The Productivity Pro® Blog by Laura Stack - Time Management, Getting Things Done, How to Be More Productive

People with high stress levels are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes, respond poorly to flu vaccines, and catch colds more easily than those with low levels of work or interpersonal stress. To sideline stress, you need to learn to shift your perception and the impact of stressful situations. Here are some hints on how to do that.

1. Take a chill pill.  High anxiety can put a damper on your performance levels, so take psychological steps, like prayer, meditation, and positive imagery, to reduce your anxiety level. Or just forgive someone who’s slighted you.

2. Actively counter stress. Your stress won’t go away by itself; you may have to use effective stress management techniques to ease it. A massage, listening to music, and even crying can help you release built-up tension.

3. Seize control in small ways. You can’t control a traffic jam, your company direction, or Mother Nature. Identify things you can and can’t control in your daily life. Once you’ve done this, you can work on the things you have some control over, and let the rest go.

4. Turn off work when you’re on personal time. You can’t let your job take over your life. Re-erect the personal boundaries between home-time and job-time that electronic devices have so recently eliminated, or you’ll be eaten up by stress.

5. Take full advantage of company-sponsored benefit plans. Don’t let a desire to impress your employer keep you from taking advantage of your company benefits. There are valid reason for daily breaks, sick time, vacation, and the rest, and a smart boss will realize they’re instrumental to recharging your batteries.

6. Avoid crises by working ahead of deadlines. Procrastinating can force you to do everything at the last minute, which just ratchets up the stress, sucks away your energy, and adds to the difficulty of getting things done.

7. Lose the Type A Personality. Type A personalities tend to be competitive, aggressive, dominant, ambitious, acquisitive, self-driven, and hardworking. Ultimately, these traits can have effects on your body far beyond energy drain. Seek help before the physical effects overwhelm you.

8. Don’t stew. If you’re stuck somewhere where you can’t get anything done — say, in a line at the bank — it’s better occupy your mind than to stew. Pull out your handheld and answer email, or work on a Sudoku puzzle to keep your mind sharp.

The physical effects of stress are so wide-ranging and common that some experts estimate that almost half of all doctor visits are stress-related. So do what you can to take it easy; in particular, stop trying to control the uncontrollable, and instead focus on what you can control — yourself and your reactions.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

Even if you’re in a rewarding relationship and have plenty of acquaintances, you can still feel lonely. Research shows that physical exercise, relaxation, and physical health are positively associated with feelings of well-being, but the variable with the strongest association of all is social support. So if you want to boost feelings of psychological well-being and happiness, have lots of friends — and take these tips to heart.

1. Spend time with your friends.  No matter how much you love someone, relying on a significant other as your sole source of friendship is a mistake. Just because you’re in a romantic relationship doesn’t mean you don’t need other friends.

2. Nurture friendships at your workplace. Many people believe you shouldn’t combine work and play, but that can be a mistake. People who have good buddies at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs, and up to 96 percent more likely to be satisfied with their lives.

3. Spend time with people outside your children’s circle. If all your socializing occurs in the bleachers during baseball practice, then your life is seriously out of balance. This can severely deplete your energy, if only subconsciously.

4. Overcome shyness. If you’re so shy that you avoid making conversation with others, you’re hampering your ability to make new friends — and not having friends is detrimental to your mood, energy level, and overall health. Uncover the reasons for your shyness and seek to overcome it. 

5. Stop leaning so heavily on non-humans for company. No matter how shy or Scrooge-like you are, you need relationships with people to maintain your energy levels and stay sane. Dogs, cats, caffeine, and cigarettes just won’t cut it.

6. Get plugged in with others of similar likes. Feeling disconnected from other people is a certain recipe for anomie and low energy levels. Join a club with others who share your skills or experiences.

7. Spend quality time with your children. Instead of over-scheduling your kids with soccer practice and ballet, and running yourself ragged getting them there, sit down with your kids and enjoy them while you can. At the very least, have dinner with them as a family on a regular basis.

8. Work through relationship problems. Don’t let stressful relationships fester, especially at work. Offer feedback when asked, make your opinions clear, and work to defuse chronic dysfunctional politics.

Loneliness undermines health by altering your cardiac function and disrupting your sleep. The strength of social isolation as a risk factor is comparable to obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and possibly even smoking. The happiest people surround themselves with family and friends, don’t care about keeping up with the Joneses, lose themselves in daily activities, and forgive easily. Become one of them.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

Studies have proven that lighting, décor, smell, noise level, temperature, ergonomics, and color can all affect how you feel. If your environment’s draining you dry, try these tips for a little refreshment.

1. Make sure your workspace is ergonomically designed.  Constant discomfort is a great way to lose energy fast. Look into the possibility of getting ergonomic tools and furniture for your workplace, so you can stay productive.

2. Avoid RMIs. If you perform the same motions over and over again, you may end up with a repetitive motion injury (RMI) like carpal tunnel syndrome, Blackberry thumb, or bursitis. If you’re having a nagging pain, see your doctor and determine what behaviors might be causing it — and what you can do to avoid it.

3. Create a well-lit office space. Bad lighting can hurt you in several ways. Insufficient light causes eyestrain and headaches, both of which are energy bandits. Plus, fluorescents lack the blue light that apparently sparks greater energy in workers. If you can, work under bright incandescent light or natural sunlight.

4. Strive for a neutral background. A distracting office environment can cause you to waste energy on things that don’t really matter. Your best bet is not to have anything around that your body has to use energy to either pay attention to or to ignore.  

5. Limit your overexposure to electromagnetic radiation. While there’s nothing wrong with a little electromagnetic radiation (after all, that’s what sunlight and radio waves are), it’s a bad idea to get too much of it. Stay at arm’s length away from the screen, and be sure your monitor conforms to Swedish MPRII guidelines. 

6. Avoid eyestrain. Protect your eyes from your computer by taking regular breaks, and by positioning the screen the proper distance away. Irritated, blurry eyes make it difficult to dedicate your energy to worthwhile pursuits, and staring at a computer screen that’s too close to you can quickly give you a headache.

7. Insist on proper ventilation. If you and your co-workers seem to be getting sick a lot, or if you’re constantly having to fight off mold, consider checking your building’s ventilation system: the building itself might be sick.

8. Reduce background noise. Studies show that constant low-level noise in open-style offices increases stress and lowers motivation, and impairs the brain’s cognitive function in the prefrontal cortex. One way around this is to listen to music while you work, especially if you use a set of noise-reducing headphones.

Does your environment boost or bust your energy? If you’re not sure, take a close look and learn how to assess the impact of your environment.  All it takes is a few simple changes to boost your energy to the ceiling.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

Take a look at yourself. Is your life the same every single day? If you feel like you’re wasting your energy because you’re unchallenged and uninspired, you’re probably right. There’s a good reason the saying “Grow or die” is a something of a cliché, because it verbalizes a deep-rooted truth about human nature: you need to keep to growing intellectually all the days of your life.

If that sounds good to you, then use these tips to help you get growing.

1. Challenge yourself to learn something new every day. A lack of challenges is a real energy killer. How can you be anything but bored if you don’t learn something new occasionally? Human knowledge is so vast and complex that there’s always something new to be learned, so get to it.

2. Exercise your creativity. There’s a reason a zeal to create is often referred to as “creative energy.” Channeling some of your time into creating something –whether it’s a meal, a watercolor, or a poem — can help you unwind.

3. Make a change in your life. If you feel like your life isn’t going anywhere, try something different to shake you out of your doldrums. Even something as minor as changing your route to and from work can help.

4. Challenge yourself to read more. Reading can be relaxing, but it also engages your intellect and keeps you busy. In our culture, reading is a necessary life skill, and that’s more than most forms of entertainment can say.  

5. Do puzzles to sharpen your mind. A lack of mental stimulation can bore and depress you, which can put your energy level in the basement. Just as reading can kick-start your intellectual energy level, so can puzzles — brain teasers, Sudoku, Kakuro, even a good, hard crossword.

6. Push yourself to grow and learn.  Sometimes we get a little apathetic and jaded, thinking we don’t have much to learn. Instead of giving in to apathy, get a mentor.  Developing new personal relationships is a great way to go to the next level.

7. Get involved in a worthy cause. Contributing to the greater good can make you feel good inside, which is a surefire way to increase your personal energy and kick exhaustion to the curb.

8. Make new friends. If you never stray outside your comfort zone, you’ll get bored with life real fast — and there goes your energy. We humans are social animals; we need to relate with other people on a continual basis. Get to know your neighbors, join a reading circle, or get involved with a hobby club.

Your energy level isn’t entirely dependent on your physical condition, or even your emotional and psychological health. One of the biggest energy stealers is a lack of mental and intellectual stimulation. The same dull environment experienced in the same way every day for months on end, can bore you to tears; instead, make a commitment to challenge yourself every day, and learn continuously.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

Unfortunately, not all of our tasks excite us, so spending energy on them feels wasteful.  If an activity’s not challenging or offers no reward, motivation is difficult. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could complete your tasks more efficiently, so you’d have energy to spare? Well, I can help you with that.

1. Get your domestic duties done. Develop an evening routine, and make sure everyone in the family takes part. This will help you retain your sanity, happiness, and energy level, and teach other family members to respect others’ boundaries.

2. Enlist help with meals. Cooking dinner every night can be a real grind. Cook more than your family will eat so that you can browse on leftovers some evenings, and teach your children how to cook — they need to learn anyway.

3. Divvy up chores. Every single member of the family should contribute to household chores, as age allows. Try not to make chores gender-specific. Girls should know how to mow the lawn, and boys should know how to cook. These are basic life skills that they’ll need as adults.

4. Communicate clearly. Clear communication is vital, because it’s a time- and energy-saver. Don’t assume that you know what someone means when they’re assigning you a task. Ask questions, clarify, and challenge unrealistic deadlines.

5. Focus on what’s important. Don’t be a perfectionist, and don’t perform menial
tasks that someone else can do more cheaply. Do first what’s due first, try to resolve small items quickly, and don’t spend too much time on low-priority items.

6. Transform your outlook about necessary tasks.  If you dread something, you’re likely to put it off — which can be disastrous if that task is absolutely necessary. Do what you can to make it easier, but if you can’t change the situation, then change your mind. 

7. Don’t procrastinate. Force yourself to complete your work quickly, even if you hate it or are afraid you’ll have nothing to do later on. The reward is the freedom from the stress that not doing the work was causing you.

8. Work before play. Instead of doing the fun, easy, or trivial tasks first, do the hard ones. After you’re done, you can read a book, take a long hot bath, watch the sunset, or whatever it is you love to do. Having a reward waiting can help you get it done faster, because you have something to look forward to. 

Spending energy completing low-value tasks feels like a waste of time, but it’s as necessary to mop the kitchen floor as it is to buy groceries or enjoy quality time with the family. Learn how to do your chores quickly and efficiently, and you can better enjoy the rest of your life. 

(C) 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

Isn’t it amazing how much energy you can spend stewing about things? If you get too agitated, you might be completely unable to focus on other tasks. If that’s the case, you’re no good for anything until you can calmly address the issue. You need to learn to create closure on the things that bother you, so you can get on with life. Here’s how.

1. Avoid energy vampires. Some people can drain your energy in five minutes flat. Stay away from people who constantly criticize you, who gossip and create drama, who are mean, or who are just incurably rude.

2. Be assertive in annoying situations. If don’t state your needs in plain English, you’re unlikely to get what you want. Being assertive isn’t the same as being aggressive; be polite, and let the people around you know you’re willing to help out by changing your own behavior if necessary.

3. Clear up nagging reminders.  If you’ve got to-do items that have been staring you in the face for months, set aside some time to tackle them and get them done. Leaving things undone can zap you with guilt that’ll drain your energy.

4. Don’t leave things half-done. Don’t quit halfway. Instead of letting postponed tasks leave you frustrated, set aside some time and plow through them until they’re done, so you can move on to more productive tasks.

5. Occupy yourself productively while waiting. It’s bad enough when we waste time, but it’s worse when someone wastes it for us. If you’re stuck waiting somewhere, use to time to edit, knit, pay bills, read — anything productive.

6. Don’t let boredom get the best of you. Are you doing the same boring things every day? If so, give yourself a shot in the arm energy-wise by jumping out of that rut with some new activities. Change your routine and live a little!

7. Look within for the source of your frustration. If you can’t pinpoint an exterior source of your irritation and frustration, look within, try to determine the source of the problem, and resolve it.

8. Set limits and boundaries with others. Learn to say no. Saying no isn’t about being selfish; it’s about setting healthy parameters for yourself and recognizing reality, and learning to protect your energy level, your health, and productivity.

It’s crucial to learn how to create closure on the things in your life that bother you. Do something about them. What are you tolerating?  When do you experience frustration?  What do you do when someone wastes your time?  All of those situations require closure, so you can direct your energy toward more positive pursuits.  

(C) 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

Attitude, whether positive or negative, is contagious; so what type are you spreading?   Being negative takes extra energy you could otherwise be channeling into your favorite pursuits. Instead of sowing discord wherever you go, learn how to cultivate tolerance instead of impatience; optimism rather than pessimism; and gratitude versus an ungrateful spirit.

Here’s how to get started.

1. Stop negative thoughts in their tracks. Smother your feelings of pessimism, self-doubt, complaining, whining, and general negativity as they’re born, or they’re likely to take over your life and poison your relationships.

2. Stop worrying about everything. Instead of worrying about things you can’t control, create alternate mental pictures in which you and yours are the winners. Worrying about stuff you can’t control is a one-way ticket to the funny-farm.

3. Listen to what your anger is teaching you. Anger is an evolutionary tool that keeps us safe; therefore, you should respond to it carefully. Instead of lashing out, become introspective about what it’s trying to tell you. 

4. Learn to deal with emotionally-charged situations. Simply being around some people makes you tired, and others are brusque and irritable. It may be necessary to adjust your own attitudes to deal effectively with others’ personality quirks.

5. Choose to be an optimist. Assuming all your basic needs are met, happiness is a choice. It’s said that pessimists forget to laugh, and optimists laugh to forget.  Keep things in perspective. Remember: things can always be worse!

6. Count your blessings. Don’t show the world an ungrateful spirit. Stop complaining about what you don’t have and start counting all the things you do have. Counting your blessing can be an instant energy boost.

7. Cultivate patience with people. Others’ differences can sour your attitude, draining your energy. Realize we’re all different, and force yourself to find just one thing you like about someone who’s annoying you.

8. Don’t bother overanalyzing people. There’s not always an ulterior motive behind what people do, so don’t waste time and precious energy by playing psychoanalyst to those who annoy you. Sometimes a cigar’s just a cigar.

Instead of being a “de-energizer” who sucks the live right out of others, learn how to lift their spirits and give them joy. Being negative really takes extra energy — energy you could otherwise be channeling into your favorite pursuits. 

(C) 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

It may seem a tad paradoxical, but you can’t be productive if you don’t know how to relax. Leisure activities and relaxation like reading, talking, playing games, and other non-gadget pastimes can reduce your stress levels and increase your energy. 

Want to learn more? Check out these tips!

1. Step off the merry-go-round. If you’ve recently undergone a particularly busy spell, you may be addicted to going full-throttle. When your mind’s sick and tired of working, but your body can’t stop, you need to slam on the brakes.

2. Understand that rest isn’t a bad thing. You don’t feel guilty about going to the bathroom, so why feel guilty about resting? While too much rest can cut into your productivity, an occasional break is necessary to top up your energy reserves.

3. Set aside some “me” time. Pamper yourself occasionally; it’s okay to think about yourself and do something simply for the pleasure of it. It’s not about being selfish; it’s about self-care and energy replenishment.

4. Don’t feel guilty when you play. When you’re playing, don’t dwell on what you could be doing instead. Be present in your play and enjoy yourself. After all, if you wait until all your work is done before you play, you’ll never play. 

5. Don’t be a workaholic. If you’re a workaholic, get help. Too much work can literally make you sick. You’re likely to burn out, which can lead to depression, excessive physical and emotional stress, and a shortage of physical energy.

6. Learn to unwind. If you find yourself unable to relax after a stressful day, try progressive relaxation for 30 minutes. It quiets your mind, and it’s particularly helpful if you suffer from insomnia.

7. Take regular vacations. Stress and leisure are inversely proportional: the less leisure time you build into your overall life, the more stress you’ll experience — and that translates into less energy. Take all the vacation time you’re due.

8. Don’t jam up vacations with work. Work and play are meant to be separate, so make sure they stay that way. A working vacation isn’t a vacation — it’s work. The quality of a vacation isn’t measured by the output, so leave your cell phone, Blackberry, and laptop at home.

Learn to take it easy to you can become more productive than ever. This might sound like something Zen, but the truth is that even seemingly quiet, relaxing uses of free time are energy-builders — not energy drains.
© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

You eat well, you get enough sleep, you exercise every day, but your energy’s at rock-bottom. Maybe it’s toward the end of the work day. Maybe it’s the end of the week.  Maybe it’s the first day of your menstrual cycle. Maybe your biorhythms are at a natural ebb. Or maybe it’s the dead of winter, and any sane mammal would be hibernating instead of driving to work while it’s still dark out. Whatever the problem, here are a few quick fixes that can help you get back on track.

1. Recharge regularly. If you’re staring at a computer all day, you’re probably not moving much — and lack of movement translates to lack of energy. Take a break and do something that gets you moving.

2. Get outside and get some sunshine. A lack of fresh air and sunshine deprives your body not only of fresh oxygen but also of Vitamin D, which is produced by sunlight falling on your skin. You need at least 10 minutes of sunlight a day.

3. Stretch at your desk. If your muscles are stiff, tight, and sore, that means they’re too tense. The more tension in your muscles, the less power you have, because tenseness impedes oxygen and blood flow, resulting in lower energy.

4. Strike a pose. Lack of flexibility can lead to lower energy. However, studies show that people who practice yoga are less anxious, have more efficient heart and respiratory function, and are more resistant to stress.

5. Engage in some silliness. If you take life too seriously, you’re setting yourself up for stress, depression, and physical ailments that can sap your energy. Instead, start a silly hobby, tell your co-worker a joke, or read a Calvin and Hobbes book.

6. Try some aromatherapy. Recharge your energy by jolting your sense of smell. Keep small bottles of invigorating scented oils like lavender, lemon oil, orange, and spearmint at your desk, and take a whiff when you’re feeling down.

7. Try some ancient exercises. One way to avoid modern-world burnout is to be willing to try something old. Ear rubs, acupressure, and deep breathing can all help you release some of that pent-up pressure that can lead to energy loss.

8. Feel good in your skin. Ditch clothing that makes you uncomfortable; that’ll only lead to irritation and associated energy loss. Wear sensible shoes, avoid ties, try colorful clothing, and if you’re a woman, go braless occasionally — every hour you wear a bra makes it more likely you’ll end up with breast cancer.

So open your mind and get out the door; take a deep breath and strike a pose; or act like a kid and laugh ’til it hurts.  These tricks also come in handy for an energy boost during your mid-afternoon break, or when you’re trying to get off the caffeine roller coaster. 

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.

When you don’t feel well, you have lower energy, and it’s hard to be productive. Therefore, it’s important to take good care of your health, to get regular check-ups, and to investigate chronic conditions you’ve resigned yourself to.  Given how quickly medical science advances, it’s a good idea to check into the possibility of new treatments on a regular basis.

Follow these tips, and you may end up feeling better than you have in years.

1. Practice good self care. Line up your routine checkups, screenings, and exams, especially if you’re over 40 or suffer from a chronic condition. When did you last have a physical? Schedule future reminders in your calendar and stick to them.

2. Take care of your teeth. Good dental hygiene can add years to your life. Periodontal bacterial by-products resulting from poor dental care can enter the bloodstream and travel to major organs, setting off other problems.

3. Treat your cold. Instead of toughing it out and showing up for work anyway when you’re sick with a cold, stay home and treat your symptoms; otherwise, you’re likely to infect other people. Ask your doctor for a prescription for Zicam, which is effective against cold symptoms.

4. Disinfect your environment. A weakened immune system due to an infection can leave you listless and susceptible to opportunistic illnesses. Decrease your likelihood of illness by keeping your work area clean. Wipe it down with disinfectants on a regular basis, and don’t eat at your desk.

5. Have more sex. Spending quality time between the sheets can lower your stress and improve your immune system. Orgasms may also relieve headaches and menstrual symptoms, and people with a good sex life also seem better able to ward off colds and depression.

6. Laugh! Laughter really can be the best medicine. Laughing can build levels of the antibody IgA, the body’s first line of defense against germs. If you get sick a lot, maybe you’re just not laughing enough.

7. Don’t give up on fighting chronic pain. Consistent physical pain can really sap your energy. Instead of just putting up with it, check with your doctor to see what your options are. Don’t take “you’ll have to live with it” as an answer.

8. Clean the air. If you don’t have allergies, but you’re sneezing a lot, your nose is running, and your eyes are watering, call an air duct cleaning company and have them do a thorough cleaning to remove any contaminants in your HVAC system.

Learn to take personal responsibility for taking care of any health problems you suffer. Don’t wait for something to feel “wrong” before you get it checked out. Identify the wellness issues that are affecting your energy and causing you to feel poorly, and address those issues aggressively.

© 2008 Laura Stack.  Laura Stack is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations.  Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces.  She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004).  Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M.  To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401.  Visit www.TheProductivityPro.com to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.