by Jared Garrett

Created on: May 08, 2007   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

So you've been tapping the keys all night, finishing the monumental task of a college essay or some other work. Now you have to function for an entire day. If this sounds familiar, you may have a life, just like me! I had to do this several times in my college and work life, particularly as I have been trying to begin my writing career. This is what I do that has helped me function for that long, long day after an all-nighter.

First, I start by doing some kind of deep breathing exercise. For me, this means I do yoga. My goal here is to get tons of oxygen into my system and start my day strong.

The second thing I do in order to start my day with a kick is to eat a good breakfast. I recommend whole grain cereal with a banana and toast, or rice and eggs and toast. Those carbs are going to give you a boost with which you can start your day with oomph!

The next thing I find myself doing is fading at about 11:00 A.M. So in order to counteract this droopiness, I usually go with a diet Rockstar. This stuff won't make me balloon like other sodas, and it actually tastes quite good. I will drink about 8 oz. of this stuff at about eleven o'clock. That gets me through to lunch.

For lunch, I find I need to eat something with good protein to help my body absorb what I will do next and the sugars that the Rockstar has put in my body. So I will go with some beef jerky, a hard-boiled egg, or some cheese. Sometimes I do all of the above! This hearty lunch, combined with plenty of water, keeps me going strong until about 3:00 P.M.

That is when I finish the diet Rockstar. I also take that opportunity to do some stretching and breathing.

Finally, about five o'clock, I roll into my house and the good times with my wife and kids and our dinner keep me going until about 9. At that point, I trundle off to bed.

So remember the following: breathe, Rockstar, protein and more breathing. And it doesn't hurt to have kids around to keep you up!

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