I'm curious what HN users use to wake-up or re-sharpen their mind after a long morning. I usually hit the afternoon wall and am trying to get some ways to sharpen/stimulate my mind when I hit that wall. Chemical suggestions are welcome, but I'm really trying to collect a group of activities.<p>Activities I've found useful:<p>- The game SET (there's something about the pace and focus)<p>- Ping Pong (focus and response time)<p>- Kneeling to standing jumps (speed of the movement is oddly refreshing and stimulating)<p>- Walks/Jogs/Gym-time (I find these refreshing, not great at sharpening/stimulating my mind)<p>Looking forward to other things to try.
Do you consume caffeine? I found quitting it to be very painful, but it got rid of the 'afternoon wall'. Now I feel equally exhausted all day.
Eat healthy. Seriously, the fatigue is almost-always due to crashing blood sugar. Very rarely are we working hard enough to actually be mentally exhausted (like those 4hr physics exams in school).<p>Eat healthy != whole grains and carbs. Eat veggies and protein. Balance your blood sugar through the day and you'll 100% better.
I find 15 minute naps the most effective way to reset and have a productive rest of the day. I don't do it every day, but I can feel when I need one and am operating at lower effectiveness. Anything longer is bad though - if you do 30+ minutes you're in danger of hours of grogginess. You may not feel the immediate benefit of a short nap, but you'll notice if you think about it an hour later how much fresher you are.<p>Some people don't seem able to take naps. My advice is: give it a few tries. For me it took a few attempts for my brain to figure out how to shut down like that. And some days it just doesn't happen.<p>I've found nothing better than taking some caffeine and immediately taking a power nap. When the refresh from both hit about 45 minutes later, it's like starting the day over, energy-wise.
TLDR. Keep an healthy diet, and exercise. Sleep enough.<p>Im lucky to have a gym 10 meters from our office, so 3 times a week i use my lunch ti go to the gym, and eat afterwards something light at the office, i try to go jogging twice a week on to of the gym.<p>Try to eat a fiber rich diet, if you choose to exercise. And never pass breakfast. Its important, the most important meal of the day.<p>Now for the mental part, here the most important thing is to sleep. Dont watch TV, read a book instead.
I'm not an exerciser. I'd love to be but am not.<p>I'm not doing this now but when was working on my startup and working a regular job, I was taking "caffeine naps" at 4:30. There was something about this time of day which was magical in terms of how tired I was and how much extra productive time it granted me through twilight.
<i>Kneeling to standing jumps</i><p>Just doing a quick set of push-ups is good too. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just do it smoothly and with good form.<p>Sleep is good too. A 20 minute nap after lunch can sometimes work wonders with my attention span and mood.
Podcasts, especially funny ones. Laugh a bit at something totally unrelated to the work you're doing. I feed off of the energy of others, like a vampire.<p>Some of my favorites: No such thing as a fish, Here's the thing, The Bugle.
A timed 20 minute nap followed by a shower. Sleep is the only thing that truly recharges mental capacity in my experience. Sleep is 100x more important than the next most important thing.