We have all seen this phenomenon in businesses all around the world. There is often an implicit pressure to be the first ones in to the office, to work the longest days, and to claim we need very little sleep. Yet the last thing a good rep needs is to burn out because they have a routine that is unsustainable. Research conducted on this topic found that people who have very high energy levels in a given day are more than three times as likely to be completely engaged in their work that same day.

If you want to make a difference — not just today, but for many years to come — you need to put your health and energy ahead of all else. If you are wiped out from working around the clock, subsisting on food from a vending machine, and not making time for daily exercise, then there is no way you’ll be effective at helping your friends, family, colleagues or clients. The good news is that making choices to improve your energy does not require a complex grand plan. It all starts with the next choice you make.