Here is a brief excerpt from an article by Julian Hayes II that appeared in Inc. magazine. To read the complete article, check out others, and obtain subscription information, please click here.

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Mental energy is a valuable currency that can be maximized with these four simple habits.

Everything we do on a daily basis affects our mental energy in some form or fashion. Deciding what to wear, what to eat, what route to take to work, and what order to return your calls in are just a few of the many forms of how our mental energy is used.

In a time where we’re pushing ourselves more than ever and constantly on the search for any type of competitive edge for success, many often forget to maximize their mental energy. Instead of searching externally for hacks and tactics, it’s vital to start internally when it comes to our mental energy.

For the longest of times, I paid very little attention to mental energy. With that said, it was no coincidence that I was overly-stressed and anxious often times when it came time to work.

As an entrepreneur, your mental energy is critical to your success in business because not only is your cognition affected but your emotions are attached as well which leads to your specific behaviors and habits on a daily basis.

When it comes to boosting your mental energy levels while lowering the amount of stress in your life, start with these four simple habits.

[Here is the first]

1. Audit yourself daily.

Without proper self-awareness of your life, installing new strategies is essentially shooting targets in the dark which leads to a low hit completion.

The easiest way to start the self-auditing process is to begin a daily mindfulness practice where you’ll take notice of when and what makes your energy head south. This allows you to take precise action on alleviating the energy drainers.

When I did this, one of my biggest drainers was the people I was associating with. I discovered that I was fairly sensitive to picking up on people’s energy which in my circumstance lead to negativity and decreased productivity.

With this knowledge in mind, I simply decreased my time around my negative environments. By no coincidence, my productivity skyrocketed.

Throughout your day, take periodic timeouts to assess your energy. If you feel off, review what’s occurred the last few hours as possible suspects to draining your energy. Continue to do this all day and then review at night to make adjustments.

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Here is a direct link to the complete article.

Julian Hayes II is founder of The Art of Fitness & Life. Contact: @thejulianhayes