If you maintain any sort of regular hours on the job (i.e. 9 to 5, etc), at some point or another I’m guessing you’ve experienced the “workday doldrums.” This is when either through boredom, fatigue or “office fever” (aka cabin fever) you hit a productivity wall. In this post, I’m going to propose two solutions which will leave you feeling refreshed, revived and ready to tackle the rest of the day.
The Secret of the Power Nap
In college, I discovered that forty minutes of studying after a twenty minute nap was more productive than two hours worth of studying while drowsy. Of course, the first thing I usually hear from someone who has never “power napped” is that she can’t possibly get any restful sleep during that time. Being an accomplished power napper, I can attest that years of personal research have proven this isn’t true. However, if you’re still skeptical, consider these words of wisdom:
- Power napping doesn’t require that you actually fall asleep. Simply closing your eyes and resting will often decrease mental fatigue and give you a productivity boost.
- 20 minutes is all it takes. Don’t believe me? Try it. The next time you hit a mid-day wall, try a twenty minute nap while being sure to set your alarm. When the alarm goes off, you may still feel sleepy; however, if you force yourself to get up, you’ll quickly find that you’re awake and refreshed.
BONUS TIP: Combine some carefully administered caffeine with a power nap for an extra boost. I’ve never tried this one; however, my mother and others swear by it. To try out this technique, drink a cup of coffee just before you lie down. The caffeine should reach its full effect about twenty minutes later — just around the time you should be getting up. If all works as planned, you’ll experience the best of both worlds: a nap under your belt along with a caffeine boost.
The Power Run: Source of the Mid-Day Energy Boost
The next time you feel a nap coming on, try a “power run.” Instead of succumbing to sleep, go outside and run a couple of miles. Once you’re showered and back in the office, you’ll feel invigorated due to a boosted metabolism and heightened endorphin levels in your brain.
In order to get the most out of your mid-day run, follow these tips:
- Schedule your run. I often try to run between one and two hours after lunch. Regardless of when you run, adding it to your daily schedule gives you something to work towards and helps you avoid missing it on moderately busy days.
- Don’t over do it. If you’re planning on making power runs a habit, there’s no need to try and run a marathon your first time out. Start with a manageable distance (say one or two miles) and pace. Then, increase either or both of these as you get in better shape.
- Shower when you’re done. Hopefully this one goes without saying.
Do you have any tips for beating the “workday doldrums”? Feel free to share them below.
My boost for the workday is to get up around that 3 oclock lull and take a walk to the other side of our building and go outside for about 15 minutes! I’ll take a book and read, go with a friend and chat but it really gets you motivated as it is a change of scenery and break from staring at the computer screen all day. I highly recommend it.
I sometimes work very long days (12-15 hours) and often have times when I have to work very late and then get up very early. So, needless to say, power naps are my friend. I would say I average 3-4 a week, and you’re right, you really don’t need to fall asleep. All I really need is to “unplug” for 20-30 minutes and what seemed like an overwhelming rest of my day suddenly becomes much more manageable.