3 steps to survive the sleepy afternoon

Sleepy afternoon are a working person's nightmare. They can ruin one's reputation and performance in a single blow. With the modern working man challenging the laws of nature – sleep at night and (physical) work during the day – his (and her) body clocks have been ruptured to a great degree. However, there's still hope and one can recover from this manmade catastrophe by following three simple and reliable steps:

Image : shutterstock

Keep the nights for sleep

Sleep plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity, and emotional well-being. Nothing revitalises the body and mind like a good night's sleep. But the modern executive’s daily routine doesn’t allow for much of sleep. We have round-the-clock coffee shops, mid-night buffets, and all sorts of exciting things that can keep us from the much-needed rest. Sometime, even our daytime work extends into the night, draining every last bit of our energy. Adequate sleep is a non-negotiable condition for the proper functioning of a human being. We underestimate sleep to a dangerous degree. Caffeinated drinks, over exposure to unnatural light (light from devices, brightly-lit rooms), exposure to continuous noise (music through headphones, traffic) are enemies of sleep. The corporate world offers no protection against these enemies. It is the responsibility of the individual to take care of their physical health, and thereby their mental health. And sleep is critical for the health of the body and the mind. A good night’s sleep will keep you energetic through the day and will help you tide over the afternoon without dozing off at your desk.

Go easy on the lunch

An article by the Harvard Business Review makes an effective statement: “Food has a direct impact on our cognitive performance, which is why a poor decision at lunch can derail an entire afternoon.”

Of all the things that affect office productivity, the fine lunch is perhaps the most destructive. Avoid a heavy lunch – home-cooked or otherwise. Go light and easy. A sandwich and tea, sprouts and lemonade, some such things that work to keep you from sliding off your chair with drool on your face should work fine.

Boring is not for post-lunch

From the CEO to the intern, every single person of the working class has two sets of tasks to do every day – one’s exciting, the other is boring. Never schedule the boring things for the vulnerable (read post-lunch) hour. Dozing off at work can have bad effect on your reputation. Not only is it embarrassing when you’re caught, it is also most difficult to fight sleep when you have to take an important brief from the super boss.

A hard day at work should not occur because a series of bad decisions snowballed or because thoughtless choices. It’s no crime to catch forty winks at work, but it’s pardonable only when your work isn’t suffering and neither is your body. The aforementioned steps can prove really helpful if you apply to them the force of your will. And soon you’ll see, afternoons will feel fresh as a daisy.