7 Tips to Find Work That Gives You Energy
Arthur C. Brooks, in a recent Atlantic article based on a Gallup survey about Work & Workplace, wrote that ‘your job doesn’t have to represent the most prestigious use of your potential. It just needs to be satisfying.’ Satisfaction comes in large part from how we feel; energized, content, in flow.
What gives you energy?
According to Webster’s Dictionary, energy is: “a fundamental entity of nature that is transferred between parts of a system in the production of physical change within the system and usually regarded as the capacity for doing work.” We are all familiar with how energy plays a part in the delicate system of productivity and satisfaction.
What will give me energy when tired at work?
When you think about your current job, how does it affect your energy - are you drained or energized most days? Somewhere in the middle? If your answer is more often inclined towards drained, and you want to incorporate more energizing components, but don’t know where to start, consider these tips:
1. Where does your mind wander when thinking or solving a problem?
What types of problems do you like to solve? Does it have to do with people, information, or things? When you are presented with a problem, how do you take on the problem? Do you start with the problem and work your way to a solution, or do you work backwards and start with the solution and think of steps on how to get there? What are the patterns and themes you notice when you are solving a problem? Are you thinking of the big picture or of the small details? Harvard University’s Professional Development department released this article to help people see what kind of problem solver they are – read the scenarios to find out which out best fits you. Can you adopt any of these into your current work?
2. Look at your hobbies and how you spend your free time… what do you notice?
What we do outside the office is as important as what we do in the office. Write down a list of hobbies that light you up and get you excited. What do you look forward to doing during the weekend? Your work and your free time don’t have to be separate. Ask yourself, how can you weave in some of these themes into your work?
What energizes you
3. What do you like to learn about?
When you go to YouTube, what do you watch? What podcasts do you listen to? What apps, websites, stores, etc. do you visit? What games do you like to play? As a child, think about what you liked to learn when you were in and out of school. What subjects were you excited to learn about? Now as an adult, what do you want to learn more about, and when learning it you feel a spike in your energy. What kind of books do you gravitate towards; fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, or self-help books? Invite your curiosity to lead and follow where it goes. Take note of these patterns to identify what interests you and gives you energy - is there a way to bring this into what you’re currently working on?
How do you find work that energizes you?
4. Where do you feel relaxed?
Start with some deep breaths, consciously relax your muscles, and think of a place that makes you feel calm and centered. Where are you? In your mind, look around in this space and who is around you. Are there one or two significant people or are there big groups of people? What are they doing? Take note of these things as it may help you do your best work and allow you to be more energized.
How do you get energy to do work?
5. Where are you most in flow?
What are you doing when time goes by and you don’t notice? Are these activities mind-provoking, or are they more relaxing? Are you working with people? Things? Information? Creating? Repairing? Influencing? Accompanying? Organizing? Learning? Other??? What is a subject you can talk about or teach others and lose track of time?
6. What are you excited to tell others about / what are you proud of?
When you talk to others, what brings the biggest smile to your face? That smile that lights you up, what’s it about? Look back at your accomplishments, which one to you stands out and makes you the proudest? What area in your life does that accomplishment relate to? Is it a subject you studied, a degree, or a position you hold in your career or your personal life? Fire isn’t made without a match, the energy that strikes it, what is your form of energy that sparks your fire?
How to find energy when tired
7. What have people told you over the years that you are good at but maybe you are too shy to do?
Think of someone who complimented a skill you have. What did they notice you were good at doing? Is this something you can take into your current work? If you can’t think of a compliment, talk to the people you have interacted with on a regular basis - your family, your significant other, coworkers past or present. What is the common theme behind the feedback they have to share? Do you notice a pattern of something you hope to be good at but are too shy to pursue? What is the obstacle that keeps you from bringing it to your work? Pause for a moment. What comes to mind when you hear this quote: 'The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.' - Frederick Buechner
What gives me energy
It can feel overwhelming to go through these questions, but that is why Career Wellness is here to help. Inquire through our website about meeting with one of our coaches that can help you confirm or discover work that gives you energy.