You can wake up motivated and inspired, feel good all throughout the day, and then you start to feel those yawns coming on as soon as you come back from taking a lunch break. There’s a name for this feeling – the mid-afternoon slump – and it’s something that can happen to any professional, in any industry, and on any given day. It’s tough to stay motivated or keep your creativity going when you’re feeling sluggish, so we have some techniques that work for us at Technalink to keep those unwanted feelings at bay. A few tips for overcoming the mid-afternoon slump are:
• Get familiar with your peak productivity times – Your body and your brain will have peak times when productivity and creativity are at their highest. Your ambition is higher, your desire to go the extra mile is stronger, and you find achieving your to-do list just plain easier. If you get to know those times you can adjust to make up for any sluggishness you might find yourself feeling after lunch. This lets you take these times for a short break without worrying about falling behind.
• Meditation – What to do during those short breaks? Meditation is the way to go! When you start to feel slower or sleepier in the mid-afternoon, take a moment to walk away, grab your mala prayer beads or meditation stones, and get in touch with yourself. Repeat your affirmations or mantras and give yourself the positive boost your body is asking for. With The OM Factor now on audiobook, it’s also a great time to sit back and listen as you put your mind, body, and spirit back into balance.
• Get your body moving – Even a short 5-minute walk around the parking lot can do a lot for stopping sluggishness in its tracks. Getting up and getting moving helps to push feel-good hormones throughout the body, giving you a natural energy boost that works better than any cup of coffee.
• Collaborate in the afternoons – When you’re working solo on a project, you’re a lot more likely to feel the energy drain. Joining together for some collaborative work helps you and your team to feed off one another’s energies, giving you a natural energy boost that can make you forget all about the slump that might’ve been creeping in.
Not only does the mid-afternoon slump cause drops in productivity and creativity, but it also just doesn’t feel great. With a few simple techniques, you can keep this sluggishness at bay and keep your momentum going all throughout the day. A short walk, a meditation session with The OM Factor audiobook, or a brainstorming session with the team could be all the tools you need to feel (and work) better.
Leave a Reply