Improve your energy levels to work your best

Improve your energy levels to work your best The grind of wake-work-sleep-repeat five times a week is enough to make anyone tired. Fold in family obligations, housework, and, you know, the occasional night out of fun, and it’s no wonder that most of us are exhausted by 2 p.m. every day. If you want to feel better so you can work better, you don’t have to make huge life changes in order to see results. Start small with the following tips and fold them into your life  bit by bit. If you’re diligent about changing your ways, your physical and mental energy are sure to see a boost.Eat good, whole foods.Whole grains, protein, and fruit are great ways to keep your brain and body going, even if you’re not feeling at your perkiest. Try oatmeal with a banana or berries and a sprinkling of nuts for breakfast instead of that muffin or bagel. (Keep a canister at work.) Store healthy snacks in your desk or in the common fridge so you have good options when you’re flagging and need an energy or blood suga r boost- try almonds, or carrots and hummus, or plain popcorn. If you’re prepared when hunger strikes, you won’t go searching for the first vending machine you can find. And don’t forget to hydrate! Keep a refillable bottle by your desk to fill with water and mug for green tea, which is less dehydrating and much healthier than coffee.Get enough sleep.â€Å"Enough sleep† will differ from person to person. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults need 7-9 hours. Of course, this is just an average, and you know your body best. For you, a restful sleep might mean 8 hours, or it might mean 5. If you’re exhausted every day, chances are you need to increase your sleep time. Try adding 30 minutes every day and taking note of how you feel the next work day. Once you start to feel more rested, you likely have found a sweet spot.The issue for most working adults is finding the time at the end of the day to wind down and actually fall asleep at a rea sonable hour. If you establish a bedtime routine and turn off electronics in the hour leading up to your bedtime, sleep will come easier to you. Adding in exercise a few days a week can only help. Finally, it’s not the best idea to consume caffeine after lunch, so watch your coffee and soda consumption.Move around.If you’re drooping mid-day, move your body to wake it up. Are you able to get out for a lunch break? If so, take advantage- even a 20 minute daily walk in fresh air will do wonders for your energy levels and your morale. Can you make it to the gym, do a quick workout video, or go for a jog at least 3 times a week? Even better. If you just don’t have the time, take 15 minutes at home (in front of the T.V. will do!) to stretch your body every night. Anything to get the blood moving will make you feel and perform better at work.Check your vices.Smoking and drinking alcohol might feel like crutches that you desperately need to keep functioning, but both ca n have an adverse affect on both your energy and your health. If you don’t want to cut them out, at least aim to cut back.Make a workday soundtrack.This one is fun: If you’re allowed to play music out loud or listen to headphones while you work, take advantage. Every night, take a few minutes to create a playlist of tunes that will keep you motivated throughout the next day. It’s harder to doze off when you’re (silently) singing along to your favorites. When a long day stretches ahead of you, a curated music list is a small pleasure you can anticipate.

How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist

How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist How to Personalize Your Revision Checklist By Guest Author This is a guest post by Laura Hamby. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. Everyone has their methods. I’ve read revision checklists all over the Internet, but still that didn’t stop me from coming up with my very own checklist. Why? Why not? Who knows better than I how I write? And while I will confess to incorporating items from the checklists of other authors, especially those who write in the genre I do (because I’m a big fan of learning from others), I also know the areas I need to pay attention to on the second/third, et cetera, go-round on my manuscript. The idea is not to revise your voice right out of your work. It is possible to do that if you’re not careful. You also don’t want to revise yourself so you wind up sounding like the person whose checklist you’ve borrowed for your own use. So, what did I consider when putting my personalized checklist together? I’m glad you asked. 1. Things my critique partner pings me on regularly. In the beginning, I had a crit partner who would whack my knuckles with her cyber ruler about head hopping. Stay in ONE point of view? It took me a while to figure it out, but eventually I caught on and now when I head hop, I KNOW what I’m doing. These things are subject to change as you grow as a writer. 2. Things I personally think I can and should do better. Several years ago, I gave myself a mission to use better, stronger verbs whenever and wherever I could. I took baby steps in the beginning, I’d write, then go back and check for passive, lackluster verbs. After a while, I moved on to refusing to use a wimpy verb in the rough draft, even if it meant I stared at the screen until I came up with something better. I like to think now that I’ve about got this licked- the verbs with verve come more easily than the verveless verbs now. As with number one, the items on this portion of your checklist will change, which is exactly what you want, as it shows that you’re growing as a writer. 3. Feedback I’ve received from editors. Hey, I figure if I’m lucky enough to get a rejection complete with what worked and what didn’t work for the editor, that’s as positive a rejection as you can get. And boy, how stupid would I be to discount what the editor has to say? 4. Those pesky generic things that should be on every revision checklist. You know, fun things like spelling, grammar, punctuation, looking for words that are words but are the wrong words. Example: â€Å"The hen is mightier than the sword.† These are what I like to call ‘Fun Typos’ because they often are worth at least a weak giggle, if not a full belly laugh when you find them. 5. Compositional/conventional aspects. Plot, flow, pacing, all threads tied off in a pretty bow, and so forth. 6. Have I stayed true to my voice? We all have a unique voice, but sometimes, it’s possible for it become lost when we try to be too clever or when we fight our way through a scene as if it were a paper bag we had to escape from using nothing but a dull toothpick. This is the part that is truly personal, above and beyond the conventions, like using periods to indicate the end of a statement, that we must observe. What questions can you ask yourself on your checklist that will resonate with how you write and what you write in regard to remaining true to your voice? Feel free to add or subtract from this list, and hey, if you come up with something to consider for creating your own personal revision checklist, let me know. I’m a big believer in being teachable and learning as much as I can about the craft of writing. Laura Hamby writes romantic comedy, has been e-published and enjoys her quest for self-directed continuation learning in writing . Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†List of Greek Words in the English LanguageEbook, eBook, ebook or e-book?