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How to Beat the Inevitable 3 O'clock Slump: 5 Tips

By Gabriella Khorasanee, JD on August 01, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Ugh, it happens every day like clockwork. It's about 3:00 p.m., you're fighting back yawns and your eyelids are heavy. You can actually feel yourself turning into Jabba the Hutt in your Aeron chair.

What's a lawyer to do? Snap out of it! Here's how.

1. Prioritize Your Work

For many people, the most productive part of the day is the morning -- so leave the heavy lifting for then. You can schedule the easy stuff for 3:00 like billing and getting back on easy emails. Once done, you'll realize you worked your way out of your slump.

2. Move it, Move it

One of the best ways to get a natural burst of energy is to get up and move. Take a walk and do a lap around the floor, or do some office yoga. Maybe you just do something as simple as taking your phone calls standing up. If you get the blood pumping, you'll feel more awake in no time.

3. Laugh It Off

A very famous doctor once said that laughter is the best medicine. Take a minute to look at Buzzfeed.com or walk over to your co-worker for a bit of real human interaction.

4. Don't Eat a Heavy Lunch

Um, duh. This is probably pretty obvious but sometimes a rib eye with a baked potato, and cake for dessert, is just too tempting. Try some lighter fare like salads and you may find yourself more alert come 3:00 p.m.

5. Caffeine

Ok, this should probably be your last resort but we just can't help ourselves -- at FindLaw we love our coffee. What's great about coffee is that you can incorporate some of the tips above: you can go for a walk to get it, make it social by asking a co-worker along, and drink it as you do your billing. Do you see the amazing-ness of coffee? You are already multi-tasking.

Hopefully these tips will help you with your slump. We think writing them up just helped us with ours.

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