10 Steps To Recharge During Afternoon Burnout

After a delicious lunch and a nice morning whether it may have been productive or not, the time comes once again in the day when the afternoon feeling of lag in willpower to maintain focus and clarity in work begins to set in. Yep, it's the time you start feeling sleepy after a heavy meal or want to spend the rest of the day browsing Youtube or scrolling through social media instead of focusing on your main tasks for the day even though it had been set on the calendar a day before. In this post, I will present you with some tricks I use to recharge and rebuild that sense of willpower to keep you going through those important afternoon.

1. Go for a walk.

• Sitting too long weakens muscles in the legs and can cause our mind to become too narrow focused making it feel easier to want to take the easy route in just about everything. Walking is like recharging a device that was left running for 3 hours by activating certain mechanisms that were shut off for a while. Walking deals with coordination so it helps stimulate right brain activity giving your left brain a bit fo a break.

2. Don't eat a heavy brunch/lunch

• Eating heavy meals may seem like the best option but in terms of workflow it can actually turn out counter-productive making you reach an afternoon slump at a more rapid pace. Choosing the right foods to eat is essential for working longer periods of time and even overall success.

3. Don't start your time by consuming videos before working, immediately start and work hands on.

• Once again, this is why calendars and planning are important. If you don’t set important tasks in advance for your calendar other unimportant tasks will fill those slots stealing your time and increasing the amount of work you will probably have to put in the future.

4. Drink water

• If it is something our species cannot survive without, then you must make sure to get some of it every day. Also this does not mean soda, coffee, and energy drinks are a good substitute. Everything has a purpose and water has the most narrow purpose of essential body recharge which is keeping you alive and healthy. Think of any negative defects that come with pure water and you will find none. It is no wonder why plants need it to grow properly. Try giving a plant soda or coffee for a long period of time and see if it will grow.

5. Wear breathable clothing

• If you want to work a longer period of time, taking care of basic needs such as temperature control is essential for extended workflow. When the body becomes too hot or cold it can be easy to experience burn out and require a recharge once again.

6. Meditate

• If all else fails and you feel confused on how to get back on track, stop everything and meditate. Thoughts and ideas will start to appear which may include solutions. 

7. Don't check any notifications: email, social media, etc.

• During burn out, the easiest thing to do is whip out our phones and check social media but in terms of workflow this can possibly end up counterproductive causing you to get sucked in a rabbit hole of tasks that will overtake your schedule that was planned for the day. The solution, silence all notifications until you have reached a comfortable point of accomplishment with the schedule you planned ahead.

8. Take a nap

• At the point of extreme exhaustion, it is important to remember that we are not robots and that it can probably be more beneficial to rest our systems for a period of time preferably during the afternoon slump then returning to the tasks at hand immediately after. It may be preferable to get a glass of water too before jumping back in to battle.

9. Exercise

• My favorite choice for recharge. I find that exercising will not only keep you working longer but the health benefits outweigh the time costs. Exercising is not a waste of time or money. It will make your appearance look better, increase your mood, add more energy, and make you an overall happier person. If you find nothing on this list helpful, I’m sure you will find that exercising can recharge your life 1000-fold!

10. Set a time block for the rest of the night

• At the end of the day, remember to schedule a time for long term rest to be able to jump into your big plans for tomorrow. Sleep is another one of the essential needs humans need to survive so it is important to not deny yourself of it to increase your workflow and get more done.

I hope you find something helpful here and I wish you good luck with your plans for the day!

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