How to avoid the midday slump

Hi friends! Hope you all had a good weekend. Chicago finally graced us with some nice weather so I celebrated by getting a sunburn. 🥴 Whatever, it’s a base tan!

Today’s tunes: My top three favorite songs to get me through the midday slump we’re talking about today? “Juliet” by LMNT, “The Way I Are” by Timbaland, and “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore. You’re welcome.

—Rod

How to Beat the Midday Slump

If Friends raised you, then you know how catastrophic the midday slump can be. One day you’re living in an unrealistically ginormous apartment in Manhattan with your best friends, then you fall asleep in one (1) meeting…and next thing you know you’ve agreed to move to Tulsa. Let’s learn from Chandler’s mistake and talk about the dreaded midday slump.

What is it? A feeling of exhaustion in the mid-afternoon that not even five espresso shots can fix. And unlucky for the coffee machines in our lives, it’s pretty common. In fact, a quarter of people surveyed admitted to making more mistakes when they’re experiencing the midday slump.

Okay, but why?

It’s more than just staying up past your bedtime scrolling TikTok. It’s also…

• Circadian rhythm: AKA the body’s biological clock. Research shows that most people’s alertness is the lowest between 2–7am (when many of us are still sleeping) and 2–5pm (when many of us are in a meeting that could’ve been an email).

• Diet: After lunch, your blood circulation changes to allow for more blood to flow to your digestive system and less to your brain, causing tiredness.

• Stress/depletion: Whether it’s leading a meeting, writing an email, or peeping the new intern’s LinkedIn…it all requires energy.

How to boost said energy

You don’t want to fall asleep in your quarterly review, so let’s talk about some things that can help power us through the day, including putting your head in the freezer?? (Click that link at your own risk.)

• Go for a walk/work out: Using a standing workstation, stretching, or taking a simple walk around the block can produce endorphins and get your blood pumping.

• Take a little break: A 20-minute nap can help restore your energy, but anything longer than an hour may harm more than it helps.

• Have a healthy snack: Grab some Greek yogurt, nuts, and raw veggies from Trader Joe’s during your weekly stock-up on those chili lime rolled tortilla chips. Foods rich in protein, fiber, and healthy fats can stave off sugar crashes that cause us to feel sluggish.

• Pump up the jams: Listening to music gets your blood flowing and produces dopamine. May I suggest a playlist for that 3pm dance party?

• Hydrate: Dehydration causes less blood flow to the brain, which can negatively affect your mood and increase fatigue. If water’s boring to you (because same), try adding fruit or flavored powder packets to your Stanley.

And with that, I wish you the very best in your efforts to avoid face planting on your desk next time your Apple Watch strikes 2pm. Peace, love and…

Things to Slack your work besties

…after doing jumping jacks to stay awake.

TV and movie writers are striking for the first time in 15 years in an effort to secure better pay and more job protections (especially in the shadow of streaming services). Want to show your support? “Have a basic knowledge of our issues so that you won’t be swayed by the misinformation the studios will be pumping out to turn people against us,” Abbott Elementary writer and WGA captain Brittani Nichols told this reporter. “If you’re in a city with a picket line, we’d love to have people stand with us in solidarity.”

Send this to your work besties during the all-hands meeting, where the phrase “we’re all family here” has already come up 10 times in the first 15 minutes. 🙄

I swear the amount of effort you guys have put into your Eras Tour outfits is one of the most impressive things the internet has shown me this year. Reply to this email and send us your ideas!

Thanks for reading! See ya back here Friday to answer some burning Qs!

IDK WHAT DO I KNOW?! LMAO!

—Rod