WEBVTT - Avoid the 2 p.m. slump

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about how to avoid the two pm slump.

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<v Speaker 1>Over years of studying people's schedules, I've come to see

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<v Speaker 1>that managing time is often about managing energy. We feel

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<v Speaker 1>differently at different times of the day. We feel differently

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<v Speaker 1>based on what we've been doing, that in turn affects

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<v Speaker 1>what we can get done. This seems obvious, but it

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<v Speaker 1>is so easy to forget this. You know that a

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<v Speaker 1>car can't run indefinitely if you don't fill it up

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<v Speaker 1>with gas. Yet people don't pay attention to their own

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<v Speaker 1>metaphorical gas tanks. They'll say, look at me, I'm so productive,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm working through lunch. I'm getting out of here on

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<v Speaker 1>time today. Then a funny thing happens around two o'clock,

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<v Speaker 1>three o'clock in the afternoon. You start reading the same

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<v Speaker 1>emails over and over again. Then your phone sends you

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<v Speaker 1>an alert, Oh look, someone posted a photo on Facebook.

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<v Speaker 1>Let me go check that out. Then your phone sends

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<v Speaker 1>you an alert, Oh look, someone posted a photo on Facebook.

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<v Speaker 1>Let me just go check that out. Next thing you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you're over on Facebook looking at other photos, photos of

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<v Speaker 1>people you didn't like from high school, and you're getting

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<v Speaker 1>sucked into a political argument with your crazy aunt, or

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<v Speaker 1>you click on an AD and then you're shopping for shoes.

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<v Speaker 1>Next thing you know, five minutes can disappear down this

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<v Speaker 1>internet rabbit hole. What happened is that your brain needed

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<v Speaker 1>a break. You didn't give it a real one, so

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<v Speaker 1>it took a fake one. But it would have been

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<v Speaker 1>so much better to take a real break. Going outside

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<v Speaker 1>for a twenty minute walk would have energized you, and

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<v Speaker 1>you would have saved time. Depending how bad your unfocused

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<v Speaker 1>slump was, you might have even saved enough time to

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<v Speaker 1>take a real lunch break. Avoiding these two pm slumps

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<v Speaker 1>just requires being honest with ourselves. We aren't machines, and

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<v Speaker 1>we have different levels of energy at different times of day.

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<v Speaker 1>After that first cup of coffee in the morning, a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of us feel like we can take on the world.

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<v Speaker 1>At two pm, not so much. So monitor your energy.

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<v Speaker 1>I recommend tracking your time and then asking yourself every

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<v Speaker 1>thirty to sixty minutes how you feel. Are you at

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<v Speaker 1>a ten on a ten point scale, a five zero?

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<v Speaker 1>Once you're dipping into the two to three point range,

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<v Speaker 1>it's going to be hard to get anything other than

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<v Speaker 1>the most basic tasks done. You also need to figure

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<v Speaker 1>out how you can boost your energy levels. Sleep and

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<v Speaker 1>exercise add holistically to energy levels. So if you're not

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<v Speaker 1>sleeping at least seven hours per day and moving your

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<v Speaker 1>body for thirty minutes five times a week, that's the

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<v Speaker 1>first thing to address. But even if you are doing that,

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<v Speaker 1>we go through peaks and valleys. That's just the reality

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<v Speaker 1>of having a physical body. Figure out what activities add

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<v Speaker 1>to your energy levels. Most people like fresh air. You

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<v Speaker 1>could take what I call smokeless breaks. Just like a

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<v Speaker 1>smoker would go outside every few hours for a cigarette.

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<v Speaker 1>You can go outside and then not smoke. Physical activity

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<v Speaker 1>helps too. You can walk the halls or run a

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<v Speaker 1>quick errand you can talk with someone you find energizing.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe it's even switching kinds of work. An introvert might

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<v Speaker 1>need to replenish herself after a morning of meetings by

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<v Speaker 1>taking some time to read industry news. An extrovert could

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<v Speaker 1>recharge after hunkering down with a report by chatting with colleagues.

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<v Speaker 1>A healthy snack with some protein and fiber can keep

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<v Speaker 1>you going. Caffeine is okay if it's used responsibly. I

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<v Speaker 1>don't drink coffee afternoon because it can interfere with my sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>But I really like the British concept of tea time. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>some of the most productive teams I've ever studied stop

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<v Speaker 1>for a while in mid afternoon to walk to a

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<v Speaker 1>nearby cafe and get tea together. This combines exercise, fresh air,

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<v Speaker 1>a change of scenery, socializing, and modest caffeine into take.

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<v Speaker 1>It's pretty hard to get more energizing than that. As

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<v Speaker 1>a result of taking this break, people in these workplaces

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<v Speaker 1>are actually productive from three pm to five pm, and

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<v Speaker 1>if there's a certain amount of work that needs to

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<v Speaker 1>get done, I think most of us would rather work

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<v Speaker 1>from three to five than from five to seven. By

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<v Speaker 1>taking breaks when you need them, you can actually get

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<v Speaker 1>more done endless time. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b the number four then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>Podcast at iHeart media dot com that before breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch.