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…
