A savored cup of coffee, sea air, and two minutes for my daily energy-check in. Every morning. It works for me now but trust me, it wasn’t always this way. In my past life, my daily ritual included coffee, yes, but mostly guzzled and consumed while pouring over angry emails from the UK, fitting in last minute meeting requests, and racing out the door oftentimes without much thinking about breathing but obviously, I was breathing. Right?

So What Changed?

I wish I could say, I got smart, aware, and made healthy changes to my daily habits, but honestly, I burned out. Like out out. Quit your job, cut bangs, seriously contemplating moving to a deserted island with no wi-fi out.

So Why Share This?

Simple. I don’t want you to go through what I did. When I reflect back on my days before and now after burnout, there is one glaring way that things are different. My rituals, routines, and habits have changed. I took back my power, and made my day and worklife work FOR me. AMPLL helps all employees do just that.

The case for ritual and routine:

The importance of habits and daily routines are heavily researched and documented, one of my favorite Ted Talks on this is BJ Fogg, Tiny Habits- it’s worth a listen. Essentially, experts in the field agree that:

1. “Your daily routine influences your quality of rest. Your sleep schedule and bedtime habits affect your mental sharpness, performance, emotional well-being and energy level.”
2. “Routines help us to create positive daily habits that promote self-care. We can organize our time around things that we deem important to maintain happiness and feelings of fulfillment.”
3. “The morning routine helps us set the tone for the day, better allowing us to control our schedules rather than our schedule controlling us. As we start each day fresh, we can better focus on what is in front of us, where to prioritize our time, energy, and, ultimately, increase our productivity.”

Daily Energy-Check in:

AMPLL has recently released a daily energy check-in feature. This check-in is a super easy and fast way to ground your day, simply, pick up your beverage of choice, put both feet on the ground, and check-in on your energy. How are you feeling this morning?

By taking these 2 minutes you are doing 4 amazing things for yourself. (who said self-care can’t be fast and easy?)

1. You are present, in your mind and body. Your heart rate slows and your body relaxes.
2. You are introspective. Self-Reflection is your outlet for organization. It allows you to understand, dig deeper, and ultimately make positive, value-adding changes in how you live your life.
3. You are aware, you head into your day, eyes wide open.
4. You are supported, when you share where your energy level is your team is able to encourage you to take care of yourself, and to engage in active support if needed, for example, they may suggest a later meeting time if your check-in shows you are at a lower battery level than normal.

How does this work in reality?

Here’s what it looked like for me this morning. I woke up, tired, kind of cranky, and in a bit of a rush, when I did my check-in it was clear that my battery wasn’t running at full capacity, a 1 to be exact.  Two things change when I am aware of this, one, I am softer with myself and I take better care, like moving meetings around and taking some time to sit outside on my deck to boost my mood. Two, I can share with my team, so they can better understand and support me.

Creating space:

From rushing and guzzling to introspective check-in seems like a stretch I know, but it doesn’t have to be for you. Let AMPLL encourage you to create the space to check-in on how you are really feeling, every day. As this becomes a routine, I wouldn’t be surprised if just the nature of taking two minutes every day doesn't naturally add a little boost to your day.

Would love to hear about your experience with your energy check-in!

Until next time,

Kristin