How To Fight the Afternoon Blues

In case you were unaware, it's Thursday. It's approximately 2pm and I could fall asleep with my eyes open it feels like. I have been staying up way too late this week between basketball games (I am obligated to say Go Heat!) & a coworker's last night in town, and today I am paying for it dearly. I am generally pretty good at keeping myself awake when the afternoon sleepies hit and I thought I'd share some of the ways I manage that with you guys. Despite my recent discovery of a delicious coffee concoction, I really make efforts to stay away from caffeine & soda. Honestly, it really messes with me! So here are my "au natural" ways to not fall asleep at your desk get through the afternoon.

1. Get up and walk around! This is probably my #1 go to cure. A lap around the office can work wonders, and extra bonus if you make a new friend in the office or combine it with a "work" conversation!

2. Grab a glass of water. It requires me to move away from my desk and then when I sit back down I have something to do (duh, drink the water).

3. Turn on some music! I have an iPod docking station at my desk and I'm lucky enough to typically have my office to myself, so I can play my music as loud as I want. Even when my officemate is here, we have the same taste in music so we have sing alongs! Even if you are working in cramped quarters or in cubes, you can still rock out with your headphones! (Don't forget to be mindful of your coworkers though!)

4. Do a brain dump. Getting everything on your probably endless to-do list down on paper will make your afternoon seem less daunting and more manageable, and will probably help you increase productivity and the more productive you are, the less tired you are!

5. Mentally check out for a minute! Check your Twitter feed, read CNN.com, write an email to a friend, catch up on your favorite blogs...whatever you enjoy, take 5 and do that (as long as company policy allows!)

I wish I could come up with more, but I'm fresh out of ideas. What do you do to rejuvenate in the middle of the afternoon?