The role of caffeine in our work lives is overrated! This article isn't on caffeine, and I am not against the use of it. I am in love with coffee (as many of us are); I, too, drink a freshly brewed cup of it first thing in the morning. But before going to the discussion on keeping up with your productivity without caffeine, let me first briefly touch upon what I think is a common misconception on the use of caffeine.
Do you turn to coffee, or any other caffeinated beverage, every time you feel sluggish?
Firstly, there is no question that caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and alerts our minds for the long term. Reduces weariness. However, being caffeinated does not mean that the quality of our thoughts is improving, or we'd start having some sparkling ideas all of a sudden (although I wish it were true!). If we prefer the quality in thoughts over the quantity, reaching out to caffeine isn't going to help.
Secondly, many of you would already know that it is not a great idea to consume caffeine past noon because it'd then interfere with our sleep cycles. It takes about 15 hours to get it out of the system. So drinking caffeine to get rid of the afternoon lethargy is a big NO. There are tons of good articles and studies on suggested practices on caffeine consumption. More information here.
So, we feel an afternoon slump (which is very natural), we still got to work, and we cannot have caffeine. That doesn't sound fair. But we still have a few simple solutions to maintain our work productivity.
Do not underestimate the importance of mini-breaks
Studies have made this very clear: working long hours at stretch backfires. The productivity of a person lies in the equilibrium of focused blocks of time and well-organized mini-breaks between those blocks. Mini-break is to stay away from work for a few minutes.
Taking a break increases mental and physical energy levels, and reduces tiredness. Also, you might have noticed this, whenever you take your mind off your difficult task and be back at it after some time, you suddenly generate a fresh perspective on the solution. That is because you are providing the brain some time it needs to process the complex information in a diffuse mode. When you take a mini-break from your work, you let the mind step away from the problem and wander on some random thoughts. That is when the brain connects with the subconscious state and naturally thinks over the issue.
However, it is important how you utilize your mini-breaks. There is no point in substituting the break time with pursuits restricting the brain from going to the diffuse state, such as using social media. The activities during this time should be the ones that let the mind wander on the boundaryless expanses. Such activities could be meditation, walking indoors or outdoors, playing a musical instrument, having casual chats with your colleagues/friends, listening to music, and so on.
The bottom line is, we shouldn't underestimate the importance of mini-breaks. It plays a vital role in maintaining productivity while allowing us to keep generating fresh ideas.
Make smart use of technical resources
There are so many mobile/desktop apps, browser extensions/plugins, and smart gadgets that do the work of reminding you to take mini-breaks from your constant working. I have started using a few such apps for a couple of months. I could observe improvements in my mental and physical stamina and great persistence in my productivity. The ones that I use every day are the following:
eyeCare - Protect your vision: This tool helps to reduce the eye strains caused due to continuous gazing at the computer screen. eyeCare comes as a browser extension; it's free, easy to use, and comprises simplistic controls to make customizations according to our needs.
Pomodoro Timer: It's a very well-known technique to create and divide work and mini-break intervals (typically repetitions of 25 minutes work - 3 minutes break cycles. I use 60 minutes - 5 minutes ratio, it's totally up to you). The best part of this technique is that it doesn't require you to have any electronic device constantly with you; all it needs is a simple timer (any clock will do). A lot of free Pomodoro Timer apps are available online though. And if you are a programmer, you can build one on your own as well.
Never compromise on sleep
It goes without saying how crucial it is that we take enough sleep not only for productivity but also to stay healthy. Sleep deprivation makes a direct impact on physical and mental health. It affects our ability to produce innovative solutions, multi-tasking, concentration, and whatnot.
If you feel that you cannot stay focused and productive as you used to be before, maybe you should observe your daily sleep cycles. It is generally recommended to get a minimum of 7 to 8 hours of sleep every 24 hours.
Conclusion
How you maintain your productivity or amplify your outcomes are not limited; certainly not to caffeine! In this article, I have briefly discussed simple and yet very effective practices to stay productive. There are many other carefully designed techniques apart from these that can help you with the objective. Besides, you can also develop such practices based on your research, experience, and convenience. And if you do, please do share!
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