Productivity

I hate to brag, but I have severe allergies and hay fever. The only time in my life when I went months without taking any form of allergy medicine for any stretch of time was when we lived on the beach in Florida. No trees, no flora, no grass, no achoo. Apparently palm trees, sand, and water aren’t issues for me.

Alas, we missed trees, flowers, cardinals, and actually having money (how anyone can actually afford to live there AND eat is beyond me) – so we returned to Kentucky. It’s a gorgeous state, but for a few months a year, we pretty much try to out sneeze one another. Fortunately I know the way to the allergy medicine aisle at Kroger, so it’s all good. Besides I look good with a red nose.

The biggest drawback is the way allergy medicines knock me off my feet. Sometimes they make me feel almost like a zombie. If it’s the weekend, I just go with it. I ride the couch like the Lone Ranger rode… insert the name of his horse here, I haven’t the foggiest. However, when it’s Monday through Friday, Mode Zombie causes a real problem. I find myself just staring at the keyboard wishing it were a pillow.

About a week ago, I hadn’t gotten much sleep PLUS I was juiced up on allergy meds. I literally fell asleep, slumped over on my desk. Thanks be to God I work from home and my co-worker is a slightly overweight cat who sleeps through the work hours. She thought I’d finally caught on.

I woke up with a killer backache and began the whole process of Operation Wake Up.

As a means of necessity, I’ve hit upon some tactics that are very helpful when it comes to giving yourself a wake up call. Depending upon whether you work from home or not, some of these tips will be applicable to you… others not so much. Also, forgive me for starting with the obvious, but it’s my favorite way to wake up, so here we go!

• COFFEE!  Caffeine is the mother of all wake up calls. Truth be told, even the aroma seems to give you the perk (puntastic) you need.  As extra incentive, did you know that experts say coffee prevents Alzheimer’s Disease?
• TEA.  If, for reasons that completely escape me, you don’t care for coffee, caffeinated tea also pries your eyes open. Like coffee, it’s also good for you.
• MOVE! Movement helps get your blood flowing when all it wants to do is act like a stagnant pond. Again, it depends on whether or not you work away from home or at home – if you do too many gyrations at the office, people will think you’ve completely snapped.  If possible, stand up and do a few jumping jacks, deep knee bends, and windmills.  Also, running in place serves as a great wake up call. If you have the luxury, a quick walk outside does wonders.
• Weird Trick but Effective.  I have no idea where I even first read about this tip, but I recall thinking that the author was bananas. Until, that is, I tried it once. Gently grab the top of each earlobe and slowly (and again gently) pull your ear upward.  I can’t even begin to explain the whys or hows of this one but the bottom line is it works.
• Tap That. Gently use your fingers to tap your scalp – all over it, from front to back.  Again, use discretion if your co-workers are human – they may think you have bugs…. or that you’re nuts.  Worse case scenario, they’ll think you’re an infested nut.
• Fan it.  If you place a fan near you and aim it right at yourself, you’ll get a nice chilly wake up call.  Of course if you grab a cover and get all cozy, you’ll defeat the purpose.  Been there, done that.  The coolness of the breeze blowing on your skin makes sleep the last thing on your mind.
• Fruit.  Eating fruit, like caffeine, provides energy.  If you want to wake up really fast – eat fruit and drink caffeine as a fan blows right on you.
• Listen to 80s music.  I suppose any sort of jumpy music would do, but there’s nothing quite like Janet Jackson, Bon Jovi, Poison, KISS, Madonna, Prince, or any random “hair band” playing to get your mind off of sleep. In no time at all, you’ll be seat dancing and singing along.  A couple of days ago, I was fixing supper and feeling kind of tired after a long day. My youngest daughter was in the next room and began playing songs from the 80′s.  Somewhere between Falco rocking Amadeus and The Gap Band dropping a bomb BaBy, I was more than just awake, I was dancing all over the kitchen.
• Head to the Sink.  If all else fails, playing in cold water always does the trick.  If you’re male or a female who doesn’t wear make-up, by all means, throw water all over your face.  Personally, I don’t pull off the raccoon all that well, so I avoid the face.  I run cold water over the fronts of my hands and over the backs of my wrists.  I also put some cold water on the back of my neck.

Having said all of that, I will add this: If the opportunity presents itself and your body seems convinced that it needs a little nap…. go for it. Sometimes just a 15 minute cat nap is all you need to hit the REFRESH button on your day. 

Credit: The photo at the top of the post (the cat doing her impersonation of me after Benadryl) is courtesy of my biggest online  addiction, I Can Has Cheezburer.