For professionals, if you let it go on for too long, it can also extinguish your passion for work. Consistent unhealthy habits can pile up and steal your energy faster than you can replace it if you’re not careful. That includes sugar fixes in the afternoons, sitting too long, and even participating in office gossip.
What may seem like harmless lifestyle and office habits can actually have a detrimental impact on employee health and productivity. In fact, work lifestyle habits may be to blame for some of your daily fatigue.
Thankfully, there is always a way to turn negatives into positives. The below energy zappers are common culprits you can easily change.
They say sedentary lifestyles are equivalent to smoking cigarettes daily. Not only is constant sitting unhealthy for you, it also feels incredibly draining. If you’ve done computer work or worked in an office setting for any length of time, you know how tiring it can be. Your body isn’t physically moving to work hard, so it registers the stillness as a sleep opportunity. That, in turn, can make you feel a huge energy drain.
The Fix
Luckily, there are some simple fixes to nixing the energy drain known as sitting. You can opt for a standing desk or treadmill desk. Or, sit on a yoga ball to keep yourself actively focused on posture. Employers can also offer mid-day walking group sessions to get the team up and moving.
As tempting as sugary foods and drinks are for that 2 p.m. slump, it’s actually best to avoid those. You’ll find your energy drained instead of increased energy. One study even found that sugar consumption actually makes people less alert after eating it. If you’re finding your energy is on the low side, head outdoors for some fresh air and a walk for a mood and energy boost.
The Fix
Get rid of the office candy bowl. Have a vending machine for soda and snacks? See if you can find a sparkling water vendor instead. For snacks, set up a smoothie bar or fresh fruit bowls out in the break room to help employees make smarter snack choices!
If you feel like you never get a break from work, is it because you’re bringing your work home? Day after day, if you’re tackling work projects at home, it may be time to reassess why that’s happening. One study found that workers who blurred work-life boundaries were more likely to feel exhausted.
The Fix
Employees may want to take inventory of how they’re spending their time by using a tool like Toggl to track project progress daily. If projects are taking longer than needed, it may be time to ask for some extra help. Employers may want to keep an open mind about ways to reduce their employees’ need to bring work home with them to minimize the risk of burnout.
Not only is gossip an energy drain, but it’s unfair on multiple levels. It involves people who don’t want to be involved, and it also happens behind someone’s back. Workplace gossip doesn’t positively contribute to the environment and also creates a negative feeling among peers if it continuously happens.
The Fix
For employees, choose to not partake in gossip sessions. Simply walk away or don’t add anything to the conversation at hand. Employers can opt to have a no-gossip policy, too. Employers may also consider hanging the Rotary motto in office and sharing it via email: “Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”
When you feel super “busy” but don’t see results, it can tire you out faster. This energy drain can quickly lead to sloppy work and burnout. When you try to do multiple activities at once (think of trying to juggle multiple balls in the air together), you’re bound to drop the ball on something. Multitasking is one way to try and get everything on your to-do list done. But, multitasking reduces quality and sucks your energy up fast — even more so if you’re doing it all day long.
The Fix
Try one activity at a time. Log off email when on the phone, for example. Take notes by hand in a meeting so you’re not tempted to open multiple browsers if you usually type notes on a computer. Look for ways to reduce your activities to one at a time throughout the day.
Have you ever been around someone who speaks and every sentence seems to be a complaint? That ongoing negative noise has an impact on your mental health and also your general energy. If they seem to come to you often to gripe, you may be enabling their behavior. Instead of continuously allowing them to dump complaints on you, opt for validating and recognizing their emotions before moving onto the next topic.
The Fix
Know that chronic complainers will often always see the glass half-full. But it’s important to note that they probably will complain even if you offer them a silver platter of solutions. Try not to spend your time convincing them things aren’t so bad; it’s often unlikely to work. Instead, sympathize, validate, and move on.
Anything you leave unfinished can leave you feeling antsy and anxious. When possible, do your best to fully complete a task before moving on to the next one. This pairs well with avoiding multitasking. Do your best to work diligently on a single project and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment at completing your project.
The Fix
Time management is one key to getting your to-do list done. By organizing your list (even if it’s massive), by priorities and being flexible with shifting those tasks as needed, you’ll get the most important ones done first. Note the pleasure you feel when crossing it off your list and remember that if procrastination tempts you for your next item.
As you can see, energy drains can quickly leave you feeling both physically and mentally depleted. If you often deal with more than one of the above listed energy suckers, it’s no wonder you’re exhausted often!
Pile them on for too long, and you’ll feel your passion for work drain right alongside your energy.
Luckily, you can avoid these energy drainers. If you don’t, you will likely continue to feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and maybe even joyless.
Look at ways you might be draining your time and energy in the workplace. If you’re spending all day writing emails but not doing productive, deep work, it may be time to revisit prioritization lists. Spending too much time at the office cooler getting the gossip? Skip it.
Every person deals with various energy suckers that can claim more of their time than they want. It’s the people who won’t put up with them that will be the most successful in using their time and talents in the best ways possible.
Ready for more energy? Check out our massive free list of 52 Energy Boosters for Every Week of the Year!