It’s a good time to stop and catch your breath.  Some of us are just coming out of winter and need to refill the gas tank.  It’s important for business people (especially small business owners) to take time to recharge.  It is good for you and your company.

Here are some suggestions:

1)  Do Something You’ve Been Wanting To Do
So often we get caught up in day-to-day activities and never take the time we need for ourselves.  Schedule a meeting with yourself and stick to it.  Is there a craft you’ve wanted to do or a household or office organization project?  Maybe you’ve been thinking about taking dance classes or picking up the guitar again.  These small gestures can offer a big boost to your spirits.

2)  Take a Look at Your Diet
What are you eating?  A wide variety of fruits and vegetables come into season in spring.  Raise your fresh intake, especially greens.  They are cheap, versatile and oh-so -good for you.  If you’re feeling sluggish, look into herbs or teas that offer cleansing.  There are many wonderful tonics at your local health food store.  What you put in your body has a profound effect on your energy level.  Pay attention and it will reward you with increased energy and vitality.

3)  Get up and Move!
If you are able, find a new way to move that you enjoy.  Walk to work a few days a week (weather permitting), join a gym or take up a sport.  The more active you are, the more energy you will have.  (This is most important for those who have been inside for the winter.)  Adding a new movement each season keeps workouts fresh and interesting, which should help to do it more often.  Nothing makes you more energized than getting your body moving.

4)  Schedule Put-Off Appointments
Doctors, lawyers, accountants, oil change for the company car . . .   Keeping up to date with these will reduce your need for additional fuel.  You may discover pockets of recharging from the suggestions of your professionals.

5)  Meet with Your Principals
Now is a good time to get together with your team.  Review plans and solicit ideas.  You might do this in a social setting like a lunch or dinner out.  Take them bowling and ask how they are doing and what more they think the company could do.  Have your notepad handy. This fun brainstorming session can increase good will and offer plenty of motivation.

6)  Institute a New Policy for Others
You could look into new ways your company can be more green or reach out to the community.  You might relax the no-music policy or offer your employees a bonus of some kind.  Don’t forget specials for your customers.  When you refuel others, you refuel yourself.

7) Get Away from It All
Rent a cabin in the woods, without Internet, phone and TV.  An article in the NY Times from 2012 talked about how some companies are offering their employees time away from the Internet.  Dalton Conley, dean of the social services at New York University was quoted as saying, “Giving workers time to chill helps ultimate long-term productivity.”

You can do this by yourself or with your family.  It can be very refreshing to spend a few days connecting with loved ones, without electronic devices and things to do, places to be in between.  Even a long weekend away can recharge your batteries and remind you what you’re working for.

8)  Spring Clean Your Office
Get that Spring Cleaning feeling by going through office papers.  Box up what you don’t need, shred what you can and store or toss the rest. You will be surprised by the lightness you feel and the renewed energy you will have from doing this job.  Taking care of oft-neglected items like catching up on expense reports, returning phone calls, writing that letter to your sales team . . .  will contribute to increased fuel.   Schedule 15 minutes a day until it’s cleaned up. Watch the energy spring up when you conquer these small items that weigh on our mind.  Stop thinking about it and just do it!

9) Don’t Forget Quadrant IV Items
In Stephen Covey’s landmark book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he talks about Quadrant IV.  These are things that are important, but not urgent.  Activities you know you want to do, but often become buried by urgent matters that crop up every day. In an article in Forbes Magazine, the author listed items such as “having a lunch with an important contact or client.  Relationship-building.  Some long-term planning.  It could be attending a conference to learn about some new area that you’ve heard a little bit about and which sounds promising but might not pan out into anything.” Remember what’s important to you, the values your company stands for and the inspirations you have. Get back to that.  This will definitely help you perform more effectively and waste less energy.

10) Tame Your Emails
Why is it that we collect so many emails?  Maybe because others are sending them out in such volume and consistency it’s hard to keep up.  It might be helpful to know you are not alone.  There are tons of articles and help on the Internet.  In an article in the Huffington Post’s, The Third Metric, a report from the McKinsey Global Institute sited that “13 hours — 28 percent of our workweek — the average person dedicates to reading, deleting, sorting and sending emails.”  Wow!  These emails weigh heavy and drain your energy.  So what can we do about it?  Here are a few ideas:

*  Take stock of the emails you currently receive and decide what’s really helping you.  Keep only those things that feel good and are worthwhile.

*  Best-selling author, Ph.D. and Fear Expert, Susan Jeffers warned about being a know-it-all.  Many of us have this thirst for knowledge.  It’s out there, so we feel a need to know all about it.  But we don’t.  We can always look it up if we need the information.  Let it go and unsubscribe wherever you can.

*  Another tactic might be to set up different email boxes for areas of your life: work, friends, and interests.

* Psychology Today suggests handling emails in a regular block of time.

You can easily find plenty of ideas.  Search for “Too Many Emails in Inbox” and see what works for you.

How many unread or unattended-to emails are in your inbox right now? What do you do to try to tame them?  Comment below.

With all this new found energy, you can implement the next phase of your marketing campaign.  Maybe you’ll decide to introduce a new product or service.  You might just go into a growth spurt in your business!

For more information contact Diane Lemonides at DLemonides@VerveMarketingAndDesign.com