How to Stay Awake at Work
January 28th, 2008 by Megan Mahan
At 7:30 this morning, it was already a steamy 79 degrees in the office. Combine that with your usual case of the groggy Mondays, and boy, oh boy, am I jonesing for a nap. 
Thanks to weblog Dumb Little Man, we’ve got some tips for keeping those eyelids open–without the use of toothpicks.
Among DLM’s tips are:
Napping. If you can catch a quick snooze at the office, take advantage. Make sure to keep it short–20 to 30 minutes–just to take the edge off your sleepiness. If falling asleep isn’t an option, try a meditation nap.
Move around. Exercise can increase alertness. Try brisk walking, jumping jacks, or cruising up and down the stairs five or six times to get going again.
Get help from your colleagues. Working on group projects is a good way to keep your mind engaged and alert, says DLM. (He doesn’t know my colleagues. One minute I’d be telling them how exhausted I was; the next I’d have a cold wet paper towel thrown in my face.)
Take it slow. Simplify things for your tired mind–complete one task at a time rather than multitasking.
Take more breaks. Get up at least once per hour. Splash cold water on your face. Shut your eyes for five minutes. Step away from the computer.
Keep the mind going. Find something funny or interesting to focus on throughout the day. Keep your synapses firing by focusing on these things during the day.
Eat frequently. While this may endanger your resolution of eating less, eating high protein snacks can keep your energy up and won’t make you sleepy.
Caffeinate. The trick to caffeinating, as it turns out, is to do it slowly throughout the day.
Commando. No, this doesn’t mean going to work without your underpants. Commando means combining a few of these methods to kick the eyelid flutter bug. Line up healthy, protein-rich snacks, caffeinated beverages, stretch and move around every few minutes, and stay around people to keep yourself awake and thinking.
Take a peek at the full post for more tips and tricks for staying awake at your desk!
