How To Create A Productive Afternoon Routine (9 Good Habits)

Do you find yourself getting lazy and tired in the middle of the day? These 9 habits are perfect to build a productive afternoon routine that will stick permanently, and also keep your annoying slump at bay.

woman sitting on table indulging in a productive afternoon routine

Here’s an honest confession – The afternoon used to be my least favorite part of the day.

I rock the art of being a morning person, am super chill during my bedtime, and know how to have a fun evening.

Enter afternoon, and all I wanted to do was doze off into the la-la land or just stare at the ceiling as I daydream.

Now the thing is, mindlessly buzzing around the day is something I take bliss in occasionally.

But having it happen on a regular basis in the middle of the day? That is a train I did not want to be riding.

So, I did the same thing that I do whenever I am stuck in a rut – put a pen to paper and came up with a solid action plan to get out of my afternoon slump.

And lo and behold! It worked like charm. 😉

How To Be Productive In The Afternoon

First and foremost, know that it is completely normal to have low energy during the afternoon.

Your body naturally slows down, you’re tired from working since morning, and your work vibes are off-kilter.

But still, if you were to ask me, “Why am I not productive in the afternoon?”, my first advice for you would be to look into your afternoon habits.

No matter the time of the day, month, or year, your habits can make or break your routine.

Now, this might sound both exciting and daunting, but trust me, it’s actually a good thing.

Habits are in your control, which means you can steer them in whichever direction you’d like.

With the help of a structured routine and well-thought-out plan, you can beat any kind of slump and master productivity.

Finding these words encouraging so far? You might want to pin this post for safe keeping. 😀

In this post, I reveal 9 productive afternoon routine ideas that will help you get out of your mid-day slump zone.

These tips are great for both office-working and work-from-home superhumans. Students would find these tips helpful too!

If you are ready to finally say goodbye to your lazy-hazy 2 pm zone, read on.

9 Good Habits For A Productive Afternoon Routine

1. Do Your Demanding Tasks Before 12 PM

To implement this particular idea, we need to focus on our morning routine.

At the start of every day, make a short list of your work goals, and then pick the ones that require you to be your most attentive self.

These are going to be your ‘before 12 pm’ tasks.

Yes, we are aiming to build the ultimate productive afternoon routine. But it’s also important to take our energy levels into consideration, which run low during the afternoon hours.

That’s why it makes sense to get your most demanding and challenging tasks done before 12 pm.

Finish off these tasks on time, and then as soon as the clock strikes twelve, take a short break before heading toward your afternoon activities.

Related Post: 11 Bad Morning Habits To Quit

Now, your noon tasks should be light, fun, and interactive (because communication is always effective to break a lazy spell.)

Discuss a project with your colleagues, brainstorm ideas, respond to e-mails, and do things that you personally find stress-free and easy.

With some smart scheduling and appropriate time-slotting of your daily goals, you should be off to a great start. 👍

2. Turn On Concentration Music While You Work

When everything fails, music enters and saves the day.

The value of concentration music is immense for people looking to build good focus during their work hours. It helps you stay calm, cool-headed, and stress-free.

When I was in college, I’d sit at my desk for hours and study as music played in the background. It was one of the most powerful focus tools at that time.

I don’t know why but this technique completely slipped from my mind once I started working. As adults, we often forget that simple and basic methods can sometimes be of great help.

You might have not been tapping into the powers of concentration music so far. But, now that I’ve mentioned it, make sure to add it to your work hours.

You can find deep music on youtube, or use some online websites for the same.

These days, I am loving using Coffitivity during the afternoons, so you might want to give it a shot too.

3. Have A Balanced Lunch

There’s an infamous saying that you should eat your breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.

Think you can turn into a prince during the afternoons? Yes, you can, and I’ll tell you why you need to.

It’s no secret that eating a heavy meal in the middle of the day is an open invitation to sleep. This inevitably makes you feel tired and slows down your working speed.

Considering we’re trying to build a productive afternoon routine, a heavy lunch has to be a big no.

Take a balanced and healthy diet, and avoid overeating at every cost. If you work from the office, pack a box from home to avoid eating unhealthy takeouts.

A food habit known as mindful eating can be of great help in this. It’s a practice that I swear by for good health and wellness.

Follow this idea, and you’ll be one step closer to a happy and productive afternoon.

4. Take Short Walks In Between

If getting your mind to cooperate during the sleepy noon hours is challenging, then focus on getting your body on board first.

Any sort of physical activity is a great way to infuse alertness into your tired brain, and walking is probably the simplest thing you can do in the afternoon.

Get up from your chair, and move around a little. Re-fill your water bottle, grab some coffee or tea, or do a little stretching workout if you’re at home.

You’ll be surprised by what a difference such simple activities can make. Even 2 minutes of walking is enough to keep you pumped for the next hour.

Whenever you find yourself dozing off again, simply repeat.

P.S: Don’t forget to breathe in some fresh air while you’re at this. Nature is your best friend for all things related to productivity.

5. Sip Water To Stay Focused

Do you know how I like to introduce myself? “Hi, there. I am Akansha, and I drink a lot of water.”

There, that sums up my identity pretty well.

I am not kidding when I say that water is a life-saving force that everybody needs more of in their routine. It’s advice that can never get old.

Wellness lovers all over the world would agree that hydration is key to building good health, nourishment, focus, and a high attention span.

Water is perfect for self-care, morning time, bedtime, and now even for your afternoon productivity.

That’s why, you should always have a water bottle with you, whether you’re working from the office or typing on your laptop from your couch.

Whenever you find yourself going sleepy, take a sip of water, and get back to work.

This way, you’ll be on top of your water-intake requirements, and also stay calm, alert, and energized.

Don’t Miss: 5 Wellness Hacks I Wish I’d Learned Sooner

6. Tune Into A Podcast For 5 Minutes

Podcasts are my new best friends, and so are all the amazing speakers who record them for us.

You get access to many important messages, life lessons, and notes on how to cater to your well-being.

But my favorite thing about podcasts is their ability to keep me hooked.

Whenever I find myself slacking off, I know a podcast can help me snap back into attention.

So, I started implementing this advantage during my afternoon routine and found it to be highly effective.

You can do the same if you’re looking for some motivation during the slothful afternoon hours.

Play a podcast for just 5 minutes, smile at the speaker’s voice, nod along to it, and then resume your routine.

One thing I can guarantee you is there will be a stark difference in your mood after doing this, and you’ll naturally be more interested in working.

Learn From: 21 Habits Of People Who Are Always Happy

7. Keep Your Desk Clutter-Free

It’s a fair possibility that you might end up with a messy desk by 12 pm.

This is the time when pens, papers, and some unwanted stray wrappers find their way to your work spot, blocking your tendencies to stay calm.

Counter this energy by maintaining a clutter-free desk. And no, it’s not something that takes a lot of effort.

Put back your items in their rightful places the moment they serve their purpose.

Make use of those drawers to store the things that need to be used once or twice an hour (like a marker, stapler, or data cable.)

Repeatedly taking out things and then putting them back will keep you on your toes, and also keep your space mess-free.

Not to mention that a decluttered space is the basic requirement of productivity. So, this is a point you absolutely can’t miss out on.

Must-Read: 11 Toxic Habits You Need To Discard

8. Break Down Your Afternoon Goals Into Simpler Tasks

You can probably work for hours on end during the morning, but if you try to work with the same mindset after 12 pm, you’ll likely see a dip in your productivity.

That’s why you need to master the art of simplifying your life.

Because here’s a simple truth – Your mind favors simple, broken-down, and achievable steps over a mammoth task.

The end goal might be the same, but it’s easier to reach the finish line when you focus on taking one step at a time instead of worrying about the huge distance.

Apply this formula to your daily challenges, and double down on it during the afternoon.

Scribble small action steps in a notepad that you can finish within 15 minutes each, which brings us to our last point on this list.

9. Use A Timer To Stay Attentive

This idea is correlated to my 8th point – i.e., breaking down your afternoon goals into smaller tasks.

Now, to make your short-step formula successful, I suggest you add a timer to the mix.

Using a timer is a superb way to keep yourself accountable, and see each of your smaller tasks through till the end.

For me, I’ve found that 15-minute timers work brilliantly during the afternoons. You might want to start the same way.

The best thing about this method is that you can adjust the minutes according to your energy levels.

Feeling like you’d rather sleep than write that report right now? That’s fine. Just set a timer for 5 minutes, and work on the first two sentences of the report.

Before you know it, you’ll find yourself increasing these time periods, and your attention span will increase alongside.

Try These Ideas For A Productive Afternoon

Your afternoons might have been sort-of-unproductive so far, but you can absolutely change this!

I managed to build a stress-free routine around my afternoon, and it’s been paying off beautifully. That’s why I would love to be able to help you too.

The initial phase of building new habits and routines can be confusing. I know it all too well from the countless mistakes I’ve made in the past.

But every time I get something right that finally sticks, I feel inspired to spread my techniques and receive some inspiration in return.

Use the comment box to ask whatever questions you have about creating a productive afternoon routine, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

More routine ideas and suggestions are always welcome. 😀