Work

Unless you work outdoors or indoors in a job where you are physically active all day, it can be difficult for some people who have desk jobs to stay awake at work without caffeine.

Maybe the most important thing you can do to make sure you don’t nod off at work is to get a good night of sleep, at least 7 to 8 hours, at a regular time every night. Boredom can also cause you to nod off. Other than getting a good night’s sleep and having a fascinating job, there are things you can do to stay awake.

The top job on this list is physician, which pays internists an average of $194,500 a year. And as physicians progress in their careers, they can earn more than that. This job can be stressful and can require long hours, but it is rewarding not just for the money and prestige but because doctors help people.

The next top awesome job, according to U.S. News and World Report, is dentist. Dentists earned an average of $151,850 in 2020. Again, a lot of education and training are needed, but the rewards go beyond monetary because dentists help people a lot.

As we said in this Viter Energy blog [5] about the work-life balance, it's a good idea to simulate your commute to work. You don't have to drive in to work, so instead take a walk around the block just before your workday starts and just after it ends. Send yourself a psychological signal.

And if you can avoid it, do not work after your walk around the block. Don't check work email. Don't answer calls from co-workers unless you really need to talk to them (or they are friends you socialize with).

Clinical psychologist Kelcey Stratton of Michigan Health Blog [6] has some sound advice on finding the right time to work:

If you’re a morning person, try to schedule important work and meetings during the first half of the day. Others may peak with energy in the afternoon. Depending on the type of job you have, try to maximize on these levels as you can.

Staying motivated at work can be a challenge, especially if you have a job that isn’t very interesting or that is downright boring. That said, it’s not necessarily the job one has to do but attitude that drives motivation.

Being motivated makes it easier to get work done, so there is a benefit to it. The root word for motivatecomes from the verb to move, and it means to move to action or impel. It’s not certain that one can feel impelled to do mundane tasks, but simply getting the boring stuff out of the way can be a big inspiration to motivation.