How to Stay Awake and Focused at Work/School

How to Stay Awake and Focused at Work/School.
Coming from a College student who is doing both.

Staying awake after a sleepless night can be extremely difficult. We have all been there when we are running on Empty. I have found a proven system, that I use frequently to keep myself in "the zone" so to speak.


Coffee:
When people first think about a way to stay awake or stay focused in the morning, they immediately think about a nice hot cup of Coffee. The problem I find with coffee is that it prevents or slows down things that you have to accomplish for the day. It is also very relaxing and routine so it isn't likely to have the same affect on you as it did when you first started drinking it.

Energy Drinks:
An energy drink such as a Redbull or other sugary/tourine product is that is only setting you up for temporary energy, you may be able to fly through the couple of letters you had to send out and the spreadsheets you were working on, but about an hour or so after drinking you are in the same boat if not worse than you started out. Energy drinks are more geared towards exercise and sports more so than to sit in an office. You can easily find yourself shaking and becoming "figity" wasting your energy supply even further.

Caffeinated Gum:
Caffeinated Gum has been my savior the past few semesters because as soon as you start chewing it you gradually absorb the caffeine making yourself more productive and consistent over the time period of its effectiveness. These pieces of gum usually contain something like the amount of caffeine in one cup of coffee. I am not one to condone the use of a drug such as Adenohl, but for similar results that I would say is considerably cheaper and safer a Caffeine Gum such as "Ace it" or "Croc Gum". It is become more and more popular and you will see them in your local stores.

Fruit:
The amount of natural sugar in a piece of fruit to start your day is very beneficial to both your health and productivity in the work place. Fruit juices work good too, Pomegranate in both the fruit and juice form will certainly give you that hop in your step needed to grind out all those things you need to get done.


Breakfast:
A light breakfast such as a bowl of cereal or a few eggs is key, Caffeine is only supplemental to the essential building blocks your body needs every day.