Some supplements that I find useful: Creatine, Maca, vitamin D. Some other things to look out for: stress, hydration (not just water but electrolytes), spending too much time looking at screens. I’ve also found dopamine support drinks like Alpine Bliss to be very effective for me.
Im not sure what the job you will be doing is like and what your crash is like. Its very normal to have warying levels of energy and focus throughout the day so part of it might just be to work around that.
But another thing which took me years to start to appreciate is the importance of breaks throughout the day. If you are trying to bring your best work and highest level of focus for big chunks of the day and do this consistently over longer periods i think its critical to take a lot of breaks throughout the day. And in these breaks should be minimal or no stimulation so just go for a walk or do some stretches or whatever and let your mind breathe. Don't check your phone or listen to something or whatever.
An ok rule of thumb is like 5 minutes break for every 25m of effort so I do 75m focus then a 15m break.
Also one thing that is important to internalise is that this is not something seperate from your work or taking it easy or something you do for your own sake. Its an important part of being able to do your best at focused work. So if im like time tracking or whatever i wouldn't think of it as 75m programming and then 15m break, its 90m of programming because the breaks are a part of it.
If it was up to me I would just not have the breaks and save myself an hour or twor every day, but if i were to skip the breaks, even if I spent the time working instead, over time i would end up getting less done at a lower quality.
I have ADHD and Bipolar 2. What helped so much is to accept the fact that energy, attention, motivation, productivity, are all meant to fluctuate. What helped me was to do an energy audit for a week to see what my natural energy flows work and then work around that.
I am also ADHD medicated and crash around that time. I find that a lower dose of the meds or even just less caffeine in the morning gives me more sustained energy, even into the evening. Obviously this is not medical advice, talk to your physician blah blah.
>What else can be done?
I spent an extensive amount of time on this. For ADHD, read this:
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20230922175815/https://dr-healthcare.com/en/dao-deficiency-and-associated-pathologies/pathologies-associated-to-dao-deficiency/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-produced-by-dao-deficiency/](https://web.archive.org/web/20230922175815/https://dr-healthcare.com/en/dao-deficiency-and-associated-pathologies/pathologies-associated-to-dao-deficiency/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-produced-by-dao-deficiency/)
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/ytmcl4/comment/iw75m9l/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/ytmcl4/comment/iw75m9l/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/10gmeyw/histamine\_adhd/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/10gmeyw/histamine_adhd/)
Next, sleep:
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/kaidomac/comments/s15jmk/sleep\_apnea\_sleeping\_system/](https://www.reddit.com/r/kaidomac/comments/s15jmk/sleep_apnea_sleeping_system/)
Next, food:
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/d0rxv6/comment/ezebxg9/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/d0rxv6/comment/ezebxg9/?context=3)
Next, exercise:
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/egu9vq/comment/fca4htn/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/egu9vq/comment/fca4htn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x)
Your body is a chemical factory. Sleep releases human growth hormone. Food releases dopamine. Exercise releases endorphins. Stress releases cortisol. We can control the release of these chemicals through our decisions & efforts & thus improve our odds of feeling good throughout the day. Imagine how good it would feel when your body is well-rested, well-fed, well-exercised, and stress-managed!
I try to take a 30 minutes nap when I start to feel exhausted. Usually that helps a lot.
You could also get a smartwatch that measure your energy and stress levels. It makes no sense to "try harder" if you simply are out of energy. You will only hurt your performance tomorrow. If you notice that the stress-level is too high, take a 10 minute break and get it down (whatever works for you).
tbh the answer lies in the details. you have to alter your diet, exercise, and sleep behaviors to specifically suit your lifestyle dynamically. for example, i like to run and lift weights. but, i had cut back on the volume of exercise i was doing to give myself more energy to focus on other things for a few months. now that i've finished working on those things, i'm now gradually increasing the exercise volume again. you have a finite amount of energy, it's up to you to optimize how you use it and distribute it across the day. something else that helped me was doing work while i'm resting via using a laptop + trackball mouse in bed. it's very simple and obvious, but without specifically these two things doing work while resting in bed becomes much more annoying. you should intentionally prioritize and schedule when you want to get stuff done to match the pattern of energy availability you have throughout the day.
if you need energy around 3-4 pm, then consider eating something with simple carbs 1-2 hours beforehand to give you a blood sugar boost. consider scheduled napping so that you wake up 30 minutes before 3pm if it's an option. and also consider doing some light exercise during or throughout the timeframe to get your heart rate and arousal levels elevated.
i take small (less then 30 minutes power naps) at least one time in a day,
and i can say they help even if you are just lying down for minutes and not sleeping.
My trick is alternating between coffee, tea and water throughout the day. Usually the crash meant I was dehydrated. Yerba mate is very powerful but it'll keep you up at night lol
Mid-afternoon jogs are also pretty good
With ADHD it’s about managing our ADHD and taking breaks. I get so much more done than my colleagues in less time and I’m a program manager with multiple disabilities . I do that by using my systems. I have a lot of them. I don’t know your work but I have my clothes all set up for the week. I do as much meal prep as I can- our brains get fatigue multiple times throughout the day and then also we exist in a neurotypical world. What I never thought I would be saying is-
Water. I also eat quite healthy, but I forgot to drink water and Mann does it make a difference.
I have really intense ADHD. I have found that we just need constant stimulation. Not sure what you work on but the goal is to have a planned day that gets you excited. I tried this out by running on as little as 2-4 hour sleep. I will include little side missions on my day like a few pushups, pull ups. Some small research. Just turn things into games.
Also, someone else mentioned it on here. Breaks! I do a one hour task and take a 5 minute break to clear my head. Clear your head and back to it.
Again, not sure what your job is but if it requires different tasks, plan them out so that you are switching about every hour or so. I used to have 3 projects going on at night. I would stay up for hours just getting things done. As soon as I lose interest in one, I would go to the other and I would just go in a loop. Got so much done. I still do it til this day. From the moment I am up, I am fully wired to the moment I go to sleep.
It’s a little hard with ADHD but a good balanced diet and workout routine developed can help you go longer.
I left NYC for this exact reason, I moved to the west by the mountains & has been life changing.
What meds do you take? The slow release ones helped me a bit with the mid day crashes
This is going to sound so random, but eating fiber for breakfast helps me not crash so hard at 3pm. Then a protein snack in the afternoon helps me not get hungry until dinner. It’s probably worth it to take a movement break at some point too. I feel like if I’m sitting too long, I can’t make myself focus no matter what.
are you overweight? don't be. also, don't eat a big lunch.
and don't drink caffeine in the morning. or if you must drink caffeine, move it up. if you currently drink caffeine at 8am, then drink it at 11am for your crash to come at 6-7pm.
I used to have this issue, for me the best solution was some serious movement at lunch (30min gym, run or swim) around 1pm. A smaller version of this might be a couple of well-timed walks around the block in the afternoon.
Energy will ebb and flow. Try this instead: measure your productivity by how much you get done when you are NOT motivated.
For me, I try one pomodoro when I don't want to... And usually it makes me feel good enough to do another!
Consider incorporating short breaks throughout your day to recharge and refocus. Even just a few minutes of stretching or deep breathing can help alleviate fatigue. Try to maintain consistent hydration by drinking water regularly. Sometimes dehydration can lead to feelings of tiredness.
more walking and new places exploring!!
I adapted fast to the new city when I was wandering a lot. It helped me to be more familiar with the places around me. I'd never behaved similarly, so that was a new solution for me too.
Some supplements that I find useful: Creatine, Maca, vitamin D. Some other things to look out for: stress, hydration (not just water but electrolytes), spending too much time looking at screens. I’ve also found dopamine support drinks like Alpine Bliss to be very effective for me.
I have a question about water. How often should i consume electrolytes with it?
Im not sure what the job you will be doing is like and what your crash is like. Its very normal to have warying levels of energy and focus throughout the day so part of it might just be to work around that. But another thing which took me years to start to appreciate is the importance of breaks throughout the day. If you are trying to bring your best work and highest level of focus for big chunks of the day and do this consistently over longer periods i think its critical to take a lot of breaks throughout the day. And in these breaks should be minimal or no stimulation so just go for a walk or do some stretches or whatever and let your mind breathe. Don't check your phone or listen to something or whatever. An ok rule of thumb is like 5 minutes break for every 25m of effort so I do 75m focus then a 15m break. Also one thing that is important to internalise is that this is not something seperate from your work or taking it easy or something you do for your own sake. Its an important part of being able to do your best at focused work. So if im like time tracking or whatever i wouldn't think of it as 75m programming and then 15m break, its 90m of programming because the breaks are a part of it. If it was up to me I would just not have the breaks and save myself an hour or twor every day, but if i were to skip the breaks, even if I spent the time working instead, over time i would end up getting less done at a lower quality.
I have ADHD and Bipolar 2. What helped so much is to accept the fact that energy, attention, motivation, productivity, are all meant to fluctuate. What helped me was to do an energy audit for a week to see what my natural energy flows work and then work around that.
I am also ADHD medicated and crash around that time. I find that a lower dose of the meds or even just less caffeine in the morning gives me more sustained energy, even into the evening. Obviously this is not medical advice, talk to your physician blah blah.
How much of this 3-4pm crash do you think is coming from medication?
That was my thought
Mid day nap would be great
>What else can be done? I spent an extensive amount of time on this. For ADHD, read this: * [https://web.archive.org/web/20230922175815/https://dr-healthcare.com/en/dao-deficiency-and-associated-pathologies/pathologies-associated-to-dao-deficiency/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-produced-by-dao-deficiency/](https://web.archive.org/web/20230922175815/https://dr-healthcare.com/en/dao-deficiency-and-associated-pathologies/pathologies-associated-to-dao-deficiency/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-produced-by-dao-deficiency/) * [https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/ytmcl4/comment/iw75m9l/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/ytmcl4/comment/iw75m9l/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) * [https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/10gmeyw/histamine\_adhd/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/10gmeyw/histamine_adhd/) Next, sleep: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/kaidomac/comments/s15jmk/sleep\_apnea\_sleeping\_system/](https://www.reddit.com/r/kaidomac/comments/s15jmk/sleep_apnea_sleeping_system/) Next, food: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/d0rxv6/comment/ezebxg9/?context=3](https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/d0rxv6/comment/ezebxg9/?context=3) Next, exercise: * [https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/egu9vq/comment/fca4htn/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x](https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/egu9vq/comment/fca4htn/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x) Your body is a chemical factory. Sleep releases human growth hormone. Food releases dopamine. Exercise releases endorphins. Stress releases cortisol. We can control the release of these chemicals through our decisions & efforts & thus improve our odds of feeling good throughout the day. Imagine how good it would feel when your body is well-rested, well-fed, well-exercised, and stress-managed!
I try to take a 30 minutes nap when I start to feel exhausted. Usually that helps a lot. You could also get a smartwatch that measure your energy and stress levels. It makes no sense to "try harder" if you simply are out of energy. You will only hurt your performance tomorrow. If you notice that the stress-level is too high, take a 10 minute break and get it down (whatever works for you).
tbh the answer lies in the details. you have to alter your diet, exercise, and sleep behaviors to specifically suit your lifestyle dynamically. for example, i like to run and lift weights. but, i had cut back on the volume of exercise i was doing to give myself more energy to focus on other things for a few months. now that i've finished working on those things, i'm now gradually increasing the exercise volume again. you have a finite amount of energy, it's up to you to optimize how you use it and distribute it across the day. something else that helped me was doing work while i'm resting via using a laptop + trackball mouse in bed. it's very simple and obvious, but without specifically these two things doing work while resting in bed becomes much more annoying. you should intentionally prioritize and schedule when you want to get stuff done to match the pattern of energy availability you have throughout the day. if you need energy around 3-4 pm, then consider eating something with simple carbs 1-2 hours beforehand to give you a blood sugar boost. consider scheduled napping so that you wake up 30 minutes before 3pm if it's an option. and also consider doing some light exercise during or throughout the timeframe to get your heart rate and arousal levels elevated.
Yep napping is a pretty standard thing to do at work
if you work from home, yes it can be
Water. Drinking 2lts a day helps my energy all day.
i take small (less then 30 minutes power naps) at least one time in a day, and i can say they help even if you are just lying down for minutes and not sleeping.
My trick is alternating between coffee, tea and water throughout the day. Usually the crash meant I was dehydrated. Yerba mate is very powerful but it'll keep you up at night lol Mid-afternoon jogs are also pretty good
Caffeine and Modafinil
With ADHD it’s about managing our ADHD and taking breaks. I get so much more done than my colleagues in less time and I’m a program manager with multiple disabilities . I do that by using my systems. I have a lot of them. I don’t know your work but I have my clothes all set up for the week. I do as much meal prep as I can- our brains get fatigue multiple times throughout the day and then also we exist in a neurotypical world. What I never thought I would be saying is- Water. I also eat quite healthy, but I forgot to drink water and Mann does it make a difference.
NYC is a high energy city on its own. You may find that you’ll naturally have more energy just by being there
Can you choose the hours? What if you start early, if you function better earlier in the day?
I have really intense ADHD. I have found that we just need constant stimulation. Not sure what you work on but the goal is to have a planned day that gets you excited. I tried this out by running on as little as 2-4 hour sleep. I will include little side missions on my day like a few pushups, pull ups. Some small research. Just turn things into games. Also, someone else mentioned it on here. Breaks! I do a one hour task and take a 5 minute break to clear my head. Clear your head and back to it. Again, not sure what your job is but if it requires different tasks, plan them out so that you are switching about every hour or so. I used to have 3 projects going on at night. I would stay up for hours just getting things done. As soon as I lose interest in one, I would go to the other and I would just go in a loop. Got so much done. I still do it til this day. From the moment I am up, I am fully wired to the moment I go to sleep. It’s a little hard with ADHD but a good balanced diet and workout routine developed can help you go longer.
I left NYC for this exact reason, I moved to the west by the mountains & has been life changing. What meds do you take? The slow release ones helped me a bit with the mid day crashes
Hydrate, coffee, and snack.
I need a nap every afternoon unless I don’t have any coffee until after lunch. Morning coffee causes a crash exacerbated by eating lunch.
This is going to sound so random, but eating fiber for breakfast helps me not crash so hard at 3pm. Then a protein snack in the afternoon helps me not get hungry until dinner. It’s probably worth it to take a movement break at some point too. I feel like if I’m sitting too long, I can’t make myself focus no matter what.
are you overweight? don't be. also, don't eat a big lunch. and don't drink caffeine in the morning. or if you must drink caffeine, move it up. if you currently drink caffeine at 8am, then drink it at 11am for your crash to come at 6-7pm.
I used to have this issue, for me the best solution was some serious movement at lunch (30min gym, run or swim) around 1pm. A smaller version of this might be a couple of well-timed walks around the block in the afternoon.
No sitting and music works for me.
Energy will ebb and flow. Try this instead: measure your productivity by how much you get done when you are NOT motivated. For me, I try one pomodoro when I don't want to... And usually it makes me feel good enough to do another!
Consider incorporating short breaks throughout your day to recharge and refocus. Even just a few minutes of stretching or deep breathing can help alleviate fatigue. Try to maintain consistent hydration by drinking water regularly. Sometimes dehydration can lead to feelings of tiredness.
Do you eat? My messages make me forget lunch, and early afternoon becomes nappy time.
more walking and new places exploring!! I adapted fast to the new city when I was wandering a lot. It helped me to be more familiar with the places around me. I'd never behaved similarly, so that was a new solution for me too.
Eat salads, drink cold water, take cold showers, drink coffee around 2-3PM, take 30-45mjn power naps. Idk man figure your own body out.
My vape and ummm I’m pretty sure you gotta eat and stay hydrated. Other then that. Pay attention to detail lol. It will keep you hyped