10. Make your own energy products
Why buy an expensive brick of grains and protein to that tastes like foil-wrapped roofing tile? You can make a healthier version at home for a fraction of the cost.
9. Listen to brain-stretching music
Work a little Mozart or Bach into your playlist. The harmony of so many instruments together relaxes your mind.
8. Deal with job burnout
Even if you're generally happy with your job, small annoyances and responsibilities can build up over time, until a dark, angry cloud hangs over you seven and a half hours per day. However you handle burnout, keeping an even head about your job gives you a lot more energy to spend on stuff that's a lot more fun.
7. Schedule around your energy peaks
Writer and speaker Michelle Dunn describes herself as "very organized," but there are times of the day she just can't be productive. So when she's about to hit a lull, she schedules errands and tackles non-thinking tasks, and otherwise schedules around her energy.
6. Get outside -- even if it's cloudy
Getting outside every day can give you a vitamin D boost and the resulting mood and energy improvements. You also get away from the screens, voicemails, and low-level humming of the office.
5. Crank out some morning exercises
Give yourself a now-now-now pushup cycle right after your breakfast, and you might just shake off your sluggish self-doubt and get moving.
4. Eat the right nutrition mix
Sugar and bread give you a quick jolt of energy, but ultimately result in an insulin-powered crash later in the day. Balancing out your lunch can have a big impact on your day.
3. Put your senses to work
Try scenting yourself awake with some essential oils of (or just strong scent of) peppermint or rosemary, or target the alertness-sparking stress points like your earlobes and the skin between your thumb and forefinger.
2. Switch to smaller caffeine doses
Slamming coffee to get alert and productive is like pounding a six-pack to get social and funny. Research suggests that small doses of caffeine do a better job.
1. Master the power nap
Try the Boston Globe's comprehensive cheat sheet.