I’ve always had ambitious goals but I also struggle with a chemical imbalance that causes my energy to be completely depleted. Ambitious goals, no energy to get there…those two things don’t mix well together. For years I tested out different habit recipes to see which would energize me and when during my days they’d work best.

Below, I’ve identified the energizing habits you can implement to get through the 6 weakest points of your day.

Weak Point #1: Start of Your Day

In Japan, they drink Sayu (plain hot water). The best time to drink Sayu is right after you wake up. Sayu improves your blood circulation and helps your body flush out toxins. 

Energizing Habit: Starting Your Day With Sayu

After you wake up boil water and drink it. Drinking Sayu can be a great way to start your morning and a great way to start your workday. 

Weak Point #2: Pre-Meeting 

This habit will help you feel energized and confident before your meetings. When we present our body naturally goes into fight or flight. When we go into fight or flight we cave in. An easy habit to do pre-meeting is below.

Energizing Habit: Pre-meeting 

1. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth
2. Put your arms out in front of you
3. Open your left arm all the way to the left side
4. Open your right arm all the way out to the right side
5. Bring them in so your hands touch
6. Bring them out
7. Repeat 10x

Openers are a great way to go into your meetings feeling energized and confident.

Weak Point #3: Eating Lunch 

Most of us are guilty of eating lunch while responding to emails or scrolling through our phones. That can be the opposite of energizing. Viewing scenes of nature can reduce anger, fear, and stress while increasing pleasant feelings. It contributes to your physical wellbeing, reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.

Lunch Time Energizing Habit: During your lunch watch scenes of nature 

“Life is an echo. What you send out, comes back. What you sow, you reap. What you give, you get. What you see in others, exists in you.” – Zig Ziglar

Weak Point #4: 2-3 pm slump 

It’s not you. It’s universal. This is when our energy drops and we tend to forget what’s most important. Implementing a vigilance break can be a great way to overcome your 2-3 pm slump. Veterans Health Administration implemented a vigilance break between 2-3 pm.

One year after the training began, the surgical mortality rate (how often people died during or shortly after surgery) dropped 18 percent.” Pretty freaking incredible! 

2-3 pm Slump Energizing Habit: 

1. Block out 5 minutes on your calendar at 2 pm every day
2. During those 5-minutes go through the 4 things you need to keep top of mind to deliver on your day
3. Pat yourself on your back (you earned it!)

Weak Point #5: Overwhelming moment 

Workdays can get pretty crazy for most of us and it can be easy to have a moment that feels completely overwhelming. In moments of overwhelm, it can seem like there are 200 things to do, paralyzing us. This often leads to looking for distractions rather than narrowing in.

Energizing Habit: Getting Through Overwhelm 

1. Take a breath in through your nose for a count of 4 (1,2,3,4…)
2. Hold for a count of 4 (1,2,3,4…)
3. Exhale for a count of 4 (1,2,3,4…)
4. Write down one task that would give you the greatest return if you focused on it for the next 60-minutes
5. Focus on completing that one task
6. Repeat as needed

Weak Point #6 : Wrapping up the day 

Wrap up your day feeling energized, not drained. After you jump off your final meeting of the day you may have the urge to close your laptop and walk away until the next day. Spending five minutes tying a bow on your day and taking a peak at the following day is an energy gamechanger. 

Capping off Your Day Energizing Habit: 

1. Block 5 minutes off at the end of your workday
2. During those five minutes run through your calendar. Did you send the follow up’s you promised?
3. Take a quick glance at your emails. Did you respond to the emails you said you would?
4. What can you schedule for the following day that will help you have a productive day? Maybe it’s adding prep time or blocking off time to go for a walk.

Start off by implementing one of these 6 Energizing Habits. Which stood out to you the most? Once you successfully do one for a week, add in another. 

Cracking Energizing Habits is similar to cracking eggs if you try and crack too many at once you’ll create a mess. If you crack one Energizing Habit at a time you’ll get to a beautiful outcome.