If you want to maximize your productivity, try this simple trick

Whether it’s achieving our career goal or being more proactive about one of our passions… Almost everyone is looking for a small productivity boost. While some can find it through meditation, others prefer to read about self-development or listen to podcasts. But a very simple trick could be more effective than the others and consists of… Stop drinking coffee one week a month.

Obviously, this method is only for daily drinkers of latte, frapuccino, americano or espresso, i.e. approximately 70% of the French populationsecond one study of 2021 led by MaxiCoffe. Which is nothing.

Coffee: an ally of productivity?

While drinking coffee can have productivity-boosting effects, its effectiveness depends on another predominant factor: the quality of sleep. When you sleep badly or little, caffeine can sometimes be counterproductive and create a phenomenon of anxiety and tiredness. In any case, this is what psychology professor Robert T Muller told the media. Psychology today. He says :

“Combined with satisfying sleep, caffeine can make you more productive at work. However, when used to compensate for lack of sleep, it actually has the opposite effect.”

But why ? Indeed, Zachary Alti, a therapist, explains that coffee does not directly stimulate our body, but rather interrupts its natural functioning:

” Although caffeine can increase productivity in the short term, regular caffeine consumption can negatively impact productivity in the long term. The body is good at regulating energy and caffeine disrupts this system”

But what to make of this damning observation? Well, the answer is simple: take regular coffee breaks. On average it would be necessary to go without it for a week a month to see the effects on the body.

Coffee: time to take a break!

Daily consumption of coffee leads to adenosine absorption disorder. Product upon awakening, this neurotransmitter inhibits brain function during the day by building up to promote sleep. Then it ends up self-eliminating overnight to start its cycle again the next day.

The problem is that coffee ruins this well-oiled system. If we are initially full of energy, very alert and productive enough, the not-so-dumb brain will start producing more adenosine to allow us to gradually guide ourselves to bedtime. . Result: we are sleepy, not very concentrated and our productivity suffers (normal, we are exhausted).

An accumulation that will have to be made up for by excessive coffee consumption, which is neither recommended for health nor a guarantee of productivity since consuming too much caffeine usually makes us anxious and nervous.

It is precisely in this period, in which the need for caffeine is increasingly regular, that we need to take a break! Not just one day, but rather a week a month! Because 7 days is the time for the adenosine receptors to reverse the balance and return to normal according to this study conducted in 2012.

After this break, the brain will naturally be more awake, more alert, willing, and this is how it will be easier to be more productive and proactive during the day.