Today I was sitting in a meeting in the afternoon, although the effect I shall describe has happened many times before, including meetings at other times of the day.
I was feeling fit and rested. I was interested in the content being discussed and was keen to make a good impression on those in the meeting. And for some reason, and not for the first time, I could not keep my eyes open. I swear to og I was having REM whilst straining to both keep the appearance of nonchalant interest.
I thought about the reason – glare from the white boardroom table? Dryness from the air conditioning? Lack of blood due to me sitting immobile? Nothing made sense.
But it was an important meeting and I really wanted, no needed, to make a good impression. And I just could not keep my eyes open.
My question(s) to you – does it happen to you, and if so, what are your tips for overcoming it??
It has happened to me - I blame the air conditioning. The trouble is that tiredness, the environment, the conversation pace plus (usually) a lack of direct involvement (no matter how much you try to concentrate) combine to trigger a descent into sleep, and once you hit that road, there is little you can do to stop it. Like with driving, once you approach the microsleep stage (eye rolls), you can only delay the inevitable and you have to stop and sleep, even for a short time. I have notes from my uni days that just trail off into a line across the page (Vectorial Mechanics with the worst lecturer in the world, dry and dull and a prerequisite for stage2 Physics).
If I can, I take a bathroom break, cold water face splash and the aforementioned energy drink. Cool air can help, too. Sometimes if it is just an afternoon slump and not a meeting, I’ll go nap in the car. Half hour out, and I’m back on deck and more productive for the afternoon.
Offer to be the one that makes notes. That forces you to keep track of what is said, gives you something to do (write) and allows you to ask questions.
Coffee helps, too, and taking a lighter then usual lunch, or a lunch with less sugar.
One other suggestion, if it’s possible. (I don’t know how anal your co-workers might be, and some would probably baulk at this suggestion, if they think that one can’t fall asleep in boring meetings without being sick, or suffering from poor sleep.)
Ask if you can stand up for the duration of the meeting. Unless the meeting is going to be rancorous, I don’t think that there should be a problem with the psychological “advantage” that might give you. (Which generally is most effective if people don’t think about it ahead of time, anyways.) If they’ve noticed that you have problems in meetings, it might be welcomed.
Actually, the latest ideas on how to improve efficiency of meetings advocate* all *participants stand, not sit, during a meeting. It offers a great incentive to keep meetings short and to the point.
I can see how that would do well. OTOH, I remember classes in college where the class, and sometimes even the lecturer, took exception to having someone (me) try standing up to take my notes.
One of the many things that the Navy got right in the Nuke program was that classrooms had podia available for students who couldn’t keep awake during the classes. There was no stigma associated with using the podium, some people needed them most of the time, some would use it once in a great while. Either way, it was preferred to having someone miss the class because they were fighting to stay awake.
I can hardly keep my eyes awake in a meeting either. I guess it’s the sitting quietly, the droning tones, etc. What I’ve found is extremely effective is to bring a hair pin or safety pin (it doesn’t need to be at all sharp) and poke myself in the leg with it. Gently. Not to break the skin, obviously, if that’s not clear; not so hard to have to restrain myself from yelling ouch; it’s just enough to jog the sleepiness away somehow. It really works well. I can feel the “perking up” the moment I poke the pin through my pants.
It’s not as weird as it sounds and I’m not doing anything that hurts even a tiny bit, not any more than lightly poking your skin with a pencil hurts.
I’m a chronic doodler in any sit-down meeting, except for those moments when I’m actually speaking. Something about having my focus split like that actually allows me to better focus on what’s being said. (I did the same thing in all of my classes in school.)
I forgot to bring a notebook and pencil to the last three hour required presentation I attended. I was so desperate to stay awake that I resorted to oragami using a nearby pack of post-it notes. Fortunately, I was seated near the back of the room.
None of my coworkers have ever registered an objection, but I would imagine that there are some companies or managers that might have a problem with it.
I do this too, and wonder if folks think it means I’m tuning out. I usually make some comment to prove I am actually following the conversation while doodling!
I wonder about sleep disorder issues too. I know I have mild apnea and I don’t use my machine–I can imagine this affects attention span in meetings.
Personally, I’m extremely sensitive to sugar, especially in the morning. If I don’t have some protein - actually, if I don’t have more protein than carbs - I will fall asleep in a meeting. Or before that, at school.
Some cottage cheese or sausage & eggs would keep me awake all day. A donut or a bowl of sugary cereal would put me right out.
Also I find that if I speak every so often at a meeting (or at school), it helps me stay awake. I don’t know what this means - I like to think it’s “getting more oxygen to my head.” But it definitely helps to speak every so often.
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My suggestion is that you participate actively right from the get-go. Even before the meeting begins, be the one to start the pre-meeting chit-chat. If you’re actively participating, you won’t fall asleep. If someone else is presenting, take notes and ask questions; you won’t fall asleep doing that. True active participation is key.
I used to do this - till the time I dozed off while standing - didn’t hit the ground, but there was a moment of realization.
During a typing test during USAF tech school - I dozed off, had a momentary dream about buying a model kit - awoke to find that i had typed my side of the conversation from the dream - and not any of the parts I was supposed to type (listening thru headphones).
I still have this issue - most of the time about the only real thing I can do is to get ‘really involved’ in the meeting - which at times makes me the ‘jokester’ - other times i just say alot of stupid stuff.
