How to Beat the Mid-Afternoon Slump

For me, it seemed to start in high school. I would return to classes after lunch and, inevitably, sometime around 2–3 most afternoons, I would be hit by the almost irresistible desire to take a nap right in the middle of AP Gov or Chemistry.

I experienced this more rarely throughout my college years, but my days were less regular and structured, and I’d usually have to walk half a mile or more to get from one class to the next.

And then for the first couple of years after college my job as a videographer had me active on my feet all day long. There was never a time or place to “be tired” at work.

But when I entered my first office job, the dreaded “midday blahs” made a roaring comeback. It took a little time, trial and error, but I eventually figured out how to keep the nagging nap-demon at bay.

I never hit caffeine after 12 noon.

I’ll have some coffee or tea in the early morning, but that’s it. Over-doing the caffeine just builds up a resistance to its effects, and it also can make it harder to get to sleep early enough so that —

I am sure to get 7–8 hours of sleep every night.

You might only need 6 hours, or possibly closer to 9, but I’ve found that I fall in the 7–8 range. When you wake up, you should feel fairly good and refreshed, and no more need to flop back into bed once you’ve gotten up and stretched.

I focus-fire on my most intensive tasks in the AM.

After eating a light breakfast, hydrating well and cleaning up, I have energy to spare, so the morning is when I try to work on whatever needs done that requires every last bit of my creativity and effort. No time-sink tasks like email or regular meetings and calls. No web surfing or educational video watching unless the research is absolutely needed for the prime task at hand.

I take activity breaks.

Every hour I am sure to leave my office and walk around for at least five minutes outside. If the weather’s rough, maybe I’ll do some cardio and floor exercises in my office. The goal is to keep my metabolism revved just a bit so that my body thinks it’s go-time and not slow-time. I also work out five days a week for at least 45 minutes at a time, which helps to keep your metabolism running hotter.

If the tiredness gets too bad, I’ll meditate for ten minutes.

This helps lower stress while also giving me some forced recovery time. There are too many good sources out there to get started with, but this guided practice is a great one.

I listen to energizing music.

The monotonous white noise of an office definitely contributes a lot to feelings of fatigue. I figured out a long time ago that throwing on some of my favorite rock music, or an awesome score from any of my favorite movies, can kick me back into high gear like magic.

I turn off screens at least 30 minutes before bedtime.

Winding back down to analog mode before I attempt sleep every night truly works wonders when it comes to falling asleep faster. Real studies have shown that the blue light we get from most device screens actually reduces melatonin production, which is a brain chemical that helps us sleep.

Put all of these tips into play and I would be willing to bet you will see an improvement in energy levels and productivity.

Thank you for reading and sharing!