How to deal with fatigue and drowsiness in the afternoon

"It is simply unrealistic - to expect that you will be included in the work all day - says Carson Tate (Carson Tate), author books on productivity. - Just as you would not expect that will be able to go at a fast pace for eight hours without we can expect from him complete concentration and strategic thinking for so long time. "

Worse yet, some of us at the same time more and do not get enough sleep: come to work, having slept less than six hours per night. This is clearly insufficient for high productivity throughout the day, and the consequences of lack of sleep can greatly harm the work.

Here are a few tips on how to feel more energetic during the day.

Objectives should match the level of energy

"There are several optimal time intervals to perform creative tasks and work that requires concentration - Burns argues Christopher (Christopher Barnes), assistant professor of management of the business school at the University of Washington. - Most people think better in the middle of the morning and late at night. "

You must align your circadian rhythms and work schedule, make a list of tasks depending on the rise and fall of activity throughout the day.

Tate advised to perform "any work that requires attention to detail" such as writing anything important decisions or programming, in the hours of power lifting. And while energy can decline to take on tasks that do not require special concentration: view mail, filling in reports on costs, phone calls. In other words, to perform tasks that can be done on the machine.

Get up and move

Any physical activity temporarily increases alertness and energy levels.

Move only 10 minutes, and your energy and concentration will increase significantly.

Carson Tate

You can walk around the office building, a few times up and down the stairs, jump or push-ups a few times, do stretching right from your desk. The main thing here - a movement that helps to fill the body with oxygen and reduce fatigue, both physical and mental.

If you have scheduled a meeting, you can spend it on the go, taking their employees or partners for a walk. And think about how you can build in motor activity in your weekly schedule. "If you drive regularly - says Burns - your usual energy level increases."

Meditate at your desk

Steve Jobs has been doing this for many years. Ray Dalio (Ray Dalio), head of the largest hedge fund in the world Bridgewater Associates, said that it makes him feel like a ninja in battle. What is their secret weapon? Meditation.

Exercises for concentration - a great way to rejuvenate during the day. Research shows that even a few minutes of meditation a day reduces stress and increases the ability to concentrate weary brain. This rest period, during which people no longer worry that, in turn, saves a lot of energy.

Also during meditation it is important to monitor their breath. From five to seven deep breaths belly provide enough oxygen for the vitality and energy of the tide.

Avoid depending on caffeine

If you often drink coffee, it seems that it helps to cope with sleepiness in the afternoon. "In fact, the coffee does not add you energy - says Burns. — Caffeine simply mask the lethargy and reduced concentration, blocking the chemical reactions in the body, due to which you feel tired. "

And while it works for some time, caffeine, as well as other drugs, will soon cease to operate. You get less and less effect, and you need more and more coffee, just to work as usual.

So do not sit down for a coffee, use it rarely, only when you really need additional energy, such as an important meeting once a month, if you had not slept the night before that. Coffee at three o'clock should not become a habit.

Listen to the music

Music - is a great way how to cheer up and relax. Just as you use music to maintain energy during sports training, you can cheer up with your favorite track on the job.

What kind of music is best for this suitable, depending on your tastes. Some people prefer fast rhythms to sustain energy, someone prefer calm composition to help clear your mind and concentrate.

If you distract the lyrics, try to listen to instrumental music in different styles. Sooner or later you will find your ideal "working" tracks.

Turn off your gadgets before bedtime

If at night you sit at the computer, working on a tablet or smartphone, you'll have less energy the next day. Blue light from the screens and computer gadgets reduces the production of melatonin, a substance that provides the body sound sleep.

"It is very important to avoid the use of a smartphone or tablet for two hours before bedtime - says Burns. - The worst thing you can do - use your smartphone while lying in bed. "

If at night you need to do something important - check your emails or read something, use for applications such as smart phones TwilightAnd computer - f.luxThat at night the display begins to emit a red light instead of blue. Or buy orange glasses Uvex or similar models from other brands that block blue light from the screens.

Sleep at least 7-8 hours

This simple rule, which can not be helped. To feel energetic and alert during the day, you need a good night's sleep.

"If you want to succeed in something, go to sleep," - says Tate.

"Sleep - is a predictor of the success of number one - Burns agrees. - People think that it is enough to sleep five or six hours, and everything will be fine. But even a small lack of sleep will have a significant negative effect. "

StudyConducted in 2009, found that people sleeping five hours a night for four days, significantly inhibited cognitive functions. When performing the simplest tasks they showed levels of efficiency typical for drunk people with an alcohol level of 0.6 ppm (average weight for men is two bottles of beer).

If you sleep on a regular eight hours overnight, power downs will be less strong and it will be easier to control them.

To summarize the basic principles.

What do we have to do:

• Meditate or do breathing exercises when you feel tired and sleepy.
• Postpone gadgets at least an hour before bedtime and try to regularly sleep for 7-8 hours.
• Use music to motivate and increase energy.

Don'ts:

• Perform creative tasks and work that requires a concentration of energy during the recession. Leave these tasks for periods of vigor and energy tide.
• Sitting behind a desk all day. Arrange short walks, stretch and do exercises to increase energy levels.
• Depend on coffee during the afternoon energy slump.

And now, some real examples of how the above-mentioned methods helped to cope with fatigue during the day and do more.

Example № 1. Obtaining energy from meditation

Skalko Dan (Dan Scalco) often struggled with the afternoon fatigue. As CEO Digitalux, a company engaged in digital marketing in Hoboken (New Jersey), Dan worked continuously for 12 hours - to regulate the situation with customers and manage his team.

He tried to take supplements and multivitamins, going to the gym, even tried periodically long nap in the office, to regain energy. But nothing helped him cope with the afternoon fatigue.

Then he wondered what strategies have helped a successful businessman, and found that many of them use meditative practices.

At first he was skeptical, because we always saw meditation as a frivolous activity, which only addicted hippies. But the more he read about its benefits, the more I wanted to try.

The effect of meditation followed immediately. Dan felt more energetic level stress decreased, increased concentration when communicating with clients and team.

Now he tries to meditate for at least 15-20 minutes, usually between 14:30 and 15:00. He sits on an office chair, puts his hands on his knees, closed his eyes and repeated to myself the mantra.

"It's like a 20-minute vacation every day, - he says. - And then I feel as if the brain to recharge. I can honestly say that meditation at least once a day changed my life. She gave me the inexhaustible reserves of energy and greatly increased my productivity. "

Example № 2. The maximum use high performance watch

Halland Ryan (Ryan Hulland) awfully tired. Vice president and co-owner of Monitoring Management (MonMan), A company supplying electrical equipment and HVAC systems, he spent a long week at work, trying to expand the business. In the evenings, helped put down his three-year child, and then again back at the computer to finish the job.

He began to drink more coffee and energy drinks, but found that they do not provide a permanent effect after some time.

Ryan tried to go for a walk on a regular basis, usually after lunch. He realized that physical activity helps him to be more alert and contributes to the emergence of creative ideas. But when he returned after a walk renewed and full of energy, he often had to deal with routine tasks from their do listThat instantly nullified the positive effects of walking.

Then he began to write the list on the office bulletin board and divide it into three columns. The first column - "Fun" - included cases requiring creative approach, such as writing articles in a company blog. The second column - "All" - included more than routine tasks that do not require a particular concentration or mental activities, such as filling out the paperwork. And the third column - "Urgent" - included the things you need to do, regardless of how he feels.

I tried to relate the case from its list to how I feel at a particular time. When I have a lot of energy, I love to perform interesting creative task, and when attacking fatigue - do the boring, mundane things.

Ryan Halland

Ryan says that, thanks to the new format of the list of cases, it achieves much better results and make a lot more energy during high tide. And instead of pointless to sit on the Internet during periods of fatigue, it performs the routine tasks of his column "Any."

"Now during the day rarely it happens that I am in no way engaged in" - he says. In this case, Ryan works the same hours as before his experiment with speakers, but spend this time by 20-30% efficient. And when he comes home at night, I feel less tired than before.

As you can see, there is no universal method. Someone helps meditation, someone better working efficiently distributing the tasks. Try all the ways, and you will surely find something that will help cope with fatigue in the second half of the day.