Most workdays are pretty reasonable. You answer emails. You finish your deliverables. At the end of the day, your sanity’s intact. Then there are the heavy days. You might have an early call before your brain’s booted up. Or spend hours crunching numbers on a huge spreadsheet. 

Those mentally heavy days can take a toll on you. Your eyes get tired from the bright laptop screen. Your shoulders creep toward your ears. Your mind feels like it’s going crazy. You still have work to finish, though. But while you do it, make it easy for yourself. Here’s how to lock in through a jam-packed workday while giving your mind and body support.

Group similar tasks together

Your brain gets tired faster when it switches gears too often. You answer an email. Then, you jump to a spreadsheet. Then, you stop to write a report. Before you know it, you’ve spent more energy changing tasks than doing them. 

Grouping similar work makes it easier to manage. Set aside blocks for work that uses the same type of thinking. Answer emails together. Handle admin work in one batch. Do writing tasks in one go. This reduces constant mental switching. It puts you at a good pace and boosts productivity.

Do the hardest tasks first

Some work asks for serious brainpower. Like crunching numbers. Or conceptualizing the company’s next big project. Leaving that work until late afternoon can make it feel heavier. That’s because your energy has already taken a hit.

Tackle the hardest tasks first. Use your fresh morning hours for work that needs careful thinking. Save routine emails or simpler admin jobs for later. This can give you better concentration when the work actually needs it. By lunchtime, the day’s biggest hurdles are already behind you.

Give your eyes a break from the screen

A screen-heavy day can be a lot on your eyes. Staring at a monitor for hours can leave them dry or strained.

Build short screen breaks into your workday. Look away from your monitor for a while. Focus on something across the room. During longer breaks, step away from the screen completely. This gives your eyes a chance to rest. That can make the next stretch of screen time more bearable.

Sip water throughout the day

When the day is extra hectic, you might forget to drink water. But your body needs hydration to function. Dehydration can contribute to headaches and difficulty staying mentally sharp. Those make a demanding workday even heavier.

Keep a water bottle at your desk. Ideally, one with a straw for easy sips. Take regular sips as you work. Don’t wait until you’re very thirsty. Refill it during breaks. If plain water feels boring, add some lemon or cucumber slices for extra flavour. The zestiness wakes you up a bit, too!

Take breaks between meetings

Back-to-back meetings can be a lot. You finish one call. Then, you immediately click into another. There’s barely enough time to remember what the first meeting was about. Let alone prepare for the next one.

When you have control over your calendar, take breaks between meetings. Take quiet breaths for five minutes. Let your social battery recharge. Review your notes from the meeting that just wrapped. Avoid filling every gap with another task. That little pocket of space helps you enter the next meeting with a clearer head.

Munch on brain-friendly snacks

Long stretches between meals can make a busy day harder to handle. Your stomach starts growling right when you need to finish a task. Reaching for nearby candy can help for a minute or two. Then, you end up wanting a more filling snack soon after.

Keep convenient options at your desk. Look for snacks with protein, healthy fats, and fibre. These support steady energy, which is useful when your brain has to stay busy for hours. Trail mix snack packs can be handy for this. They’re easy to stash in a drawer and grab between tasks. That way, you’re fuelled until your next proper meal.

Have a proper off switch

A long workday follows you home if there’s no clear ending. Sure, you close the laptop. But keep thinking about the unfinished report. Then, you check one more email. Then, another. Your workday grows something of a sequel.

Give yourself a clear stopping point. Finish the last task you can reasonably handle. Write down anything that needs attention tomorrow. Then, close every work app. Call it a night and step away from the workspace. 

A strict end-of-day ritual helps separate work time from personal time. You may also wake up feeling more motivated tomorrow because you let yourself recharge thoroughly today.

Takeaway

A packed workday asks a lot from you. It’s physically and mentally demanding. But you can’t just ignore work. So, follow the tips above to support yourself even with the heavy load. Give your eyes a break from that laptop screen. Make time for lunch instead of eating over your keyboard. Fuel your body with yummy, healthy snacks. 

These habits can help you stay sharper. You may finish the day with more energy left in the tank. A jam-packed day may take your calendar hostage. But it doesn’t have to take your whole nervous system with it.

Amelia Hart, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.