This is a guest posting by Lise of Frugal in the Fruitlands. Her blog is a fantastic resource for plumping your wallet through inventive saving techniques. (subscribe to her feed here)

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Finding Flow suggests that we are happiest as humans when we pursue tasks that are challenging, but not so challenging that they discourage progress. This is a challenge when you consider that human beings also crave routine. Nothing is wrong with habit - but it can discourage the kind of supportive challenge that leads to flow experiences. In other words, if mental stimulation is lacking in your work or home life, it will be more difficult to bring new ideas to the table.

Nowhere is our craving for habit more apparent than in the morning, when we arrive–sometimes zombie-like!–to work, slurp down some caffeine, and try to make sense of our email and to-do list. Many people use caffeine to make the transition from slumped proto-human to functional worker, but here are some non-addictive ways to jumpstart your mental day:

Start your day with a puzzle. I freely admit stealing this from Trent of The Simple Dollar. Delve into your local paper; do the New York Times crossword puzzle, or check a puzzle book out of your local library. You don’t even need to opt for a dead-tree variety, either: pull up WebSudoku and pick a sufficiently challenging puzzle.

Work on your vocabulary. I recently spent several months studying for the GRE, including a solid vocabulary workout. If you wonder how knowing that taiga is an arctic forest will make you happier and more productive, consider this: English is a language that “runs down other languages in dark alleys and goes through their pocket for spare words,” and so the process of learning new words will teach you how to take words apart, attribute them to their source language, and learn a little bit about other cultures. You can pull out your old standardized test review books for this, or you can visit FreeRice.com, where you can “learn free vocabulary and give free rice.” Eradicating world hunger AND learning new words? That’s the kind of multi-tasking I like!

If you’re more of a contemplative, start your day with Poetry Daily. I enjoy reading the poem slowly, picking out phrases that catch my eye, and considering the meaning. If your only exposure to poetry has been high school English classes, then this resource will definitely broaden your horizons.

Learn a language while you commute. Audible.com has a good selection of language courses to purchase in audiobook format, but I wouldn’t be fit to run Frugal in the Fruitlands if I didn’t suggest that you try your local library or look for free language podcasts first. Natalia Worthington’s Spoonful of Russian is one that I enjoy, and is available free in the iTunes store.

Doodle. I wonder sometimes if my employers are offended by my doodling in meetings. I wish I could explain how it works for me - if all I have to do is listen (and not take notes), it’s actually really good for keeping me on target so that my mind doesn’t wander. It also seems to keep new ideas churning to the surface - something about doing something with my hands triggers a learning response. Maybe it’s a throwback to taking notes in high school and college.

When I was in college, I would start my day with Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast. There’s something about playing a fast-paced, highly reflex-based video/computer game to get the blood pumping in the morning. I don’t have a Wii, but I understand that that’s exactly what it’s good for. Hint: Don’t do this one at the office, unless maybe you work for Nintendo.

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1 - Educational challenges - What was once massaged your brain into stimulation can become a nuisance after repeated experiences. This is actually one of the leading causes in folks switching jobs/careers. Keep a fresh supply of mental chewing gum by digging into War and Peace, attempting a new language or revisiting high school mathematics.

How this worked for me - Recently, I’ve been trying my gift of gab in the form of Vietnamese. Meeting new people and connecting via this beautiful language has been rewarding beyond description.

2 - Re-arrange your schedule - Obviously, this can be filed under the “easier said than done” category. Trust me on this one though, and take it one step at a time before going as far as to ask for the night shift, hehe. For instance, instead of working out at the gym on M/W/F, give T/Th/Su a go. In this case, by going from one set of times to another, you’ll encounter new people which can lead to increased networking.

How this worked for me - I had honed a 200 average at the bowling alley every Thursday night for months. Now my Lebowski-ness occurs on Tuesdays and my group of pin pals has increased for the better. Oddly enough, the oil conditions are better and my average has risen.

3 - Take the scenic route - Literally, this would mean an alternative route home, and although that qualifies as a refreshing stimulant, I’m talking on a grander scale. Make it a goal to take at least one trip per month to a new town, city, or state on your days off. You can go the way of the lone ranger and cruise solo, but sharing with friends/family enriches the experience.

How this worked for me - Days out and about on the weekends has doubled as a chance to focus on my photography hobby. Bonus!

4 - Plan a get-together with friends - Often times professionals will focus on their career and leave behind the communication with friends and family. Make it a point to grab dinner or have a house party with close friends and/or relatives on fairly frequent basis.

How this worked for me - Some of the best I friends I have were made from specifically seeking time to have fun while not at work. True story.

5 - Keep a 7-day diary - Writing has been proven time and time again to be thoroughly therapeutic. Thoughts can build up like a messy desk in the subconscious of our minds and eventually lead to a wild stress-induced mood swing. Sounds familiar? Yeah, I’ve been there too. Write about anything or everything to clear off that mental deskspace at least once a week. Without mental health and clarity, your happiness is genuinely impaired.

How this worked for me - Writing has provided me an outlet for pent-up feelings and thoughts that would have gone unattended. By casually recognizing what’s on my mind, I’ve been able to do a ton of self-improvement over the past several years. Writing… Modern-Worker approved!

Now, I’m fully aware these adjustments to life aren’t exactly easy or convenient to make, but I promise you’ll be glad you mixed things up. New environments, people and activities will induce a positive, confident spirit!

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CBS is reporting that energy drinks jack up heart heart and blood pressure, due to caffeine levels found in Red Bulls, Rockstars, etc. I’m glad to the info is being published, and it really makes me wonder what misconceptions surround these mini jolts-in-a-can.

“In a small study, they found that drinking just two cans of a popular drink increased blood pressure and heart rate within four hours.” - CBS

I’d say that within four minutes I’ve felt an increase the amount of work my heart’s doing (followed by a crash, but I’ll get into that later). I’m not a regular Red Bull slammer, but I have dabbled with the occasional 8.3 ounce aluminum packages of taurine/caffeine combo enough to decide I was better off sticking to good ol’ herbal tea. Antioxidants along are reason enough to have one or two (or five) cups a day!

Take a page from the book of common sense, let’s quickly review several questions we should be asking when contemplating an “energy drink”. Sound good? Good.

• Do I really need a temporary boost in energy?
• Will the crash (end of sugar rush) affect me during work hours?
• Do the ingredients conflict with allergies/medications?
• What alternatives do I have available?
• Is the cost-to-productivity ratio justified?

Posing these questions before cracking open a brew of heart stimulator will lead you down a healthier path.

Additionally, here’s everything you need to know about a Red Bull. Rockstar drinks and such will vary, but this is a good reference for 8.3 oz energy beverages.

Ingredients:
Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, sodium citrate, taurine, glucuronolactone, inositol, niacin, D-pantothenol, pyridoxine HCL, vitamin B12, natural and artificial flavors, colors, caffeine

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 can; Amount per serving: Calories: 160; Total Fat: 0g; Sodium: 290mg; Protein: less than 1g; Total Carbohydrates: 40g; Sugars: 39g; Niacin: 140%; Vitamin B6: 360%; Vitamin B12: 120%; Pantothenic acid: 70%

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Various surveys and studies show that Americans switch jobs between 10 and 15 times through their career(s). Joe Torre is an exception to this, as the majority of his professional path has been with the highly successful New York Yankees baseball franchise as head coach. In the light of an uncharacteristic season of poor performance, Torre is now in the final steps of finalizing a three year contact with the New York Dodgers. Talk about a sticky situation in terms of flipping sides.

Personally, I like change in professional sports and this move by Torre will be fun to watch when the new baseball season commences. I’m not sure however, that Yankees fans share my point of view. By the way, if you’re an NY local, I’d love to hear your take on this whole situation.

Now, back to that statistic I had mentioned previously. If you’re like me, you’ve switched jobs a few times already and know the pressures that ensue in these types of situations. The circumstances can further be pumped up if the switch is from one company to a competitor. There’s hardly anything wrong with this, but soon-to-be-former coworkers might feel betrayed. Follow these key points to gracefully switch jobs without the drama.

- Do not exalt your new position. Bragging shows disrespect and is just plain sloppy. It’s perfectly acceptable to be excited…on the inside.

- Be thankful for the opportunity to have worked at your soon-to-be former workplace. Gratitude is appreciated by everyone, and employers are no exception. Serve up the proper respect and never burn bridges. This is natural for true professionals.

- Give it 100% through the last day. Excitement about moving on to a new position is not a reason to slack at a current job. Continue on through your last two weeks as you normally would and hold up your responsibilities

- Clean our your work area, thoroughly. Make a clean break by not leaving remnants of your former self. Honestly, as much as people might love you, they won’t love what you leave behind.

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The rumble in my stomach this morning could have been satisfied by some high fiber cereal and fruit at home, but I wanted to arrive early at the office to do some personal organization. The perfect solution appeared to be stopping off for a couple of breakfast tacos from a local shop on my way to work.

Now, keep in mind that I hardly ever even think about eating fast food. You’ll almost always catch me with a banana and green tea in the early hours of the day, as opposed to anything pre-made. That being said, there are times in which I go with perceived convenience because the work I’ll get done in the time saved is worth more to me than the price of paying for someone to make a bite to eat.

After having waited much too long and being overcharged for something I didn’t order, I was on my way from a thoroughly dissatisfying experience. Now, I find myself with a buck less in my pocket than I expected, but correcting their error would further put me in the hole with wanting to get to work extra early.

So, what was I witness to today? I was once again seeing a perfect illustration of the risk one takes when dealing with a lower-quality team of workers in hope of saving time. Sometimes, it makes sense to just do it yourself and be sure of the results. Life can be funny

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