Thank Goodness...A Guest Writer!

Today's blog is featuring a guest writer who has chosen to stay anonymous......lets just say he is a huge Simpsons fans and is good at math!

Lunch and Productivity

I have done some extensive research on this subject. I work in a public accounting office in a downtown setting, so I have no shortage of great places to eat. By great, I mean meals that are hugely portioned and loaded with calories! Don't get me wrong, I get excited on days that I am going out to lunch. Lots of upsides to going out: 1. getting out of the office and away from Mr. or Mrs. Boss to talk about Mr. or Mrs. Boss (Mr. Burns, if you are reading this, only joking) 2. eating the all you can eat pizza or Chinese buffet (sweet and sour chicken is awesome) or a burger n' fries from the weird trailer dude 3. thinking about stuff other than accounting for an entire hour!

But, I have found that the size of my lunch directly correlates with my productivity. if I go out, I get tired and groggy. I end up going to the vending machine for a soft drink because I obviously didn't consume enough calories at lunch - or I end up walking around the office like some zombie trying to wake up. This doesn't even count the $8 spent on lunch.

Lets do some quick math, 8*4 days a week * 45 weeks a year = $1,440. This is enough to pay not only for a decent cell phone bill but a crappy cable package as well!

Back to productivity: So I get to work at 7, and can get about 5 hours of work done before 12 - no problems yet, still a stellar employee. Then comes lunch. I leave around noon, back by one. Still going good. Then comes the 30 minutes of web surfing before the drowsiness hits. Its downhill from here. Now I am getting the soft drink and walking around the office, sitting back in my chair trying not to snore. Now it is 2:30. Still only 5 hours of work done. Finally, I'm back to it. Tired, but awake - watching the clock. 2.5 hours to go. Maybe get 1.5 hours of productivity out of the deal - not feeling too good about it. Congrats to me! 6.5 hours of work out of a 10 hour work day. Well, at least in our society, that would give you a B+ for effort.

Now, what if I pack a ham sandwich and an apple? Get to work at 7, by noon have 5 hours of work done. May hang out in the break room for 20 minutes and catch up on some sports trivia and eat my lunch or even better go walk around downtown for 30 minutes. Now I'm feeling good and have another 3.5 hours of work in me. So, I get 8.5 hours of work in for the day. Plus, I didn't consume 600 extra Calories - if you think that sounds high, its not. Do some research and you will be surprised! (Plus plus, I'm not the guy walking around the office looking like he is on drugs, half asleep)

What a difference a lunch can make. You can be more productive, eat fewer Calories, and have more energy thought the entire day! Of course, there are plenty of lighter options you can choose when you eat out, you just have to look for them. And if you are like me, you rarely do. So, just try to keep everything in moderation!

Happy Lunching!