

Take some free days and relax

It may be difficult to just take some free days as you may be very busy at the moment due to work or a personal situation. However, taking some days off can be a very effective way to get your energy and motivation back. In the best case, you make a short trip (e.g. during the weekend) to somewhere in nature, like an eco-tour. A place where you are far away from hectic surroundings. You could make a hiking tour, ride a bicycle, make a canoe tour, whatsoever.

When you feel like being less productive, making such a trip can be the right thing. You will have time to relax and calm down which will give you an energy boost. If taking some free days is no option for you at all, you do not need to worry. I have some more ideas for you.

Take enough breaks

Besides taking days off and using the free days for relaxation, you can also use some hours of each day for rest time. In this case, resting means that you should not continue working lots of hours every day when you already feel your energy and productivity is low. Taking time to rest and making enough breaks during the day is necessary to keep your productivity and focus levels. As a matter of fact, resting efficiently will increase your productivity levels.

Resting from work or personal stress can be done in different ways:

• Take a power nap (max. 30 minutes) every day
• Make efficient breaks (no phone, screen, reading, or other activities) during work or between other tasks
• Sleep enough, but not too much. 7–8 hours a night is a good amount of sleep

Meditate

Especially if you realize that you are overthinking a lot which is tiring, meditation is a great practice to sort your thoughts and get your mind into a relaxed state. Believe me, meditating daily will bring a lot of positive changes to your day, including storing and collecting new energy for high productivity. Meditating for 10–15 minutes is enough for the beginning. Here is a short manual on how you can start meditating easily:

• Sit or lay down in a quiet place
• Put on some relaxing background music if you want
• Close your eyes
• Breath in, breath out. There is nothing more to do.
• Let your thoughts come and go. If you find yourself sticking to one thought, focus back on your breath
• Try not to move during your set time of the meditation
• Finish your meditation by thanking yourself for taking that time
• Enjoy the other hours of your days with a more relaxed state of mind

Sleep efficiently

Another reason why you may experience a lack of energy and productivity may be due to your sleeping habits. As already mentioned, 7–8 hours of sleep per night is enough. If you sleep more or less, this may be the reason why you are tired and low energized throughout the day. Also the sleeping environment and routines you do before going to sleep matter for the efficiency of your sleep.

• Do you fall asleep while watching TV?
• Is your sleeping room dark?
• Do you have a comfortable mattress and pillows?
• Is your sleeping environment quiet (no car sounds or other disturbing noises)?

All these things are relevant for getting the most out of our night's sleep. Sleeping is the most important and beneficial energy coverage. Therefore, you should make sure that your sleep feels alright for you. If you know, how you can get more out of your sleep, try to change your current habits to the better ones.

Eat your energy

That´s right. Eat your energy. What do I mean by that?
Well, having the right diet is a crucial factor in increasing your energy levels. If you are eating a lot of candies, snacks, fast food, or other fatty and sugary products, your diet could be another reason why you feel totally ´soaked´ out.

To do something against it, you need to change your diet. Leave all the sugary and fatty products behind and start eating food that makes you more energized, awake, and feel good. Eating a lot of vegetables, fruits, proteins, and the right products for carbohydrates is a good start.

I personally like to eat oats with fruits, nuts, cinnamon, and a little bit of honey in the morning. For lunch, I like making a wrap with salad, tomatoes, cucumber, and other vegetables. Some eggs or tofu for the wrap, too. For dinner: Just a small snack.

That´s how easy an energizing diet can look like.

Move your body

On some days, I sit for more than 9 hours at my desk for working. However, I use my early mornings for sport and my breaks for making a walk or juggling in the park. Such habits increase my physical movement levels every day. By doing so, I am more able to focus and be productive when I sit at my desk. If I do not move enough, I often feel restless and move around a lot when I sit on my chair, leading to less concentration, focus, and productivity.

How about you?

Do you practice enough physical movement such as sports, bicycling, swimming, walking, or other activities?

If not, we have found another possible reason for your loss of energy and productivity.

Avoid supplements and other addictions

Energy-boosting pills, Caffeine, or other drugs are often used to stay awake, and be more productive and energized. However, using too many supplements can bring up the opposite effect.
For example, Too much Caffeine during the day may make you feel tired. You first will feel awake, but after, let´s say 5–6 cups of coffee, you are most likely feeling sleepy instead of you do not stop drinking coffee. In that case, the result is probably that you cannot sleep at night, waking up restless the next day…

Try to keep your body free from supplements that promise to get energised and focused. Of course, such things sometimes can help. However, misusing any kind of ´drug´ will bring negative effects soon or later. If you drink a lot of coffee, try to reduce your consumption as this might be the cause for your low energy. It will be difficult in the beginning, but after some days, you will feel better.

Weather conditions

The weather can also play a role regarding your low energy level. For example, a climate with high humidity can make you feel sleepy and tired, as well as days with many dark hours (e.g. winter) may affect your productivity negatively.

In the case of weather, there is not that much you can do. You can try to eat food products that contain high amounts of Vitamin D or get some artificial sunlight somewhere in case you live in a place where darkness rules the day. In terms of high humidity levels, you can wait for weather changes, and, if the humidity is really high, try not to overuse your body since you are going to be exhausted and tired quickly (if you are not used to high humidity).

Improve your routines

After reading the mentioned aspects, you could reflect on your daily routines to figure out where you can implement new routines and habits to improve your energy and productivity levels. If you felt like one or the other factor may be the reason for your tiredness and motivation loss, start implementing new, better habits in your daily routines.

After reflecting on your current routines and finding better alternatives, make a plan for every day with a weekly planner and stick to your plans. Try things out until you have found back to your previous status. By doing so, you will learn what routines and habits work best for you to keep your high energy level in the long term.

Last words:

There are many other possible causes of the lack of energy and productivity you may experience. If you seek more tips as you may feel constantly tired after work, read my article (How to stay super active after work) about ideas on how to stay productive after work.

Furthermore, never forget that experiencing a lack of energy and productivity during some periods of life is completely normal. However, if you feel like the ´weakness´ you are conflicted with is not disappearing, you may seek help from a doctor or another expert. Do not force yourself on overusing your mind and body as this can have a bad end. When you need a rest, just rest. Load up the energy you need and then start over again. Otherwise, the potential for burnout or depression is increased.

With that being said, I wish you a great day.

Lars from SusEco