How to Have a Top Performing, Healthy and Active Day as an Engineer or a Manager
How to have a top performing, healthy and active day as an engineer or a manager #
Excerpt #
Pioritize having a healthy lifestyle -> see others around you thrive đ
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Senior Engineer to Lead: Grow and thrive in the role (upcoming Cohort in September) #
The first week of Julyâs Cohort has been now completed! Iâm having a blast and itâs so great to hear that people are getting value from it.
After 2 sessions of the course, I received this awesome feedback đ
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Thereâs been SO many insightful questions asked. Kudos to the whole group for that.
Use code ENGLEADERSHIP for 25% off or use this link: Senior Engineer to Lead if you wish to enroll for Septemberâs Cohort.
If you are a paid subscriber, you can enroll with 50% off via the page here: Special deals for paid subscribers.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Letâs get back to this weekâs thought.
Intro #
No matter if you are an engineer or a manager, you should focus on having a healthy lifestyle! The reason is that if you are not feeling good -> how can you help others?
So, the best thing that you can do is to prioritize having a healthy and balanced lifestyle that will make you feel good!
Once you do that -> see others around you thrive.
I have asked AleĆĄ Ćœehelj, a fellow Slovene and the Author of Top Performance Newsletter (English version soon here: Top performing lifestyle) to give us some tips on how we can optimize our day to be:
top performing,
healthy and
active.
Letâs get straight into them!
1. Implement a morning routine â get ready for a great day #
Don’t start your day by turning on your phone or laptop. Take this precious time for yourself and enjoy the unique morning energy & peacefulness.
I try to do mobility exercises a couple of times a week which makes my body feel flexible the whole day.
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For an intense wake-up, I like to have a cold shower for about a minute. The water does not need to be ice cold but just cold enough to kick your body out of the comfort zone. Even a few seconds are enough.
Cold water wakes you up, gives you a boost of energy, sharpens your focus and strengthens your cardiovascular system.
I practice cold showers only when I feel healthy and ready for it. I also adapt the water temperature according to my feelings. So, no need to go overboard.
What I also occasionally practice and it seems to be a great addition to my morning routine is:
taking a short walk or a sunrise walk,
practicing breathing exercises or
just sitting in a chilled space and enjoying the morning energy.
Reading, meditation, yoga, doing some of your hobbies, relaxed jogging or sport activities could also be great in the morning.
Morning routines should not be obligatory, I do them when I feel like it. They should prepare me for my top performing day and help me to achieve my goals.
2. Don’t skip your breakfast #
After finishing the morning routine, I make sure to not skip breakfast as it gives me a boost of energy for the whole day.
Breakfast does not need to be the first thing waking up. I usually have it 1-2 hours later.
Why breakfast is important:
It ensures a sufficient and above all, evenly distributed number of meals during the day, and thus a better metabolism.
Helps to prevent excessive hunger during the day, looking for a shortcut to unhealthy snacks and overeating later on.
It also feeds your brain for better functioning and active thinking.
It gives a boost of energy for the whole day. And as a result, it helps to regulate the morning focus and concentration which is needed for the daily personal & work challenges.
My breakfast is usually colorful with a variety of ingredients and tastes. I also make sure I have sufficient hydration in the morning.
3. Take breaks and be active while working #
For me it is really important to take breaks between my daily work, tasks and projects.
I usually take a break after finishing a task or a project or I even set up an alarm clock every 1-2 hours to remind me of a break as it is easy to get trapped in your working and sitting flow for longer hours.
Breaks allow your brain to relax & recharge after intense thinking, get a boost of fresh air and create space for new ideas.
During the breaks, I leave my sitting position and stretch my legs. I normally do a walk around the building if I work in the office, take some walk up & down the stairs or just take a short walk outside when I work from home.
Lunch break is also a great opportunity to change the working space, go for a walk, socialize and get an energy boost with eating healthy. If you need to do some intense work after lunch, make sure you don’t get filled with heavy foods.
During work, I change sitting positions (active sitting). This helps me to encourage movement, engage muscles, improve my posture, maintain my joint mobility & flexibility, strengthen core muscles and reduce the risk of back & neck pain.Â
Here are some examples of active sitting which you can incorporate:
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4. Switch from work time to free time #
Having a ritual of switching from my working day to my free time helps me stop thinking about work in the afternoon and focus on my personal life.
Firstly I set a time for each day in advance till when I work. I also let my co-workers and clients know when I am available so they can count on me - the majority of them respect that. I also let my family and friends know what time I will be available for them.
Shutting down my computer, cleaning the desk and changing clothes switches my mindset. Riding a bike or taking a walk home (if I am at the office), also works great for me. And having an after work arrangement with family and friends makes me unwind from work.
I try to avoid checking emails and taking business calls in my free time. I tell people I will get back to them in the morning and honestly I respond to all the missed calls and emails. In many cases, things can wait.
I know, this is very hard when you have your own business or do freelancing. Maybe an acceptable solution for taking all the calls at any time is to do that only on the two most busy days of your week.
When ideas come to my mind during my free time or right before bed, I write them down and revisit them in the morning.
I highly recommend creating an after-work routine which helps you to switch to free time. This could be anything, after work hobby, socializing, afternoon walk, etc.
This is how youâll let your brain know that it is time to change the mindset and environment.
5. Don’t forget to recharge after an intense day #
Quality and quantity of sleep are both very important. I make sure I get enough sleep even if this means going to sleep early.
I get at least 7-8 hours of sleep. This is the minimum that my mind and body need to recharge and to be ready for the next day’s challenges. Especially after doing sports or other intense activities during the day, the body and muscles need longer and quality recovery time.
I also try to stick to a constant sleeping biorhythm which means going to sleep and waking up pretty much at the same time every day.
The funny thing is that your body gets used to this biorhythm and later on you do not even need an alarm clock to wake you up. There are some biorhythm delays for the weekend of course.
Over time I started avoiding doing intense sporting activity late evening as my body needs 1-2 hours to calm down after intense physical activity.
I rather practice relaxation techniques such as taking a hot shower, expressing gratitude, journalizing, box breathing techniques or listening to relaxed music. What really makes me extra calm is reading a book on the sofa or in bed.
Eating heavy food before going to sleep is not a good idea, as your stomach needs lots of time and energy to process that heavy food. I rather plan to have a light dinner before bedtime.
Setting my bedroom comfortable, dark, quiet, filling it with fresh air and often changing of bedding makes a cozy environment for sleeping. I avoid using screens at least 1 hour prior to bedtime as they usually do not calm me down but they do the opposite.
We have a rule at home â no screens in the bedroom!
Last words #
Thanks to AleĆĄ for his insights on this very important topic! If you havenât yet, I recommend checking him out on LinkedIn. He currently writes the newsletter and posts in Slovene, but will be soon in English as well.
You can subscribe to his upcoming newsletter: Top performing lifestyle, where heâll be sharing similar tips on how to develop a healthy and top performing lifestyle!
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