Quit alcohol to get 1 sneaky great productivity benefit

One of the funniest ways I ever deluded myself into thinking alcohol intake was a good idea was by convincing my brain that it actually gave me energy.

Every day between about 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., I’d hit a huge wall physically and mentally.

No amount of coffee was enough to counteract the effects — I was just holding on by my fingernails until work ended and it was socially acceptable to start drinking (around 5 p.m. most days).

The alcohol, I told myself, was the only cure for my lethargy.

It was just how I got through my evenings.

Setting aside the sad mindset that had me just “getting through” life and the fact that the drug alcohol is actually a depressant, it was funny because I’d somehow twisted my alcohol abuse into a cure.

I suppose it was a cure in a way, but only in the sense that it temporarily relieved the symptoms of a problem that I would come to learn was being caused by … you guessed it, alcohol.

It was only after I quit that I learned that daily dead zone could actually be transformed into one of the most productive periods of any given day.

And after I harnessed that time, I changed my life in 3 important ways.

Whatever productivity looks like to you, I guarantee it’ll improve if you quit alcohol. (Licensed under the Unsplash+ License)

The first way quitting alcohol helped my afternoon productivity

The first way ditching booze helped me re-take my afternoon was that I stopped being such a friggin’ grouch.

Because alcohol is so terribly disruptive to your sleep, it’s virtually impossible not to be tired at this point in the day.

You’ve expended what little fuel you have dealing with your morning responsibilities and work so that, by the time you get here, you’re tired and moody.

And that’s a huge problem because your mood and general outlook affect everything else you do.

Drinking makes you lazy, impatient, and a huge bummer to be around.

Also, I wanted to be in a good mood when my kids got home from school, not a pissy one.

The second way quitting alcohol helped me own my afternoons

The second way quitting alcohol helped me re-take my afternoons was that my “brain fuzz” disappeared within days.

The way I describe my brain when I was overtired from alcohol and caffeine misuse was that there was a “static” in it.

At peak efficiency, my brain produced great ideas and productivity with crystal clear, 4K high definition clarity.

When I was on the caffeine-alcohol drug rollercoaster, it was like an old tube TV with the antenna knocked loose.

The feeling was actually physical, not just mental … it was almost like there was an avalanche of razors moving over my brain.

When this happened, I’d get overwhelmed with fatigue and either have to lie down for 15 minutes or have yet another coffee.

Everything is more challenging in this state. Everything takes twice the effort for what would otherwise be the same result (or an even better result).

This, to my first point, helped make me angry and unproductive.

The third way ditching booze fixed my afternoons

I start and finish work early in the day.

With my mind rested and clear, I was free to pursue business activities outside of my regular job.

That’s because I either:

Was up early enough to do stuff before work (I actually sleep fewer hours off booze but feel more energized)
Still had gas left in the tank after wrapping up my job responsibilities for the day

Once my work was done (quicker and better than before, of course), I was free to put that brain power to use in reaching my life-long dream of being an entrepreneur.

And what have I accomplished in the year and a half since?

A lot of the time I put into those projects came early in the morning or late at night.

Quitting alcohol also opened up the late afternoon to me, supercharging my productivity and getting me way closer to my goals than I otherwise would have been.

There is another way

People tell me I’m too hard on myself, but I’ll just be straight-up honest here … I was a lazy loser before I quit alcohol.

Take it from me: it doesn’t have to be that way.

Quitting alcohol unlocks your entire day, not just the small windows when the drug lets you out of your cage.

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Summarize

Quit alcohol to get 1 sneaky great productivity benefit

The first way quitting alcohol helped my afternoon productivity

The second way quitting alcohol helped me own my afternoons

The third way ditching booze fixed my afternoons

There is another way