If you stay productive you will be productive, but how?
You show up to work in the morning, refreshed from a good nights sleep and ready to work.
During the first few hours at the office, you are grooving, knocking out everything on your agenda and then some. What a great feeling!
Then, after a long and productive morning, you go and get yourself something to eat…. You have a couple of options, but to reward yourself for your great morning, you choose the pizza. A couple of slices go down very easily, and you head back to work.
Except now, all you want to do is fall asleep in your chair.
Does this scenario sound familiar? Sure, it does. We’ve all been there. And sometimes the best thing to do is to take a nap. A lot of people do very well with a nap or two every day. But you don’t have time for a nap, do you? You need a way to battle through the two o’clock feeling. You need to stay productive.
Eat a Healthy Lunch
That heavy feeling has a lot to do with the pizza you crushed at lunch. Getting sleepy after a big meal is a natural result of several physical processes, but if you eat smaller, healthier meals, you’ll be more alert. If one small lunch isn’t enough for you, have two, one in the late morning, the other in the afternoon—and don’t skip breakfast. Make sure you drink plenty of water, too. Your body needs nutrition and fluids for you to reach your potential.
Stay Active at Work to Stay Productive
On our content platform, KatFit, we discuss many ways you can stay active while in the office. For example: you can take the stairs instead of the elevator; walk or bike to lunch, rather than driving; and you can do some push-ups or other exercises between tasks. If you keep your blood flowing all day, you are bound to feel more energized. You’ll be ready to finish your workday strong while others are ready for a nap.
Keep the Energy Up Around the Office
This tip doesn’t have so much to do with fitness and physical energy, but rather with company culture and mental health. When your colleagues are all energized and motivated, you will feel more motivated in turn—and vice versa. You’ll want to do great things together. After lunch, instead of going to sit alone in your office in a nice, comfy chair, try getting together with a co-worker to kick around some ideas together for a few minutes. You’ll forget all about that nap you wanted to take, and by the time your idea session is over, you’ll be past your afternoon slump and ready to tackle the rest of your day.
If you are getting plenty of sleep, and still get that two o’clock feeling, look at improving your diet, increasing your physical activity during the day, and letting a motivated office culture put some more pep in your step.
You’ll feel a lot better. And you will stay productive.