Do you fall victim to fatigue while sitting in front of the computer? Back in the days when I worked in an office, I’d fight off afternoon fatigue with a cup of coffee or two. Then I’d come home, have dinner, and put on another pot in order to get that night’s writing done. I found that sitting in the CRT glow for equivalent of two shifts in a row to be a sure-fire route to endless fatigue. I wised up, eventually … figuring out my own way to deal with excessive sleepiness.

To put it simply, I’ve altered my workday (no, make that my life) to deal with the onslaught of fatigue without chemical means.

My days typically run from 7:00 am past midnight. But my working time is anything but continuous. I may squeeze twelve hours of work into a typical day, but I can’t sit in the saddle for four hours at a time, like the old days.

When I get run down (which is darn near every day), I fight fatigue by giving my body exactly what it needs … a nap. (This is truly one of the greatest benefits of self-employment.) A half an hour afternoon power nap is my magic bullet.

And as tempting as it may be, I do my best to avoid all caffeine after lunch time.