Always feeling sleepy at work? Are you exhausted halfway through your day, every day? With a sedentary lifestyle and numerous responsibilities apart from work, these issues are far too common these days. But don’t you worry. We have the solutions to your problems. Sit back, relax, take a few minutes to read this article. Let us tell you how to be more active throughout the day and how to be more productive at work.

1. Sip on ice cold water.

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Keep a thermos, or any other insulated bottle, of water on your desk and keep sipping every time you feel groggy. The cold water will wake you up, even if it’s just for a few minutes. When you’re groggy, drink again. Make sure the water is as cold as you can tolerate. All this water will also make you get up to go to the bathroom, which will also help in staying awake.

2. Add some colour to your desk.

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Keep a bright, colourful piece on your desk. It can be a bright planter, a poster, or a collage of personal pictures to look at when your eyes are bored of the screen. A spot of bright colours also induces happy hormones which will make you more active.

3. Sip your coffee slowly to make the wakeful effects last longer.

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We know the effects of coffee and how useful it is to keep your eyes open. But it’s not advisable to drink a lot of caffeine through the day. So if you want to cut down on your caffeine intake, but still miss the effects of coffee, here’s a simple hack for you. Pour your coffee into a small thermos and sip it slowly through the day. Every time you want a hit of the good stuff, take a sip and put it away. This way, your coffee will remain at the same temperature for hours and you won’t have to keep refreshing your cup.

4. Put everything on your to-do list.

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Even small things like “eat breakfast” should be on your list. That way, you can keep ticking things off which will make you feel like you’ve achieved something early in the day. Give yourself deadlines for everything on this list and assign small rewards to the big items as incentive to finish on time.

5. Tackle one task at a time.

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Don’t keep checking for a reply to your email, or try to plan a dinner, while you’re trying to finish a presentation. Instead of multi-tasking, take on one thing at a time and completely forget the other items on your to-do list. As each item keeps getting struck off the list, you’ll feel an increasing sense of achievement.

6. Play movie soundtracks or progressive house music while working.

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Such music, without any lyrics to distract you, will help you concentrate and increase your working speed. The varying tempo of the music will keep you on your feet through the day. Movie soundtracks often have motivational music which will keep your spirits up.

7. Avoid smoke breaks.

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Drink a cold beverage or coffee or pack an easy-to-eat snack to quell urges. If you have a smoking buddy in office, tell them that you plan to quit and don’t want to be tempted during the day, so they won’t come to you for a cigarette. If you’re used to smoke breaks at a particular time, make sure to plan distractions for yourself. Tear open a bag of baked chips or watch a short, funny video online.

8. Don’t take heavy lunches to work.

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Eat salads and fruits for lunch. Avoid all comfort foods which relax you. A heavy, comforting lunch will make you feel heavy and sleepy, and no amount of coffee can overcome it. So, pack a light lunch and add a couple of light snacks for any hunger pangs.

9. Consider taking cabs instead of your own car.

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Not only will this keep you away from the stress of navigating traffic, you can use this travel time to catch up on your emails before work or to finish any residual work on your way home. This way, you’re all caught up before you punch in for the day. When the day ends, you can tackle any unfinished tasks in the cab on the way home and truly relax at home to rejuvenate yourself for the next day.

10. Plan your meals for the week on Saturday and cook on Sunday.

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This gives you enough time to go grocery shopping on Saturday, cook on Sunday, and have lunch ready to go from Monday to Friday. There are plenty of dishes, with recipes available online, which can be safely stored in the freezer for a few days.

If you follow these hacks, you will manage to do more with your hours and still feel active. Get going, folks.