Great ways to fuel enthusiasm, boost success, and find balance in your daily routine

Even the best of jobs have good days and bad days and sometimes can be tedious. Keeping your energy level up is about more than getting a good night sleep and a smart fueling at breakfast. It comes from your internal attitude as well as from the people around you. Take a preemptive strike against burnout with these ideas to enjoy high-energy and enthusiasm each day…

Boosting your energy level energy is not the same as motivation. You might be motivated to tackle a project, but you need both physical and emotional energy to achieve success. Here’s how:

Connect with your purpose: Just as you can view a glass as half full or half empty you can look at your work similarly. Tune into your true purpose, and you may see your work in a new light. Doing this is called “cognitive reframing” and it’s the way to see the greater good in what you do. Consider the story of three bricklayers laboring on a cathedral in Milan. When visitors to the site ask them what they were doing the first one replied, I’m laying brick the second one replied, I’m laying brick but the third one said I am building a cathedral. See your own work in broader terms. You’re not just a physician, you’re changing the quality of life for patients. You’re not only a nurse, you're caring for people.

Stay challenged: Don’t let yourself become complacent in your job. Volunteer for a new project,  take a night class to learn a new skill, or reach out to someone in a different department. As you broaden your horizons, you may find a new goal or skill that appeals to you. And taking on challenges will energize you and bring you a new source of satisfaction. Remember the more energy you have the more likely you are to get noticed and even promoted.

Focus your attention on the task at hand:  Do you pride yourself on your ability to multitask? You actually might be draining your energy! Instead, try using your calendar to allot separate chunks of time to each task. Some may get only 15 minutes while others two hours. But while you’re doing each one, don’t let your focus wander to other things, including the relentless checking of emails. In fact, a study done at the University of Vancouver found that checking email only three times a day reduced stress and increased well-being compared with people who checked without limit. A study done at Duke and Georgetown University’s on checking cell phone alerts found similar results.

Adjust your workflows: Energy ebbs and flows throughout the day but whether you’re an early riser or a night owl, you’re likely to have more energy at certain times rather than others. Being aware of your daily rhythms can help you time high priority task. Rank each days objectives by importance working on a project with a tight deadline might be at the top while making follow-up calls could be at the bottom and schedule them accordingly. Try to match your most pressing in important work to your high-energy hours. Leave less difficult chores such as doing expense reports for lower energy times.

Take meditation breaks: Yes getting up from your office chair to take a walk is a great Energizer, but a five minute meditation break right at your desk also can clear your mind for the next task and elevate your emotional energy. It can be especially helpful before meeting creating positive energy to share. At first you might think that there’s no place for meditation and work, but it’s actually the perfect antidote when you’re in a high stress environment. Simply find a quiet space, close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing for those few minutes. You’ll for better and be more productive.