All of us are prone to feeling lazy and unmotivated during the middle of the day when we are in the final stretch of the work day. Here are 10 tips to reboot your mental engines to remotivate yourself to end the rest of the day on a high note.
1. Make a specific and exciting project or plan after your work hour that you can look forward to. Make it as specific as possible so you know you will do it for sure. ("I am going to go shopping for recipes and try cooking a new vegetarian meal after work around seven o’clock" as opposed to "I am going to cook after work.")
2. Take a scheduled mental break to slack off and be lazy. If you are feeling your mind wandering, use a kitchen timer or a cell phone alarm to schedule a 10-minute do-whatever-you-want min-break where you can organize your desk, e-mail a friend, stalk someone on Facebook or look at your favorite shameless celebrity gossip blogs.
3. Make yourself a nice cup of hot green tea. Drinking coffee or black tea might be too much caffeine for the second half of the day, which will disrupt your sleep schedule. Green tea has just a little bit caffeine, and also contains antioxidants that are good for you.
4. Change up your work environment. If you work from home and can work anywhere with internet, switch it up with a new cafe. If you are stuck in a cubicle, see if you can rearrange the mess on your desk or add a new picture to your wall to give your usual office landscape a new vibe.
5. Connect with another human being. No wonder you are feeling an afternoon slump–you’ve been staring at the computer screen all day long like a zombie. Stand up and see if you can actually connect with another human being in real time–whether it’s checking up on a co-worker or talking to the barista at the coffee shop down the street.
6. Find something to laugh about. Laughter is the best way to de-stress, re-energize and untangle whatever anxiety or boredom you are feeling. Here is a handy list of 8 absurd and silly internet blogs that might squeeze a chuckle out of you.
7. Make more than a plan–schedule a concrete appointment. Energize yourself by being proactive and scheduling something that you’ve been meaning to do for ages. Been needing a haircut? Schedule a hair salon appointment. Or get that dentist appointment, doctor’s appointment, car repair, whatever appointment out of the way. Getting that appointment pinned down will make you feel good and give you that second wind to finish whatever else you need to do.
8. Show procrastination who’s boss. That e-mail that’s been sitting unread in your inbox for more than six days? Get it out of the way. That powerpoint presentation that was asked for two weeks ago and is now due tomorro? get it out of the way. Beating down procrastination is a major power-up!
9. A mini-walk around the neighborhood works wonders. Never underestimate the power of a simple five minute walk. Get some fresh air, look at the trees, drink up the Vitamin D-making sunshine, and smile at strangers. Your drained and tired little brain will thank you.
10. Do facial exercises. It’s good for your face and it will reinvigorate you. You will also shake off that expressionless office drone scowl that you’ve been putting on for the last five hours. Check out this post for facial exercise ideas to work your face.
11. Organize or clean something. Whether or not you believe in office feng shui, clutter does have a way of getting you down–and sucking your mental energy. So if you find your mind wandering, get up and organize something–whether it’s a pile of papers that’s gone awry, or even deleting the 10 useless pdfs floating around on your computer desktop.
12. See if you can reframe your attitude about what you are doing. It’s all about the ‘tude, baby. Are you grumbling because you’re laying down bricks, or are you stoked because you are building a freaking cathedral? Sometimes a mental framing make-over is the only thing you need to give yourself the mental boost you need.
Have other ideas for boosting your mental energy, especially in those afternoon hours when you feel slumpy and lazy? Share your ideas with the community by commenting below.
Listen to a favorite tune and have a dance!