High vibe work is that work that leaves you feeling on a high after you are done. It can be anything from an amazing conversation about marketing to finishing a project that feels like stars aligned to make it happen. 

But after coming across this idea that amazon might be implementing a wristband that tracks people’s productivity, I’ve been thinking high vibe work and what it means if you don’t have the freedom in your day to support the highs and the lows.

It reminds me of when I used to do in-house Human Resources and managers would come in my office to say that their employees talked too much. “They walk around,” or “They’re always talking” was what I heard pretty frequently.

Thankfully, I wasn’t your typical HR person, even back then. I would sit with the manager and try to understand where the harm was. Was the person getting his/her work completed?

If it turned out they were getting the work done, I would ask the manager to let it go. I would explain how we spend so much time at work that we need those breaks and those connections or we would go crazy.

If the person was not getting their work done, then it was another story. Then it became about making the goals clear so they could manage their time and their own productivity.

But truly, back then something in me knew that we needed to have those breaks.

Once I began working from home, I really became a student of energy and productivity – namely my own! I discovered that I was 100 times more productive at home because I took more breaks. Which sounds backwards right?

I worked less hours and was more productive!

The reason for this was that I would get phone calls or emails with problems and rather than have to keep up with my work without stopping, I would take a walk in nature. While walking I wouldn’t think about work and by the end of the walk I had several solutions to multiple problems. I could walk back in my house fresh and totally clear minded to tackle the issues. Taking a break from thinking about it, created more solutions. I had clarity.

It wasn’t until I took a tour of a Waldorf-inspired elementary school that I understood that we have natural rhythms and when we go against those is when we seem to need the extras. Extra coffee – or in my case I used to need afternoon sweets – to keep us going.

When, you work from home, you can go take a break on the couch with some solfeggio and recharge in a more natural way, but in a workplace it can be VERY challenging.

This is not to say you all should walk out of the office environment so you can work from home (we aren’t all meant to work from home), but pay attention to your ups and downs.

LISTEN TO MUSIC

Consider using different music tempos to help with the times of day when you have more energy and focus, and for the parts of the day where your mind needs a break. Calm and relaxing Tibetan gong music is one of my favorites to calm my mind and I love choosing Eddie Vedder on YouTube for my high energy support.

GROUP YOUR WORK

If your focus is best in the morning, take on your most detailed work in the morning.

If you find by afternoon you are so over talking to people, make sure your meetings and phone calls aren’t scheduled in the afternoons when possible.

GET OUTSIDE!

Talking a walk, or even going outside for 10 minutes to chill, will make a world of difference. If you can do yoga at lunch, that would work too!

ADD SOME RITUAL

Make a ritual out of having your favorite tea somewhere with a view. Set your phone off to the side and allow yourself some peace to recharge. Those 10 minutes here and there will be what you need to sustain your energy rather than burn out!

Food

Pay attention to your food choices. Some foods can make us sleepy and if you’re having a long day, choosing foods that sustain your energy can really help.

STRETCH

Your body will love you for taking time to stretch. Try this video on how to use Therapy balls for your hands and wrists. You’ll feel like you stepped out to the spa because it feels so good.

Find ways to work with who you are naturally rather than try to fit into a mold. You should find that you are actually more productive when you honor your natural rhythm than when you push through it. Pushing through is when it’s so easy to make mistakes or take twice as long to do something.

Also know that your most high vibe work has a refractory period. You need to recoup from really high vibe, intense work.

To answer my own question as to whether or not High Vibe work is sustainable, I say it depends on your ability to understand and support the highs and the lows. We can’t run on adrenaline and cortisol all day every day, we just can’t. What goes up must come down!

If you truly are in a situation where your boss is looking over your shoulder and there’s just no way to manage your energy, I get it! I once had a job where the only break I got was to go sit in the bathroom! That’s how I know you and the universe can co-create a better job for yourself and am happy to share these tips with you on how to do just that.

I’d love to hear from you in the comments about how you recharge your batteries without losing productivity. Do you have a boss looking over your shoulder?