Staying productive at work can lead to better positions, frequent promotions, better pay and benefits. What most people don’t realize however is that being productive at work starts long before a person clocks in at work. It starts with taking care of your health. Taking charge of your health in this way will ultimately lead to a mind that is alert and a body that is ready to take on the rigors of work every day. As an employer, increased productivity will mean increased income. Thus a wellness program that supports your employees to put the right health habits in place is important.
In this post, we will look at nine health habits that will make you more alert and productive at work. Let’s delve right in.
Get a good night’s sleep
Starting work on the right note starts with getting enough sleep. According to a CDC study, 2 out of 3 adults report not getting enough sleep and so thus feel sleepy when they go to work. Sleeping on the job could lead to mistakes that could cost your company millions of dollars and could even cost people their lives.
Thus, it’s important to get at least 7 hours of sleep so you’re well-rested for your job.
Read this post for more tips on how to get better quality sleep.
Drink a glass of water right after you brush your teeth
People who study the formation of habits say that coupling two habits together makes it more likely that a habit will stick. This is called habit stacking.
Drinking water is one of those habits that can be hard to maintain. However, if you remember to drink a glass of water right after you brush your teeth, you’re likely to keep up the habit.
Water has several health benefits including reducing headaches, which can be a pain when you’re trying hard to focus at work.
Take your vitamins as you brew your coffee
Here’s another habit stack for you: take your vitamins as you brew your coffee. Vitamin B complex (a mixture of the different B vitamins) for instance helps your body derive energy from food.
This will help you focus and lead to more productivity throughout the day.
Bike on your way to work
Get to work and get your exercise all in one fell swoop. Plus you’ll feel energized all day.
Take the stairs to your office
Add in bursts of physical activity into your day, throughout the day by taking the stairs to and from your office.
Feeling a little lethargic after that big lunch? Climbing up and down the staircase 3-4 times will clear that right up.
Use part of your lunch break to fit in a mini-workout
Do you have an on-site gym at your workplace? Plan to use part of that lunch break to fit in a mini-workout.
The reality is that we’re so busy and sometimes, it is easy to prioritize everything else except our exercise. This sound like you?
This is a creative way to use free time in your day to fit in exercise.
Always remember: a 10-minute exercise is better than none.
So don’t worry about the length of time. Instead, think of how wonderful it will be to get that exercise in so you can benefit from it physically and so you can also be energized to tackle the next half of the day.
Turn off your cell phone while you work to improve concentration
Unless you specifically use your cell phone for work-related activities, it is a good idea to turn it off so you can improve your focus and productivity through the work-day. If you’re a parent, turning off your cell phone at work may be difficult as you’d want to be reached in case your child’s school calls.
Even then, you can put the phone in silent mode and use the pomodoro method (or similar) to check your phone for any new messages.
Don’t let your email take you prisoner.
The average US worker spends 13 hours per week reading, writing or responding to email. That is more than 25% of a 40-hour work-week!
Long story short, if you’re not careful, you will be crippled by an overflowing inbox and will never get any work done. And all of that can lead to high levels of stress.
Here are a few tips on how to tame your inbox (instead of allowing it to control you)
- Set an alarm to check your work email once an hour. Constantly checking your email breaks your focus and make you less productive.
- Prioritize your inbox and respond to the most important first.
- Delete any emails you’re no longer working on or emails you no longer need.
- Delete spam or junk emails immediately
- Remember, you don’t have to respond to every single email that comes into your inbox. It’s alright to ignore it when it is from an unsolicited source or has nothing to do with your work.
- Turn off email notifications on your phone or computer.
Create boundaries by saying “no”
Creating boundaries by saying “no” is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself when it comes to productivity.
Is that trip down to the coffee shop necessary?
Is that call necessary?
Do you have to take that appointment?
We’re not advocating ignoring your work here. However, creating boundaries that make sense for you will save you time, reduce your stress and help you become more productive.
