After-Lunch Sludge (a.k.a.: 2 o'clock)

I used to think my morning coffee was so important. It seemed as though no matter how early I went to bed and how well I slept (and how much I didn't drink) the night before, I just couldn't seem to skip the After-Lunch Sludge. That awful feeling where you helplessly succumb to the oh-so-signature complete and utter lack of productivity that only two o'clock on a week day could deliver. I also noticed this feeling only grew as the week went on until finally - FRIDAY.

Specifically 5:01pm on a FRIDAY.

It's worth mentioning that I would still be absolute molasses at said point on a FRIDAY, but at least my serotonin levels would get a bit of a bump with the promise of impending freedom the drive home would bring.

I love work. I HATE being productive at any less than a "super-human-rate". This sludge feeling? Unacceptable. I had to solve it. Okay. So how do I solve it? My sleep habits are ever-decent, my diet is on the healthier side of things (lots of veggies and whole foods), I only have one cup of coffee in the morning... maybe that was it! I'll just grab another cup of coffee after lunch! Oh no, wait... I've tried that before. Here are my Second-Cup-Study findings:

result #1: It works, I get a jolt to plow through the rest of my day at work and then have even less energy than I typically would by the time I get home and could actually write/cook/do other things that I find enjoyable. Then I keep it up with the two cups for a while. Then I work in an espresso shot in that second cup. And when that doesn't quite do it; ooh, chocolate covered espresso beans? AND they're vegan?? WHERE'D THE BAG GO????

result #2: (And this one is more often than not:) I notice absolutely no jolt or ease into supplimental energy. At best I might get supplimentally shakey hands. (Which are useless in a pandemic. No one wants to get close enough to shake hands with me. HA!)

What I'm trying to get at is that it usually doesn't work. And when it does work? My body gets accustomed to the caffeine so easily and adapts so quickly that I will end up intaking nine espresso shots intravenously to even get out of bed in the morning. I don't want that. Addiction is gross and freedom is super cool. Plus being an opportunist is just the best thing ever and I already have an addiction that throws a wrench in the gears of spontaneity as is, so I would much rather not add to. Also it's nice when you're able to keep the money that you worked and sludged so hard for and not feel as though you have to spend half of it on caffeinated products just to get through to the next pay period.

"So why don't you just quit coffee and your body can acclimate to that and you'll never need caffeine another day in your life?"

And they said there was no such thing as a stupid question.

I kid, of course. That is a fine question and I honestly pondered on it for a bit. The truth is, though, that even if I got to the point where I didn't need coffee to feel productive in a day, I would still want it. I would very much want it. I love the smell. The taste. The ritual of it all. I love feeling super-human, even for a little while, and coffee - I think you'll find - is far cheaper than cocaine and much easier to obtain. So quitting wasn't an option. (I have had sporadic days where I drink absolutely no caffeine without even noticing that I've skipped it, but those days are behind me until the exhaustion of this pandemic is over with.)

With quitting and doubling off the table, it seemed as though I was at a stalemate. I had to drive results without altering my number of coffees drank throughout a day. It wasn't until I made an offhand remark to my sister about it that I even thought it was something I might be able to acheive in my lifetime. She said:

"Try working out more in the morning and saving your coffee drink for later in the day when you would normally need the boost."

Wow.
There it was.
Logic.

Why hadn't I thought of this / why is my sister so terribly brilliant? I had had a similar thought of going for a run in the morning to better jump-start my mornings/days and give me more energy, but then instead of moving my iced americano to later on in the day, I just slugged one back real quick to quench my post-gym thirst. Y'know. Like water could.

I am incredibly happy to say that I have tried my sister's method and so far so good! I can't believe it. This is something that might actually work for me for the forseeable future (say "for" again)! I still have at least the rest of this week to commit to this experiment, but I am staying hopeful. And honestly? At least I'm getting in a somewhat more rigorous activity in the morning as well as having a new project to excite me for the week. And this is one with immediate and possibly long-term health/happiness benefit.

Here's hopin'!