3 Tips on Tackling the Afternoon Slump for Creatives

Source: Pexels - Photo by RDNE

Have you ever reached the afternoon suddenly craving something sweet, or have your eyes drooped more heavily compared to the other hours of the day? You might be a victim of the infamous afternoon slump. Unfortunately, if you’re part of the creative team, you might feel this more than your non-creative colleagues. Doing creative work takes a lot more energy than other types of work.

Why Do We Experience Afternoon Slumps?

There’s an array of reasons why you would be experiencing an afternoon slump. Take into account that it’s not a random phenomenon that happens every afternoon. Check in with yourself if you are experiencing this yourself and need a break from your work.

What you eat (or what you don’t eat) at the beginning of the day to your lunch hour impacts your afternoon energy levels. Nutrition plays an important role in how you function throughout the day. It has something to do with your blood sugar levels, so when it comes to breakfast and lunch, it has to be well-balanced with the right amount of protein, fibre, and carbohydrates.

Even when you snack between breakfast and lunch (and post-lunch), it has to be healthy snacks like nuts, seeds, Greek yoghurt or fresh fruits and vegetables. So, your blood sugar levels won’t drop, as this is one of the familiar afternoon slump causes.

3 Tips to Get Over the Afternoon Slump 

Stay Hydrated and Grab a Snack 

As tempting as it is to get a cup of coffee when your eyes start to droop, it’s better to at least fill yourself with a glass of water before reaching for that coffee. If you do need some form of caffeine that would not crash you out in the afternoon, consider trying out green tea instead. It won’t give you heart palpitations if that is something you suffer from when drinking coffee.

Take a Quick Break 

Sometimes, a quick break would help get you out of that energy slump. Stand up for a bit or take a brief walk to get your blood flow going. You’d be surprised how a short moment of change and movement could help in waking you up. Even a quick stretch as you stand up from your desk could help, too.

Or, if you have the space and time, take a quick 10 to 20-minute power nap. Especially if you didn’t have enough sleep the night before.

Tune In to Some Upbeat Music 

If all else fails, hype yourself up with some music. It can help boost the production of dopamine, which is responsible for making you feel good. Prepare a playlist of music that gives you that pump energy that keeps you going for the day.

Tips For the Creatives Out There

Source: Pexels - Photo by Kaboompics.com 

For creatives out there, you might need some of these extra tips to get over that creative slump: 

Try Out Time Management Methods 

There are different methods out there for time management. The most used methods would be the Pomodoro Technique and Time Blocking. Pomodoro makes it so that you have consistent breaks, preventing you from burning out too fast. Time blocking is where you dedicate specific blocks of time to different activities in a day. This reduces multitasking and sets a realistic expectation of what you can do.

Task Management 

Alongside time management, ensure that the tasks that are allocated to you are feasible and manageable for you. Task management helps you to stay focused and energised throughout the day, even with an afternoon slump. You can set a concrete goal and monitor your progress by using the creative project management tools provided by your project manager. 

Our creative project management tool, TESSR, has a feature that helps you manage your tasks. The My Work feature helps you stay organised by allowing you to track your projects and manage your assigned tasks efficiently. By having a visual overview of your work, you can plan your day ahead, preventing you from feeling overwhelmed by your task, which could affect your afternoon slump.

Conclusion 

While not a dangerous condition, afternoon slump causes unwelcome procrastination and stress, leading to delayed tasks and poor work performance. It’s important to have your afternoon slump managed properly before it affects your work quality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why are afternoon slumps called ‘afternoon slumps’? 

Because it typically happens in the afternoon or post-lunch, as the regular circadian rhythm experiences a dip sometime in the afternoon. So, earning the namesake afternoon slump.

Is there a way to stop an afternoon slump?

While there is no way to fully stop an afternoon slump, unless you manage to perfect your schedule and eating habits, the best you can do is to manage as best you can to avoid affecting your productivity on a day.

Is the creative slump the same as an afternoon slump?

Not at all. A creative slump is a bit more serious, as it affects a creative's ability to produce creative work. They would be experiencing a lack of inspiration or motivation, making them suffer a state of being stuck rather than a momentary slump.

Author Bio 

With a background in Arts English, Adilla has been a casual writer for various hobbies, including parodies of animated shows and plots for board games like Dungeons & Dragons. She loves to read anything and everything from fantasy stories to articles on tips and tricks. Currently, Adilla resides in Malaysia and is a creative writer at TESSR. One day, she is eager to publish her book. To know more about her, check out her LinkedIn.