Hacks For Staying Focused When The 3pm Slump Hits

By August 24, 2017For Talent

It’s late afternoon. The clock is counting down to home time and you’re already fantasising about taking a nap under your desk. At a time like this, of course your mind is going to wander.

Why else would you be reading this blog post instead of doing your work?

If you have a deadline coming up, or you just want to get a big project off your desk this week then you need our quick and easy hacks for staying focused. Trust us, they work like a charm.

Keep sipping

Drinking water throughout the day is a great way to stay focused. Concentrating becomes a lot harder when you’re even a tiny bit dehydrated. Keep a bottle of water on your desk at all times and refill it throughout the day. Just don’t let those water cooler chats distract you further.

Put on the headphones

If you work in a busy office everyday noises can become really distracting. Phones ringing, door bells buzzing and your colleagues having a casual chat can all sidetrack you from your work. Drown out the noise with your favourite playlist instead.

Stay away from social

A little Facebook stalk or Instagram scroll can be very tempting when you find yourself at a loose end but once you fall down the social media rabbit hole you who knows where you could end up. Watching a cute puppy video or liking your friends sappy status will just pull you further away from your work.

It’s important that you set yourself boundaries and only check your social accounts at lunch time or when you’re taking a quick break.

Switch it up

If you’ve been working on the same project for hours with no sign of progress then it might be time to switch things up. Try tackling a smaller task that you can complete easily to keep things fresh. You never know, when you eventually come back to the original task you might have had a breakthrough.

Have some green tea

Green tea is the perfect substitute for coffee. It has less caffeine than a cup of coffee but it still acts as a stimulant. As a result, drinking green tea increases energy levels and concentration. You’ll be ready for whatever the afternoon throws at you.

Take a walking meeting

Late afternoon meetings are the worst. Everyone’s energy is at an all time low and people are usually rushing to complete tasks before the end of the day. The solution? Take your meeting to the streets.

A quick stroll around the block will help you to refocus, boost your creativity, and lift your mood too. Sometimes it is much easier to brainstorm ideas or talk to your colleagues when you are out of the usual office environment.


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Author Alice Murray

Alice Murray is a Content Creator at Jobbio with a passion for Employer Branding and Graduate Culture. She's a keen traveller and a self-proclaimed lazy runner.

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