Beat Afternoon Fatigue

Between 2 and 3 o’clock, many workers find that they experience fatigue and sleepiness. This can cut into office productivity and lead to procrastination.

The mid-day slump is entirely avoidable. With a few simple tips, you can boost your productivity throughout the day and keep your office humming with quality work.

 

1. Have a healthy lunch

How to avoid afternoon fatigue is to have a healthy lunch. Having a carbohydrate-laden, fattening lunch will make your energy flag later in the afternoon.

Try having a salad with grilled salmon or heart-healthy quinoa with vegetables. Eating a healthy lunch will help you feel more energized and more productive. (Beat Afternoon Fatigue)

2. Be careful with alcohol and caffeine

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t drink alcohol during the workday, but if you do have a drink with lunch, make sure you have no more than one or two glasses. Alcohol is a depressant and will cause you to have a slump in energy later in the day. (Beat Afternoon Fatigue)

You should be careful with how much coffee you drink as well. Many of us get our workday started with a large amount of coffee. Then as the day goes on, this artificial energy flags and we find ourselves drooping. (Beat Afternoon Fatigue)

Try cutting back to 2 or 3 cups a day, and stop drinking coffee after 10 am. You can have a cup of caffeinated tea or half a cup of coffee around 2 PM to ward off the mid-day slump.

 

3. Get more exercise

It may seem counterintuitive, but exercising more will give you more energy throughout the day. It’s true that you may be more tired and sore right after you start a new exercise routine.

As the weeks go by, you’ll find that the natural boost of serotonin will make you happier and more energetic during the day.

As your mood improves, your work performance will as well. Your boss will be even happier with your work and you may be promoted or get a raise. Try a brisk workout before you go to work in the morning, or take a stimulating walk at lunchtime. The fresh air will do you a lot of good.

 

4. Play a game with your coworkers

A mid-afternoon break is a great way to refresh yourself for the last part of the day. While gossiping with coworkers is fun, it’s even better to do a communal activity.

Playing a board game like Chinese checkers will help everyone build office camaraderie as well as stimulating your minds with problem-solving and strategic thinking.

Playing games with your coworkers can also foster a beneficial sense of competition. Perhaps you could set up a bracket with your coworkers and have an ongoing tournament. (Beat Afternoon Fatigue)

This will boost teamwork and give everyone in the office something to look forward to in the afternoon. With this mental boost, you’ll be ready to tackle your afternoon tasks with renewed energy.

5. Get away from your desk

While it may seem like you’re staying productive by eating lunch at your desk, this will only increase your feelings of fatigue.

After lunch, when you feel the afternoon slump coming on, take a walk around your office and have some of your necessary work conversations in person rather than via email. The personal interaction will wake you up. (Beat Afternoon Fatigue)

6. Front-load your workday

Many of us start off our mornings with the easiest and most pleasurable parts of our job. This makes sense in some ways because we have the most energy and the greatest attention span in the morning. That means we are left with the most tedious and frustrating tasks at the end of the day.

Consider swapping things around so that you are doing the difficult work first thing when you get to the office, and finishing your day with the aspects of your job that you enjoy the most.

If you find sales calls draining, for example, get them done first thing in the morning while you are still drinking lots of coffee. Reserve the afternoons for working on reports, or whatever you enjoy doing.

 

7. Get enough rest at night

When we are learning how to avoid sleep in office after lunch, we need to look at our entire day, from waking to going to sleep. If you’re not getting enough rest at night, you will definitely experience an afternoon slump.

Try to get eight hours of sleep each night. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends. This will gradually increase your energy during the day.

How to overcome afternoon fatigue is a problem that has plagued workers for years. With our seven easy tips, you’ll be able to make your whole day more productive and give your career prospects a boost. (Beat Afternoon Fatigue)