Afternoon wake-up call: 2:55 p.m. least productive time of day

ORLANDO, Fla. – A poll of 400 workers found 2:55 p.m. to be the least productive time of the workday.

It’s a little after lunch, but not exactly quitting time yet.

Here are some things you can do to get your productive juices flowing -- even at 2:55.

There’s a lot of work to be done after lunch, but not enough energy to do it. So what can you do to get over that sluggish slump?

Try a little peppermint oil. A study in Ohio found that smelling peppermint oil enhanced alertness, focus and concentration. Another thing that’s useful, a rosemary plant. An English study found that the smell of rosemary can boost memory and alertness.

If smells are not your thing. Try some mindless tasks, like cleaning out your desk drawers or email inbox. It will allow you to have more energy by making you feel like you accomplished something visible.

And food is always a good motivator for productivity, so chew some gum to combat daytime sleepiness.

Then there’s good old-fashioned water. A study from Tufts University found that even mild dehydration was associated with fatigue. So drink up to stay up. 

In a poll of 2,000 full-time office workers, it was found that workers were only really productive about three hours of the workday. The top three things interfering with productivity are browsing the web, social media and office chitchat.