4 smart ways to avoid the midday dip at work

While the midday doldrums are common, they're not inevitable, especially not if you follow these energy-boosting tips.

If you're like many people, shortly after lunch, your head begins buzzing, your concentration plummets, your eyes droop and the top of your desk begins to look as cozy as a feather mattress. These energy dips occur when the morning surge of hormones has decreased, and the day's routine sets in.

1. Enjoy teatime. Get into the routine of a mid-afternoon cup. It's a good step towards beating the afternoon doldrums thanks to that little bit of a caffeine burst and the few quiet minutes it entails. The aim is not to munch down scones and clotted cream, but you can do better than a tea bag dunked in your unwashed coffee mug. Keep a selection of exotic flavoured teas (preferably caffeinated) in your office and an aesthetically-pleasing cup just for tea. When the doldrums hit, brew yourself a cup and sit somewhere quiet (not your office) to sip and reflect. The meditative time will soothe your frenzied brain, while the caffeine will give you just enough of a kick-start to get you through the rest of your day.
2. Clean your desk and clear out your e-mail inbox. Both are relatively mindless tasks that don't require great amounts of concentration or clear thinking, and both will leave you feeling more energized because you'll have accomplished something visible as well as having reduced energy-sapping clutter.
3. Make an "I was thinking of you" phone call. To your husband or wife, child, siblings, parents, a friend or a retired colleague. A five-minute keep-in-touch call will lift your spirits for hours and reinvigorate you to get your work done.
4. Have an afternoon snack designed to get the blood flowing. Opt for snacks such as low-fat milk and high-fibre cereal, peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers, vegetables dipped in hummus, unsalted nuts, or low-fat cheese with an apple.