The reality is that many people experience slumps in the afternoon. It could be too many carbohydrates eaten at lunch, low blood sugar, or a variety of other reasons. While it’s important to know the cause, the key right now is to get the blood moving and motivate the mind and energy. Here are eight simple tips to beat the afternoon slump.

1. Eat smart. For lunch, eat light: enjoy smoothies, fruit, water, nuts, and protein instead of heavy carbs that will require more energy from your body to digest.

2. Do the hardest project of the day first. If you eat your “frog” in the morning, instead of leaving the most difficult task to do in the afternoon, you’ll have other, less difficult things to work on in the afternoon, allowing you to look forward to the afternoon and fly through it. .

3. Create an afternoon routine. For example: After lunch, take a 5-minute walk outside, do 10 jumping jacks, stop by the bathroom, splash cold water on your face, and drink a large glass of ice water. Then go into your office, clear your desk, do a mental exercise of all the morning to-dos, turn on the lights/music, get some good airflow with a window/fun, and get to work! Routines help our brains connect to what we want to do. Once you develop habits, your brain will automatically switch gears when you do the same activities.

4. Involve your body. Do things that get your body moving and that are “easy.” Stand up, sit on a balance ball instead of a chair; do things that keep your blood and body moving. Stay committed to the movement and let the momentum of the movement keep you on your toes.

5. Give your brain a break. Save the most active and meaningless tasks for the afternoon (eg, errands, phone calls, filing, straightening, sorting). Tasks that require a lot of concentration, such as looking at the computer, reading, or listening, can work against your energy, making it difficult to focus and engage.

6. Change the scenery. If you can, move to another room. Do things for additional lighting or air. Sit somewhere that is comfortable but not welcoming (perhaps a natural setting to keep you from getting distracted when your mind is already wandering). Play upbeat music. Let your surroundings keep you alert.

7. Play a game. Give yourself a goal or a game to play. For example, if you finish a project or make so many calls, you can reward yourself by going home early or stopping for a bite to eat on the way home. Introduce some momentum and urgency into the image to counter the slowing force of your low energy in the afternoon.

8. Lastly, don’t fight. If nothing else works, take the 10 minute nap or 10 minute meditation time (set a timer). This will allow you to rest and then focus and re-engage in high productivity. If you continue to struggle, you will have a longer period of low productivity.

Track your energy and look for patterns of what works and what slows you down. Find the things that help you be more productive and attentive; try different things. When you find things that work, turn them into clothes. Try to notice what could be the cause, if it is what you are eating for lunch, staying up late, stress, etc. you will always do better to fix the root cause.