If you are like me, around 3:00 pm each day your mind starts to shut down at work.
Instead of powering through with caffeine, here are some creative ideas from Fast Company to get you through the afternoon slump.
- Power Posing - According to Amy Cuddy of Harvard Business School, by physically positioning yourself to reflect a mental state of personal power, you actually feel more powerful. In Cuddy's "power-pose" study, she found that participants who held a power pose for a few minutes not only felt more powerful, but actually reduced their level of cortisol, a stress hormone. My personal choice would be feet in mountain pose, hands on hips and imagining my cape flapping in the wind.
- Exercise - "Physically stretching the body makes the team more creative, and helps the brainstorming process become more flexible, too," says Micah Risk.
- Dance party- Have a 10 minute dance party break. One company even installed a dance floor to accommodate a larger crowd.
- One Minute Plank- Have your employees stop, drop and plank at a certain time of day.
- Stretch Band Activity- Get the muscles pumping with a few easy stretch band exercises.
- Walking in the fresh air- Have your group get outside and take a fresh air break. One company has office dogs they can walk on a quick break.
- Trivia- Gather around for a quick round of trivia questions. This brain exercise can even lead to some great brainstorming sessions.
- Desk stretches- Take breaks to stretch and move on a regular basis.
These simple activities create energy, synergy and creativity at work.
This is Sheila Harrell with Church Health.