Mid-afternoon motivation
- Brighten your day - Kathryn Wright
It’s ironic that having put off writing this post for several weeks, I am now writing it at 2.30 in the afternoon! This has frequently been my least productive time of day.
Yesterday I was reading a blog post by Stephen Fry (http://www.stephenfry.com/2009/09/05/emerging-into-the-light/) where he mentions how much easier it is for him to write in the mornings, even at 4am, rather than later in the day. It’s unfortunate that for most of us, our schedule does not sympathise with our own body clocks.
All about the tea?
Many people experience a mid-afternoon lull in concentration and it was this lapse in usefullness that inspired the tradition of afternoon tea (http://www.afternoontea.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=131&Itemid=18).
At the office this ritual in all it’s finery is also denied us but a bar of chocolate or a cup of tea/coffee or other popular caffeinated drink are generally still available. When my brain is at it’s most fuddled I often go and make tea for myself and/or others – not because I want a cup of tea necessarily - but because I want to do something that involves leaving my desk for a few minutes.
People who hate tea!
Perhaps you are not a tea drinker, perhaps not even a coffee drinker as some of my friends are but the office will love you if you get a round in anyway. You will benefit by making your colleagues happy, sharing in an almost sacred ritual and gaining space from your desk. Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil you can deliberate a problem or mentally discuss your task list in relative quiet and solitude.
Other options for taking a short break are: Going to the post box; walking to the water cooler; doing stretches behind your chair or in the privacy of a toilet cubicle; visiting a friend at another desk or office but only if you make a point of talking about work, not just gossiping and I’m sure there are plenty more!
Something else that seems to help is reviewing my task list. You don’t even have to leave your desk for this and it’s really useful to cross off everything you’ve done so far, consider what is left and what needs to be added. Then you can work out which needs to be done next and you will probably find that you start imagining how you’re going to do each task as you’re looking at that list. If some of the tasks are really big and seem overwhelming, pick one and break it down into little pieces with a pen and paper. Now you are ready to get going again!
Remember, you’re not a machine and almost everybody starts to feel the day drag after the excitement of lunch is over. Promise yourself a nice drink and if you can, reserve your ‘pudding’ from lunch to enjoy at 3 or 4pm instead. Punctuate your afternoon with screen breaks and you should find the time spent at the desk is more productive and less depressing.
Lastly, if you really are better at working during the morning then make sure you do all the important jobs as early as possible. The sooner you get into it the sooner your day will start to flow and when that afternoon nap starts to sneak up on you you’ll be in a good mood about what you’ve achieved so far rather than panicking about finding the motivation and clarity of thought you need.
Let me know what you think, try these simple tips and let me know how you get on!
Bill 10 Sep 09
Yep, just tried some of them. Can’t be arsed to describe the results, unfortunately.
Heather Pictor 11 Sep 09
I find that I am most productive first thing in the morning, the earlier the better. I know once it gets to mid-afternoon I can’t be bothered to start a new task or even finish an old one. I try and get most of my work done as early as possible and really push myself to be productive, I find that by doing this I can achieve a full days work in just a few hours. This leaves the rest of the day free to snooze!