Daily Resourcefulness: Your Healthful and Productive Day

Having started your day gently, let's move into the "business" part of things -- the time when you get things done. Is it possible to not only be productive, but to conduct yourself in a balanced and healthful way? Oh yes! Let's consider some strategies to support resourcefulness for the "whole" of you -- mind, body, and spirit. If you're like most of us, you have had days that didn't go well. Generally they go like this. First of all, you got up on the "wrong foot." Didn't get enough sleep, overslept the alarm, began rushing to make up for lost time, and things got worse from there. In a previous article, we've considered strategies to begin your day gently. But then what? How do you stay in that flowing and resourceful state in the midst of multiple demands and challenges? Here are a few tips:nnDaily resourcefulness for your spirit:nn* Breathe consciously. At the physical level, of course, breathing oxygenates you. At the spiritual level, it inspires you. Imagine that with each breath, you inhale living spirit and exhale any stress or concern. Breathing is possible -- actually, required -- anywhere and everywhere, no matter what else is going on.nn* Engage in meaningful activities. Even routine activities can be put in a meaningful context as you keep your greater goals in mind. Should you regularly find yourself engaging in activities that no longer suit who you are, consider re-styling that part of your life.nn* Be compassionate, be kind. "Right" changes from moment to moment. Relationships have the possibility to endure. Favor relationships over "rightness" whenever possible. Protect your personal safety, of course. Teach if you can. But there's really no need to dominate others.nnDaily resourcefulness for your mind:nn* Organize your day into activity segments according to what you plan to accomplish. "Between 8 and 9, I'll write my first article. At 9:00, I'll respond to email..." Use a planner to block time for your major objectives. Make sure that your "most important tasks" of the day are completed early.nn* Take time to listen. Attend to what's going on around you. The ideal working style for most people alte ates focused activity with receptive listening. It's easy to get so into your own projects that you fail to notice what's going on around you -- this can have undesired consequences!nn* Allow chunks of unplanned time. Things will come up, and you'll need time to respond to them. This is a given of most people's day. Should you have a day in which nothing unexpected happens, surely you can find something to do with that extra half hour.nnDaily resourcefulness for your body:nn* Balance more active and more restful activities. If you have an active job, then identify more strenuous and less strenuous tasks. If you have a sedentary job, then do your best to mix up a mid-afte oon chunk of errands with all that paperwork. If your job is continuous (say on an assembly line or in a call center), then contrast your usual activity on your breaks.nn* Stretch! No matter what you do throughout the day, make sure you include some stretching. Roll your neck and shoulders; reach your arms way overhead; stand up and stretch your legs.nn* Your body needs fuel, so eat lunch and stay hydrated. Sometimes people say, "I get so into what I'm doing that I forget to eat." The next thing they say is "By evening I'm ravenous and exhausted and I spend the evening eating junk food on the couch." Better to fuel your body throughout the day. Balance the needs of your mind, body, and spirit throughout the day and you'll find that you stay resourceful, productive, and healthy!