Foo - What do you guys do to stay awake in meetings?

I have a problem staying awake during meetings! It sucks! I can get a full night's sleep but if the topic is boring, as most are, I'm a bobble head doll with my head bouncing up and down trying to stay awake.

Short of drinking coffee and/or red bull are there any tricks you use to stay awake?

I have a three day, all-day training class over the next 3 days and I'm afraid I'm gonna fall asleep.

Please HHEEELLLLPPPP!!

Thanks!
Gary

Oh boy am I not the one to ask. Even as a kid (I was always on the go, just as I am now), didn't matter how much sleep, etc - I used to dread going into my FIRST period class and seeing ye old movie set-up - ugh. I'd be good for 10 minutes, then as the fact of sitting - and relaxing started to creep in - and the eventual nod - I did everything I could: bounce foot, shuffle in the seat - doodle (you should have seen some of my college notepads - full pages of doodles (course I was an art student) -some pages full of pictures just made of dots! College courses at night were the worst. Went in with the most biggest mega coffee possible - and then IT set in. Didn't help matters much when in two classes this one guy always leaned over backwards - snoring.

Only way out of those long meetings I found was to really participate as much as possible and hit the caffeine. All I could think of for me was the fact that I'm so much on the go that as soon as I sit and ... relax - IT takes over. :( Caffeine and doodling, that's the ticket. ;)

Oh yeah, and getting up and moving around (bathroom time) does seem to help. For some reason if I can overcome that one time span where I cannot help my nodding that helps and the moving around, getting another cup of coffee really seems to help for the rest of the day. Good luck!

Take notes. And try to write out three good questions to ask at the end. Staying actively engaged helps. Passive engagement is too much like watching a droning television, and we all know how easy it is to fall asleep on the sofa....

Worst case, you can use your notes to tell Foo how absolutely boring the meeting/training was! :D

Sorry Gary, you're screwed. :p

Quit your job? ;)

If you can find any way to control it, lower the temp so its kinda cold. It doesn't guarantee, but it helps.

Give in! Fall asleep! Snore loudly! It will be good for you, and it will let the people on the other end know that the call has gone on far too long and dully!

http://static.flickr.com/5/8880214_6a34db8cad.jpg

Meth and acid is a good idea....(please don't, really.....last thing everyone needs is a super-amped up person that's seeing sounds and feeling colors while the sky grooms the grass and the dog biscuits are singing showtunes to the orange cows).

I just fidget like mad....I'm a fidgeter by nature, and so long as either my heart rate is up or my mind is grinding about something constructive, I won't fall asleep.

If it's a phone meeting, I'll just mute it and make up really strange songs.

One I made today, it sucks, but what do you expect when sitting through a 2 hour phone meeting...shakespeare?:

People in their cubes, exchanging meetings
wandering in their inbox
what were the chances we'd be sharing views
before the day was through

something in your invite so disturbing
something in your email so offending
something in my heart
said I must delete youuuuuu

people in their cubes, two pissed off people
we were strangers in their cubes
up to the moment
when we sent our first chain email
little did we know
spite was just a :CC away
a foul dept email away and...

doobie dooby doo, da doo da doo be
....blah blah blahb blah

Ever since that day we worked together
antagonists at first sight, in strife forever
It turned out so blue
for people in their cubes

I take the Swiss Army knife out of my pocket and jab the corkscrew into the ham of my ham. Not enough to break the skin, just enough to hurt.

car/house keys in back pocket of trousers works for me

george

I take notes.

Your supposed to stay awake? I thought those were paid nap times. :D

http://static.flickr.com/5/8880214_6a34db8cad.jpg

BWAHAHAHAH - is that before the meeting or during "lunch" break?

I'm a pontificating loquacious talkaholic.


I stay awake by being over engrossed in the meeting.


I am the one that is boring you all to death with my 20 minute monolouges.

I'm a pontificating loquacious talkaholic.


I stay awake by being over engrossed in the meeting.


I am the one that is boring you all to death with my 20 minute monolouges.


hehe, are you sure you're not one of the peeps on the board of directors with me in my club? I put coffee in a disposable water bottle (no way to get that stuff/taste outta a non-nalgene container) and then I run out during mid-dissertation.... :D

I take notes about other things that are more interesting.

I take notes about other things that are more interesting.
dude i thought your name was methamphetamine at first glance... and that would answer the OP. least, that's what i would recommend for guaranteed consciousness during a meeting. copious amounts of crystal meth.

What's this "meeting" thing you speak of?

I don't, I just wear these...

http://www.davearcher.com/G-EyeSprung.jpg

I'm a pontificating loquacious talkaholic.
I stay awake by being over engrossed in the meeting.
I am the one that is boring you all to death with my 20 minute monolouges.

:roflmao: That's funny Serendipper- I have at least one student like you in every single class I've taught. You know, the one because of whom, a bunch of students form a committee to come up to me after class to talk about "that problem." That's OK, though- it keeps everyone awake, even if only from anger! :p

I don't, I just wear these...

http://www.davearcher.com/G-EyeSprung.jpg


Meanwhile keeping everyone else in the meeting wide awake :D

In class when it's boring, sometimes I just zone out, stare at something, not really think about anything, and keep still..but keeping still is a freebie with it, because when you zone out, you'll just be vegging and not even know.

Another thing I do is to imagine me in a big ol' freeride bike, riding on ramps around the room, and how will I be able to jump from the desk, to the moving computer tray, to the ledge where the markers go.

I also imagine my classroom and school is a battle field, and nvm.

I can't be the ONLY one who deals with boring meetings by thinking about sex, can I? I mean, honestly, 95% of the time I'm very engaged in meetings...I don't have a hard time being a supportive, interested party, generally.

But when I am stuck in someone else's meeting, say, where I'm only needed for 10 minutes of it and then the rest has nothing to do with me but I can't escape...well, then, what could possibly be more interesting to think about? Reliving memories of sex that already did happen, or pondering the possibilities of sex that could happen, or coming up with new ideas for sex that definitely WILL happen... whee. WAY better than taking notes. :D

BWAHAHAHAH - is that before the meeting or during "lunch" break?
One before, one for lunch. Nothing exceeds like excess. :D

Ok not to sound like a pervert but I zone out, stare at my paper, or out the window, and think about sex too. Sometimes I'll stare at a coworker and think about it.

Otherwise I'd find an activity to occupy my time with. One time I hollowed out a bagel and put it back on the tray.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/9192/photo011207002od0.jpg

You could label those as "Low Carb" and sell them to the Atkins crowd. You'd be rich!

Fill them with seks stuff and sell them as low-carb, hi-protien. :D

That's what coffee is for. Drink as much as you can before the meeting. It's actually not the caffeine, the pressure on your bladder will keep you awake. You still won't be able to focus on the meeting, however I can guarantee that you won't fall asleep. Another method I like to use is repeatedly stabbing your hand with a pen when you find yourself nodding off. This is to be used as a last resort.

If it is a boring meeting no matter how much sleep I have had I will start nodding off. At that point I tend to make an excuse and leave it. If I can not leave I either start daydreaming about something I find exciting or use the good old method of pinching the crap out of my arm (something I learned in church. It was either draw some blood or get the beating of my life from my father).
Occasionally, I give up and nod off. Thank goodness I tend to average one meeting a month lately.

bf, the way the meeting is set, Im behind my screan and can peak at bf, other then that, if that doesnt work, I just go in my own world and create stories with the people standing in front of me, hehe

A lesson learned from David Rakoff that really works. Clasp your hands together in your lap, and in one of your palms gently trace out the words "I Hate You" over and over again. This will give you a serene look, and make it seem as if you are listening and interested.

Promise an award if you can stay awake. Back in my Army days several guys would pass out during each ceremonial formation. It got so the hospital kept an ambulance and stretcher crew back there. We were a non-combat base and some of the guys were not fit enough to stand for an hour. The guys who thought they couldn't hack it stayed in the back row as a courtesy to the stretcher bearers. Then our CO offered a beer party if we all made it through the next event. Bingo, we made it. After that the CO knew we could do it and nailed anyone who "fainted".

A lesson learned from David Rakoff that really works. Clasp your hands together in your lap, and in one of your palms gently trace out the words "I Hate You" over and over again. This will give you a serene look, and make it seem as if you are listening and interested.

Uh, that only looks like you're wanking it.

I have a problem staying awake during meetings! It sucks! I can get a full night's sleep but if the topic is boring, as most are, I'm a bobble head doll with my head bouncing up and down trying to stay awake.

Short of drinking coffee and/or red bull are there any tricks you use to stay awake?

I have a three day, all-day training class over the next 3 days and I'm afraid I'm gonna fall asleep.

Please HHEEELLLLPPPP!!

Thanks!
Gary
Wireless bluetooth headset playing music from a music phone with bluetooth!

grab the inner part of your thigh (either one), about 6 inches below your sack, and pinch the hell out of it until it hurts. two or three times and i'm good for an entire one hour meeting.

The sucky part is that I'll be going with my coworker who never falls asleep and is kind of a goodie-two-shoes. So I can't mess around too much. I can't even take a laptop to play with. At th eend there is a test as well! So I guess I'll be doodling, drinking coffee of some sort, then stabbing my hand with a pen, thinking of sex with people in the room, giggling thinking about the farting preacher and then pinching my inner thigh until it hurts and then thinking more about sex! Maybe not necessarily in that order... And if that doesn't work I'll snort a big fat line of coke! Sweeeettt!!!

I'd do the bluetooth thing but I don't have one yet and my wife washed and dried the earphones that came with my phone. The washing was probably okay... but the drying melted it all together into a clump of plastic!

Thanks everyone! I have three days of this so I may return a bit battered, high from caffeine and drugs and fired from my job! haha!

I guess I'll try the coffee thing first...

But seriously... thanks for the suggestions!

Ok not to sound like a pervert but I zone out, stare at my paper, or out the window, and think about sex too. Sometimes I'll stare at a coworker and think about it.

Otherwise I'd find an activity to occupy my time with. One time I hollowed out a bagel and put it back on the tray.
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/9192/photo011207002od0.jpg

That's a friggin' classic! I may actually do that one! ahhaha!

Pull hairs. No problem staying awake.

I used to keep myself going by yanking out hair on my arm occasionallly. Worked a treat. Hurt like hell. Damn meetings.

If there's access to good coffee somewhere down a few double ristrettos as well.

The sucky part is that I'll be going with my coworker who never falls asleep and is kind of a goodie-two-shoes. So I can't mess around too much. I can't even take a laptop to play with. At th eend there is a test as well! So I guess I'll be doodling, drinking coffee of some sort, then stabbing my hand with a pen, thinking of sex with people in the room, giggling thinking about the farting preacher and then pinching my inner thigh until it hurts and then thinking more about sex! Maybe not necessarily in that order... And if that doesn't work I'll snort a big fat line of coke! Sweeeettt!!!

I'd do the bluetooth thing but I don't have one yet and my wife washed and dried the earphones that came with my phone. The washing was probably okay... but the drying melted it all together into a clump of plastic!

Thanks everyone! I have three days of this so I may return a bit battered, high from caffeine and drugs and fired from my job! haha!

I guess I'll try the coffee thing first...

But seriously... thanks for the suggestions!What you need is a better instructor. :p

I fell asleep during firefighter school. After the instructor found out, I never fell asleep again. You don't want to mess with firefighters. Hahah.

I can't be the ONLY one who deals with boring meetings by thinking about sex, can I? I mean, honestly, 95% of the time I'm very engaged in meetings...I don't have a hard time being a supportive, interested party, generally.

But when I am stuck in someone else's meeting, say, where I'm only needed for 10 minutes of it and then the rest has nothing to do with me but I can't escape...well, then, what could possibly be more interesting to think about? Reliving memories of sex that already did happen, or pondering the possibilities of sex that could happen, or coming up with new ideas for sex that definitely WILL happen... whee. WAY better than taking notes. :D

Just be careful if you start aimlessly doodling about what's on your mind! :eek:

Meetings after lunch are the worst. I'm out for sure.

bf, the way the meeting is set, Im behind my screan and can peak at bf, other then that, if that doesnt work, I just go in my own world and create stories with the people standing in front of me, hehe
Or pretend like you'r flying a starship :D

;) Blackberry is your friend. Along with BeeJive www.beejive.com.

while in meetings I usually type to you guys passing comments on people standing in front of me...hehe

I play Bull$hit Bingo...lots of fun at meetings.

http://home.comcast.net/%7Emnkwrobes/BSBingo.jpg

I have a problem staying awake during meetings! It sucks! I can get a full night's sleep but if the topic is boring, as most are, I'm a bobble head doll with my head bouncing up and down trying to stay awake.

Short of drinking coffee and/or red bull are there any tricks you use to stay awake?

I have a three day, all-day training class over the next 3 days and I'm afraid I'm gonna fall asleep.

Please HHEEELLLLPPPP!!

Thanks!
Gary

I used to do that but it changed, as I decided to become involved more in the meetings and classes. I volunteered to be the chairperson, and also asked a shat load of questions. I very quickly got envited to more and was able to offload my work to others. The lunches, morning and afternoon teas were great. :D

;) Blackberry is your friend. Along with BeeJive www.beejive.com.

That's my method - use my Blackberry. I email friends, browse web sites (evn BF) and play games. The good thing is other people think I have pressing things I'm checking on.

Probably a few of you have seen the Farting Preacher (http://youtube.com/watch?v=a_Qt1zNsh-o).
That is Robert Tilton, sometimes known as "Rootin' Tootin' Robert Tilton."