It's been a productive day at work so far and you’ve just come back from lunch, ready to knuckle down and power through the afternoon.  But wait.  You feel flat.  Worn-out. 

We all have those days where you just turn on auto-pilot and numbly cruise through the pile of work on your desk.  When that's the case, these tips shall make sure that you're super-energized and ready to work!

Take small breaks throughout the day

Humans aren’t robots.  We’re not going to be able to churn out great quality work without little breaks in between.  Research has shown that our attention begins to wane at around the 90 minute mark before we need a time-out.  

So even if it is a quick stretch or getting up to make a cup of tea, don’t be afraid to take a little time-out in order to help boost your productivity.  If work still has you feeling lazy then perhaps have a quick cruise through YouTube for some funny videos or crack a joke to your colleague. 

Laughter is a natural energizer so having a chuckle actually benefits you!  Not only will you lighten the atmosphere but you'll also make everyone else also feel good for the rest of the day.

Don’t over-strain your eyes
Nowadays, it's impossible to go a day without screens. They're absolutely everywhere! Studies even show that a whopping 50-90% of computer workers suffer from eye strain and other visual symptoms.

We need to make sure that we notice how our eyes are feeling after all that screen-time.  Your eyes can feel achy and itchy after a marathon screen session.  (Fortunately research has shown that there aren’t any long-term effects.)

You just have to be careful about the short-term symptoms like headaches, eye pressure and dry eyes.  There are a couple of ways to help prevent these.  Firstly, reduce your screen's brightness so that you're not straining to read the on-screen material.  Secondly, adjust the text size especially when you're reading or composing long documents.  And thirdly, make sure that you're not hunched up, super-close to the screen.

Regular exercise

At lunch, rather than sitting at your desk or in the break room, go for a 20-minute walk instead.  Whether it’s hot, cold or raining, leaving your desk and spending time out into the fresh air will have you feeling rejuvenated. (Tip: leave the smartphone behind!)

Having a brisk walk activates our body's systems such as your pulse-rate and it gets the perspiration flowing. That circulation is vital as it will take you from lethargy to brimming with high energy! So you can return to work after a natural boost of energy and get on with your day.

A quick shut-eye

After wolfing down your lunch, if you feel like you're loitering around waiting for the hour to be up, it could be a good idea to grab a little rest.  According to Prevention, a quick 10-minute rest at 2 o’clock will boost your energy for the rest of the day.  It’s worth a shot!

Francesca Hooper writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in finding candidates their perfect internship. To browse our graduate jobs, visit our website.