6 Tips to Stay Awake During Meetings

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It’s your third meeting of the day with at least 4 more before quitting time. They all start melding into one giant day of watching someone at the front of the room talk about margins, supply chain, metrics, etc. You want to bang your head on the oak table, but don’t want to deal with the inevitable headache that would cause. Check out these 5 tips and tricks to pass the time during meetings without letting on that you aren’t paying attention!

Try to name all 50 states in alphabetical order. Yes, incredibly difficult, but that just means it will take you at least one day of meetings to create your list. Added bonus? To anyone presenting, it looks like you are taking notes and are rapt in whatever they are droning on about.
Come up with your Top 5 All-Time Favorite Songs/Movies/Albums. Just like the 50 states, it will look like you are paying attention and taking notes. However, it may backfire as you start humming songs or muttering favorite quotes…
Play Buzzword Bingo. This is best when played with an office buddy. Google “Buzzword Bingo”, pick a bingo card and keep track of the buzzwords said during the meeting. Just be careful not to shout “Bingo!” when you get 5 in a row.
Harass your work buddy. This tip only works when you are in the meeting with your work buddy and the two of you don’t get caught. Make faces at each other, kick each other under the table, play table football. Just don’t get caught by the person holding the meeting or any other coworkers… that could end up with more meetings, these with HR about your future at Company, Inc.
Doodle. A tried and true method from middle school. Be creative, but be sure not to draw anything you wouldn’t want HR to see.
Worse comes to worse – bite your finger or the inside of your mouth… can be incredibly painful, but you are desperate.
The easiest way to make sure you don’t fall asleep in meetings is to get enough sleep the night before, but that is just silly talk, especially since you were in the middle of binge watching the newest season of Orange is the New Black and just could not stop.