Everyday vitality means cultivating “the feeling of aliveness and energy that lies at the core of well-being.” According to Samantha Boardman, psychiatrist and author of Everyday Vitality, investing in energy inoculates us against disruption, unpredictable hassles, and micro-stressors that erode our willpower. Here are five simple ways to build everyday vitality in your worklife.
Imagine your ideal self
Oftentimes we try to motivate ourselves with harsh self-talk. You blew it! This could’ve been better. Get it together, Horn! What were you thinking?! The intention is to get back on track by pointing out what we’ve done wrong – while this approach can work, it’s also demoralizing and highlights the sort of micro-stressors that erode our energy and willpower.
Instead, take a moment – every day – to imagine the best version of yourself with positive self-talk. When we envision the best, most resilient versions of ourselves we are more likely to see ourselves in this image and behave accordingly. For me, the phrase “I am the person that my kids think I am” always gives me confidence while grounding me in what matters most.
Give a big WOOP
Building on positive self-talk by taking action in ways that bridges where we are (our imperfect reality) to where we want to be (our ideal state) is how Boardman recommends we bring to life the best version of ourselves. She calls it the WOOP model:
- Wish: imagine something important to you – I want to be so monomaniacally focused on the task at hand so that I’m immune to distraction.
- Outcome: define the outcome of fulfilling that wish and put it into words that capture how you’ll feel when you achieve – I’ll feel productive, energized, and organized because, somehow, I’ve found more minutes in the day.
- Obstacle: identify the number one obstacle that will get in your way – my phone distracts me while I’m working or playing with my kids (or doing pretty much anything).
- Plan: outline your plan to overcome this obstacle – I will put my phone in a drawer while I am writing so it is out of sight.
Our brains work like Google Maps – when we drop the destination marker on the map our minds unconsciously begin calculating how to get there (and what might get in the way.
Document good things
Vitality reflects how we choose to live, says Boardman. There are lots of ways to enhance wellbeing and productivity by documenting good things that happen. Every. Single. Day. (Today I wrote about a colleague having my back and playing soccer with my kids in the backyard).
Whether you write, draw, or mind map, I recommend time-boxing your journaling (it doesn’t need to be perfect) – for example, if I need to clear my head in the morning I apply Tim Ferriss’s freewriting method (three minutes go on the clock and scribble with the intention about getting all the messy thoughts out of my brain). This practice helps begin my day with a clearer head and a fuller heart.
Take nature walks
Trees solve pretty much every problem on Earth. The previous sentence isn’t even that hyperbolic. Renowned environmentalist, David Suzuki, suggests that taking a daily nature walk not only makes us care more about saving the natural world, but also improves our wellbeing, too: “Research shows time outdoors can reduce stress and attention deficit disorder; boost immunity, energy levels and creativity; increase curiosity and problem-solving ability; improve physical fitness and co-ordination; and even reduce the likelihood of developing near-sightedness!”
Robin Sharma builds vitality with a daily nature walk protocol: “It’s sort of my creative forest. There’s not a lot of people in there, and I walk for one hour. I breathe in the air. I look at the lush scenery. I listen to a different audiobook. It’s almost like a walking meditation as well. Sometimes I don’t listen to an audio book and I just walk.”
Regardless of how we approach our time in nature, the science is clear that a walk in the park or the woods leaves us feeling happier, healthier, and more productive.
Be prosocial
Prosocial behaviour means acting in the community’s interest not because it benefits us, but because it serves the public good. Stefano Zamagni argues that seeking to help the world is an emerging worklife practice: “prosocial (such as the increasingly numerous consumers who support and sustain the fair trade and ethical finance movements; or the businessmen, also increasing in number, who are instituting democratic stakeholding in their firms as the practical expression of corporate social responsibility).”
Caring about others boosts our own mental health. Whether we help a colleague with a project, clean up a park or beach in our neighbourhood, or touch base with an old friend to see how they’re holding up during, you know, the apocalypse we not only make the world a little bit better, but we build our vitality, too.
How will you invest in energy today?