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Pretty damn good advice. With regards to exercise and breaks (two of the items in here), I think it is pretty much proven to be beneficial for productivity as

Pretty damn good advice. With regards to exercise and breaks (two of the items in here), I think it is pretty much proven to be beneficial for productivity as well, but just to add my anecdotal success...: I used to hit the gym at around 18-19 in the evening. I would often be tired and the gym would be crowded. Then I switched to going around 13-14, breaking up my day. I found it gave me tremendous energy coming back from the gym to the office - and I would often have new ideas on how to solve, whatever I was working on. So if you have this kind of freedom in planning your workday, I encourage you to try it out - exercise in the middle of the day.

jsonne 9y ago
I actually did the same and it was life changing. Every day I would get tired and become unproductive at 2 or 3 in the afternoon regardless so I moved my gym time to there. I have more energy, I'm happier, I'm faster at the gym because it's empty. Highly recommended if you can make your schedule work with it.
- dawhizkid 9y ago
  Often I have found lunch to be the culprit for feeling tired at 2-3. Once I limited my carb intake during lunch my afternoon slumps stopped.
  - leesec 9y ago
    Second this. It's my anecdotal experience that the trend of people 'feeling tired all the time' in modern American society is a result of the extremely large caloric intake that's become common for most meals.
    - dawhizkid 9y ago
      I'm actually surprised tech companies that provide free food don't actively try to limit carby/sugary offerings. Even things like cereal+milk are just glorified candy bars (nutritionally speaking).
      - cowpewter 9y ago
        I think it comes down to a combination of money and perishability. Healthy food is expensive and perishable. Carby snacks are cheap and have a long shelf life.
    - jsonne 9y ago
      Interesting. I'm actually starting paleo today which is super low carb so I'll report back if that helps also.
ElatedOwl 9y ago
Aside from the gym being less busy, it gives me something to look forward to every day. Being able to thoroughly decompress about halfway through my day has been a huge boost for me.
ryandrake 9y ago
Assuming you’re employed, how do you go to the gym in the middle of the day? By the time you’ve commuted there, changed clothes, worked out, showered, dried off, changed again, and commuted back, you’re well over any lunch break time allotment I’ve ever seen.
- ElatedOwl 9y ago
  For me personally, I get an hour unpaid lunch. I skip the shower. 4 days of the week I lift (one main lift with 2+ minute rest, 4-5 accessories with 1:30 rest) and one day I have enough time to run 3 miles (a little faster than a 9 minute mile). On days I run I wash my face and put on a fresh pair of underwear/socks. Maybe I'm gross but I think the shower is honestly unnecessary.
  - dorfsmay 9y ago
    It really depends on your genes. Some of us sweat a lot as soon as we do any kind of exercises, enough that changing clothes wouldn't be enough. Using water as cold as you'll tolerate helps keep the shower very short though!
- saiya-jin 9y ago
  Having same regime 3-5 times/week. F*ck lunch break, I'll take a good workout any day and I am more than happy eating behind my desk to compensate that. Most lunch breaks anyway consist of empty chat about shallow things, no real long term added value. That way I can end up at 6 (waking up 8:30, starting +-9:00) and have whole evening for myself, while keeping in good shape for weekends and adventures. Edit: it helps to live&work in culture which has long tradition in massive lunch breaks (French/swiss-French in my case). It's vanishing, but still present. Or if your employer is not an idiot and supports regular workouts and staff that isn't just present but also performs.
- klausjensen 9y ago
  I run my own business, and my gym is literally 5 minutes walk away from my office. I have a locker at the gym with a stock of clothes, so I don't have to pack a gym-bag every day (but more like once a week).
40acres 9y ago
I go in the morning. I had to reconfigure my day and make some sacrifices but it's worth it. I wake up at 4:00, work out for about 70 minutes and get to work by 7:00. Starting your day off with a workout is great if you can do it. It's the physical equivalent of making your bed in the morning.

jsonne 9y ago

I actually did the same and it was life changing. Every day I would get tired and become unproductive at 2 or 3 in the afternoon regardless so I moved my gym time to there. I have more energy, I'm happier, I'm faster at the gym because it's empty. Highly recommended if you can make your schedule work with it.

dawhizkid 9y ago
Often I have found lunch to be the culprit for feeling tired at 2-3. Once I limited my carb intake during lunch my afternoon slumps stopped.
- leesec 9y ago
  Second this. It's my anecdotal experience that the trend of people 'feeling tired all the time' in modern American society is a result of the extremely large caloric intake that's become common for most meals.
  - dawhizkid 9y ago
    I'm actually surprised tech companies that provide free food don't actively try to limit carby/sugary offerings. Even things like cereal+milk are just glorified candy bars (nutritionally speaking).
    - cowpewter 9y ago
      I think it comes down to a combination of money and perishability. Healthy food is expensive and perishable. Carby snacks are cheap and have a long shelf life.
  - jsonne 9y ago
    Interesting. I'm actually starting paleo today which is super low carb so I'll report back if that helps also.

ElatedOwl 9y ago

Aside from the gym being less busy, it gives me something to look forward to every day. Being able to thoroughly decompress about halfway through my day has been a huge boost for me.

ryandrake 9y ago

Assuming you’re employed, how do you go to the gym in the middle of the day? By the time you’ve commuted there, changed clothes, worked out, showered, dried off, changed again, and commuted back, you’re well over any lunch break time allotment I’ve ever seen.

ElatedOwl 9y ago
For me personally, I get an hour unpaid lunch. I skip the shower. 4 days of the week I lift (one main lift with 2+ minute rest, 4-5 accessories with 1:30 rest) and one day I have enough time to run 3 miles (a little faster than a 9 minute mile). On days I run I wash my face and put on a fresh pair of underwear/socks. Maybe I'm gross but I think the shower is honestly unnecessary.
- dorfsmay 9y ago
  It really depends on your genes. Some of us sweat a lot as soon as we do any kind of exercises, enough that changing clothes wouldn't be enough. Using water as cold as you'll tolerate helps keep the shower very short though!
saiya-jin 9y ago
Having same regime 3-5 times/week. F*ck lunch break, I'll take a good workout any day and I am more than happy eating behind my desk to compensate that. Most lunch breaks anyway consist of empty chat about shallow things, no real long term added value. That way I can end up at 6 (waking up 8:30, starting +-9:00) and have whole evening for myself, while keeping in good shape for weekends and adventures. Edit: it helps to live&work in culture which has long tradition in massive lunch breaks (French/swiss-French in my case). It's vanishing, but still present. Or if your employer is not an idiot and supports regular workouts and staff that isn't just present but also performs.
klausjensen 9y ago
I run my own business, and my gym is literally 5 minutes walk away from my office. I have a locker at the gym with a stock of clothes, so I don't have to pack a gym-bag every day (but more like once a week).

40acres 9y ago

I go in the morning. I had to reconfigure my day and make some sacrifices but it's worth it. I wake up at 4:00, work out for about 70 minutes and get to work by 7:00. Starting your day off with a workout is great if you can do it. It's the physical equivalent of making your bed in the morning.