Dr. Briffa - A Great Day at the Office - 10 Simple Strategies for Maximizing Your Energy and Getting the Best Out of Yourself and Your Day

The information contained in these pages is based on published (but often unpublicized ) research. But more than this, it’s also informed by the collective experiences of literally thousands of people. My work as a doctor, speaker and facilitator has brought me into contact with individuals with diverse wellness and performance issues including fatigue, disturbed sleep, low mood, lack of focus, impaired concentration and burnout. Working with these individuals over time has given me the opportunity to discover what actually works to resolve these challenges and have people brimming with vitality once more.

Much of the information and advice offered in this book is founded in science and published research. As a doctor, I am obviously interested in the underpinnings of the approaches I discuss here, and you may be too. But, as I often tell my clients in talks and workshops, gaining this knowledge is not merely an academic exercise: the focus is always on having individuals leave with practical, sustainable strategies that are effective for improving their condition. Rest assured, the concepts and methods presented here have been tried and tested with countless individuals and have been found to give consistent and predictable results in the real world.

Taking Charge

Anyone who owns a smartphone will know the importance of maintaining charge in its battery. Periodically plugging these devices into the mains is just one of those things we have to do if we want to take advantage of their functionality. The human body is a bit like this, too: we can use it to get stuff done, but we have to put something back. If we drain our ‘charge’ more than replenish it, we can end up suffering from periods of ‘low battery power’ that can put a major brake on our productivity. If severe and protracted enough, this situation can ultimately lead people into a state known as ‘burnout’.

It’s fine to put time and effort into work, even in the long term, just as long as we are regularly doing things that, overall, ‘recharge our batteries’ and keep them from running flat. In many respects, this is what A Great Day at the Office is about.

‘Battery charging’ can happen in a number of ways, including making the right food choices and being physically active. However, it can also take place via ‘activities’ that require little or no effort at all. Examples explored within the pages of this book include getting better sleep, napping, increasing sun exposure, listening to particular types of music, and specific breathing techniques. Other examples of things that might help the ‘recharging’ process include an evening spent at the cinema or theatre, enjoying time with loved ones and friends, getting a massage, or even indulging in a nice, long soak in the bath.

Some people, though, can view these sorts of activities as distractions from work, and therefore in their minds classify them as ‘unproductive’ time. However, another way of looking at them is as opportunities to ‘plug ourselves into the mains’, to ensure we are maximally effective in whatever time we apportion to work. In this way, taking time to ‘recharge’ through relaxation and recuperation may not now seem ‘unproductive’, but essential to our long-term success.

I am not suggesting for one moment that we should never work in the evenings, at weekends or on holiday (I do all of these things on a semi-regular basis, by the way). The key is to be able to live and work in a way that ensures our energy and effectiveness rarely falter, if at all, and that our personal sustainability is assured too.

Maintaining charge in the battery can be particularly important for those whose work is transactional or seasonal in nature, such as auditors or those involved in business recovery or mergers and acquisitions. Going into a busy phase already somewhat depleted is ‘risky business’, to be honest. ‘Doing the right thing’ in quieter times can provide a store of power that can be drawn on when the pressure is on and the going gets tough.

Here’s a list of the typical benefits to be gained by applying the strategies contained in A Great Day at the Office:

Enhanced energy and vitality

Increased mental focus, concentration and decision-making ability

Improved resourcefulness and creativity

Brighter mood and reduced tendency to anxiety, low mood or depression

Better sleep and heightened energy on waking

The ability to function effectively throughout the day with no mid-afternoon slump

Improved resilience and the ability to maintain high performance, even when the going gets tough

Weight loss without hunger or the need for extensive exercise

Resolution of persistent, troublesome health problems including headaches and digestive issues

Many of these benefits have a direct impact on performance at work, and will significantly enhance your ability to generate high-quality output and ‘get the job done’ – consistently . Moreover, improvements here will likely enrich your professional relationships too, from which myriad spin-off benefits can be yours.

It’s a plain fact of life that when we are energized and mentally alert, we are able to respond to people with more enthusiasm, resourcefulness and vigour. This, in turn, leads others to respond better to us . If you act on the advice here, do not be too surprised if you end up being held in higher esteem by your colleagues, clients or customers. This can, of course, translate into expanded opportunities and speedier career progression.

And the benefits do not stop when you leave the workplace, either. Typically, individuals will reap the dividends of brighter mood and enhanced energy in their personal relationships, too. It’s unlikely that anyone close to you will complain about your transformation into a better balanced and altogether happier person.

I have worked with a wide range of organizations around the world and interacted with individuals in varied settings and all levels of seniority – from graduate trainees to CEOs and successful entrepreneurs. Perhaps the most common fundamental issue that my clients express to me is that their performance is, at times, considerably lower than they would like and feel they are capable of. Many people have a sense that they could do more and be more effective – they’re just not sure how.

For some people, though, the issues are more acute. They may feel devitalized and swamped with work. A significant minority, no matter how hard they try, feel perpetually ‘off the pace’ in terms of the jobs they need to do. Work can somehow bleed (or haemorrhage) into personal time, including the evenings, weekends and holidays. All the while, this quite relentless nature of work can leave individuals feeling short of both time and energy.

Ultimately, the quality and quantity of their output tends to suffer, which usually adds to the stress and only compounds the problem. Now blighted by fatigue, some people can struggle to stay afloat and conclude the way they live and work is completely unsustainable. Ultimately, some decide it’s all too much for them and it’s time to go. For others, their organization makes that decision for them. I’ve seen the careers of many very talented and experienced professionals end unnecessarily prematurely in this way.

The cost here is not purely personal, of course. When individuals underperform, this has impact on the business too. ‘Going off sick’ is a potential consequence here, but this is the mere tip of the iceberg. My experience tells me that absenteeism is a relatively confined problem, especially at senior levels within an organization. Much more of an issue, though, can be ‘presenteeism’: essentially, people enduring long working days consumed with ‘busyness’, but at the same time simply not getting the results they, and maybe others, expect.