I just saw someone walk in here with a big ol' cup of coffee and a bagel. A jalapeño bagel. And a big cup of coffee. Damn, dude, throw some funyuns in there and have a smoke later, and you'll have the worst breath in recorded history.
OK, so we have this departmental meeting today. This might surprise you, but I totally take detailed notes in these meetings now. Is it because they're interesting? Is it because what's being discussed directly affects me at work? No, and no.
Why the notes, then? Because dammit, if I didn't force myself to do something, I'd be Zzzzz'awing in every meeting, in five minutes flat.
Quick, before my meeting starts... are there any other good stay-awake techniques I should know of?
Posted by mikey at 07:51 AM.
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Ugggh... meetings. It sometimes seems like that's all my days are.
I practice my ninja pen twirling tecniques and try to figure out neat new ways to mask my yawns.
Sometimes I'll write a word on my notebook and try to see how many words I can make from it.
Posted by
Macca on 07/26 at 08:09 AM
Poke yourself repeatedly in the thigh with a sharp object. See how hard you can stick yourself without tearing a hole in your clothes or causing bleeding. That'll keep you awake.
Posted by
Keith on 07/26 at 08:35 AM
there's always meeting bingo. you select words that are commonly used during meetings ie. paradigm, collaboration, brainstorm etc. and make a bingo board out of it. share and enjoy! :D just don't get caught.
Posted by
p on 07/26 at 09:02 AM
Sudafed, man. I hate recommending drugs, but that shits just works.
Also if people see you take it you look like a trooper for coming into work when you're sick. And some lapses might be forgiven.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/26 at 09:03 AM
I have the
same problem as you. If the speaker is sitting, try sitting right next to him/her. They are usually looking in front of them rather than right next to him. You can catch a couple of more z's that way.
Posted by
JonasParker on 07/26 at 09:13 AM
Add Corn Nuts to that list.
Posted by
kirstin on 07/26 at 10:47 AM
Corn nuts must make wearing fashionable shorts very difficult.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 07/26 at 10:54 AM
Yes, what p said! If you have a partner in crime you can play buzzword bingo. Here's a link to random printable bingo card.
http://isd.usc.edu/~karl/Bingo/
Posted by
danelle on 07/26 at 11:57 AM
I hate to admit that I do this, but it works.
In your head, divide the room into two groups by alternating picks for the two teams. Then imagine that the two groups got into a heated argument about something in a meeting and they started a fist fight.
Which group would win? Who would be MVP? Who would be the first to die? Who would fight the dirtiest? Which team would you rather be on?
Juvenile? Yes. And quite effective.
Posted by
Maine on 07/26 at 12:05 PM
just sat through one of those boring meetings on like 2 hours of sleep. i stabbed my hand with the sharp pointy lid of my ink pen...it worked pretty good. just remember to not flinch or make a weird, pained face.
Posted by
lacroix on 07/26 at 02:05 PM
during class, I used to pinch my legs to help me stay awake. you can also flex your butt muscles, but that doesn't work for long. other techniques include slapping your face, but you have to be stoned in order to convince yourself that no one else will notice.
otherwise, I just write down whatever I can. The notes don't have to be about the meeting (unless you really need to pay attn). your writing just has to keep you awake. maybe you could write some random blog posts. just make sure you're not writing faster than the speaker talks
Posted by
Leah on 07/26 at 04:12 PM
