Staying awake and keeping your mind focused might be one of our biggest and toughest problems to overcome these days. These two things come together, if you are awake but you are not focusing on your work, productivity could not be done. And at the end, you are not able to accomplish your work.
This is why especially for people who are working and most likely to work overtime every single day, staying alert and having a focused mind is very much needed in order for them to catch up deadlines and perform a good work. Hence, staying focused and awake is key to be productive. Here are some tips and tricks that will help you in keeping your eyes open, boost your energy level and help you achieve all your daily targets and goals. Read our ultimate guide on how to stop procrastinating here.
1. Try Taking a Short Nap
It has been proven that taking a short nap during the day has a lot of benefits. This short nap is also called as “power nap’’. Truthfully, sleeping for 30 minutes or less can help you boost your energy and make you feel more energized. Not just that, taking a short nap in the middle of the day can improve your job performance and make you more alert. Moreover, it improves your mood and releases your stress too. Try taking a short 10 to 30 minutes nap whenever you have a break as this will make you work more efficiently and more focused.
2. Eat and Chew Ice Cubes
Try eating ice cubes when you are sleepy, the coldness in your mouth will refresh your brain and make you feel that you are awake and focused, also ready to fight your long busy day. As your mouth is not familiar with your mouth being cold. Basically, it is impossible for you to fall asleep while chewing or eat ice cubes. You can also chew gum or eat candies to keep you brain stimulated and to stay awake.
3. Don’t Forget to Consume Your Caffeine
Usually, people drink coffee or tea to get caffeine into their body in order for them to stay awake. It is true that caffeine is a very powerful and effective stimulant that will provide your body a short boost of energy and make you more alert. Research shows that it also boosts your memory for a short period of time. Besides that, it also gives you the ability to focus your mind and increase the performance of your motor system.
Coffee gives different effects for different people, if you never drink coffee, a small amount of it will make you feel the instant effect. But if you consume coffee regularly, the effect wouldn’t be as drastic compared to a person that never drinks coffee. Some people don’t like the taste of coffee, so they drink tea as a substitute. In addition, coffee gives instant stimulation as it contains more caffeine, while tea contains less.
4. Get Yourself Moving
You need to get yourself moving and stay active in order to improve the circulation and blood flow inside your body. Of course it is not possible for you to do intensive training at your workplace while you are working. Instead, maybe once every hour you can take a short break by doing some simple stretching, leave your desk and walk around for several minutes.
Moreover, during your break after you finish your meal, you can take a short 10 to 15 minutes walk allowing more oxygen in your system to reach all the cells making you feel more focused, awake and productive. Always try to get yourself moving especially when your work requires you to sit and work in front of a computer all day.
5. Listen to Music When You’re Working
When you are listening to upbeat songs, like maybe rock and roll, hip hop songs or jazz, these songs will help you remain awake and alert while doing your work. You need to make sure that you are not carried away by the music, do not start dancing or singing since you are working in your workplace, or else you are going to make yourself embarrassed.
In addition, if you choose to listen to classical music it will improve your concentration in reading and writing. Lastly, always remember to use earphones or headphones so that you won’t disturb others.
6. Eat Healthy Foods
You need to eat healthy foods that are packed with a lot of nutrients in order for you to be energized and alert. If you choose the wrong type of food and pair it with a wrong combination, it will make you feel lazy and sluggish. So, one of the best ways to help you stay focused and maintain your energy level is to eat wisely and correctly. Eat the right amount of food that contains a lot of nutrients that are good for your body. For carbohydrates, choose whole grains as it takes longer time for your body to digest allowing you to get more energy from then for a long period of time.
It is best if you can pair it with some protein to achieve sustainable energy. High percentage of the protein you consume is converted into energy to boost your system. Moreover, add some vegetables and fruits into your diet as they are rich in vitamins and minerals. Greens like spinach or kale, they are rich in vitamin B folate and also vitamin K. They are improving your brain function and help you focus.
You can read more on how to stay up all night here
7. Drink Plenty of Water
One of the key factors that will make you focus and stay alert is to drink enough water. Staying hydrated is very important, not just because it has a lot of health benefits, but it also increases your energy levels. Consuming enough water will allow the flow of glucose and oxygen to your cells in your brain and organs helping you to stay focused and alert. Research shows that even when you are just a little dehydrated, it could impact your attention and the ability for you to remember things.
8. Take a Shower
When you feel sleepy and tired, it is best for you to take a shower. When you take a shower with hot water it will help you to be relaxed and more focus. While if you choose to take a shower with cold water, it will help you refresh your mind. Taking a shower will for sure wake up both your body and mind. This is a great way for you to start the day that will help you in staying alert and focused.
9. Get Sufficient Sleep
Being not focused is sometimes a result of fatigue and restless. If you feel so, it is time to take care better of yourself. Neglecting your physical or emotional well-being doesn’t help anyone.
Always try to get a good night sleep. Well, it is easier said than done. But if early nights aren’t possible, find energy elsewhere: fresh air, exercise, a healthy snack, or support from another person.
To Conclude
Hopefully, these tips and tricks can help you in staying focused, energized and alert. Some tips might only work best for some people, but try some combinations of these tips for a few weeks and observe how your body and brain respond to the changes you made to your routine. I can simply guarantee that this routine will improve and change your lifestyle into a better one. After some adjustments, you will be able to feel some changes and realize that now you are more focused and alert when you are working towards your goals.
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