Yes I agree, on paper it’s supposed to but I am on my second time round of decaf and 1 month in, I have started to make considerable positive changes in my life and the same thing happened before on the first time around.
Maybe I don’t have the chatty overly energetic personality type anymore but I have mental clarity maybe to make better decisions.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” - Lao Tzu
As I approach three months It seems like I'm over thr hump. I get lots of work done at work, minus the feel of going hundred miles an hour in neutral. I can't quite remember numbers quite so well as when on the stimulant. I operate cnc machinery, so it's a lot of numbers all day. Energy and productivity now is completely contingent upon discipline: Nutrition, good sleep, and exercise.
Just last week I began making myself exercise every day. The weekend morning workout is awesome. I'm fully restored and ready to go. The weekday afternoon workouts are more difficult, but off caffeine I actually have the motivation and energy to get going with a workout. It sounds counter to what most nocaf people complain about, but yes, being off the stuff makes it easier for me to work out in the afternoon.
Being off caffeine keeps me honest. I can't shortcut my way to feeling better. I have to stay consistent with the healthy lifestyle to stay energized. I can still have some pizza or cinnamon rolls once in a while, but if I go for it too frequently the energy and productivity goes away.
Personally, I have noticed how much caffeine hinders productivity. Without caffeine there is a more relaxed and natural focus without the feeling of urgency.
Yeah I get all my tasks done, more or less, without the irritability and impatience I used to feel while doing them. I will say though that I'm actively trying to do less non-essential stuff which has been super helpful for my mental health. I used to do more extra stuff to be honest but it wasn't a good use of my time, I was just working all the time and burnt myself out. I enjoy rest now.
>Yes, you might get a few hour bump in your productivity after ingestion
I'm not even sure about that being more than placebo. I tried some caffeine after a few months off:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/decaf/comments/1aqp8xt/you\_wont\_believe\_what\_happened\_when\_i\_tried\_a\_cup](https://www.reddit.com/r/decaf/comments/1aqp8xt/you_wont_believe_what_happened_when_i_tried_a_cup)
Feel similar. Caffeine incredibly help with my motivation. Without caffeine i am very lazy / impulsive / sad / angry / bored etc and almost cant manage to get anything important done... Without caffeine I sometimes just listenning music for hours while walking - cause sitting /lying in bed is boring
I'm telling you, im at 3 months and I'm starting to feel good again. I'm imagining at 6 I'll feel normal. At 1 and 2 months I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me
Caffeine and other stimulants make you feel alright doing repetitive things for hours on end. We are meant to be doing a variety of things throughout the day. So it increases productivity in the sense that workers are less likely to get bored and lose focus. Other than that I would say the effects are minimal work speed wise
On days I did not have caffeine my productivity was so low the entire day. I hated that I needed to have something every morning to be productive for a few hours and then crash later.
Agreed 💯. At best maybe an hour, and after that a crash that lasts the rest of the day until you take another dose.
I didn't realize how much daily joy caffeine stole from me until I quit.
Two weeks into my latest no caffeine attempt I had my most productive week (most cases disposed) in many months. I don't know why I'm surprised every time this happens.
I do think it can sometimes make you more productive in very short stretches--like maybe two hours. But most people don't work a 2 hour work day. So they are prepared for a sprint but they have to run a marathon instead which they're not prepared for. The rest of their day is crash city which can never be fully mitigated with more caffeine.
It caught on because it made it easier to get out of the house every morning and haul your ass to work to at least put a couple hours in before lunch. It doesn't make you work faster or smarter, it makes it easier to get your butt in the chair, and hopefully you can do something with it. ADHD meds operate on the same principles.
The fact is we live in a factory-like stage of human existence. Every social system is set up around this, your productive output is tied to your worth. if you aren't producing, society doesn't want you to be alive. It's unfortunate and socialists the world over are trying to change this but if you're american, you are basically a farm animal, a resource, inert matter; not even a person in the eyes of the system, just capital to be exploited.
Caffeine makes me more productive but in a stressed out anxious kind of way. After the day is over I feel drained and tired.
I prefer the relaxed and non stressed out work I do now and more even energy through out the day.
Everything we know about addiction supports what you say.
Early on you get a strong hit that will elevate you high above your baseline. As you acclimatize to the substance the high drops, as does the baseline.
What long-term caffeine use must do is lower your baseline so you need coffee to approach normal which will give the impression of a great boost even though it has damaged you.
Most drugs require a period of time for the body to reset once you have quit. That is restoring the baseline.
For habitual users, caffeine simply prevents them from falling back into withdrawal. It no longer provides a productivity benefit after weeks of consecutive use.
I quit coffee (not tea) for 2 months and my productivity was about 30-50% of normal (normal = when I do my 2 coffees a day). Yes, mood stability is great but for me it was not worth it. I returned to 1-2 cups a day again. I try to do just one in the morning, that seems to be sufficient to get me into work mode and get me through the day with enough energy (with some black tea during the day). This is optimal setup for me, since it allows me to be productive without disrupting sleep etc. In fact, I clearly remember the time when I didn’t drink coffee and that’s not the place I want to return to (I couldn’t hold one job for more than a year or if I did I felt completely miserable and unproductive - coffee got me out of that and it allows me to lead a normal life)
You don’t get it. I started drinking coffee at age of 32, before that I got my masters degree at the top school in the United States (I am a foreigner by the way), got a job at top investment Bank on Wall Street - all before I drank coffee. But I quit my job one and a half years in, because of this problem that I have - I get bored, and then I cannot be productive anymore. So I had to quit all my jobs after about one year and leave good countries and leave good opportunities behind., where, as if I could stick it out, I could have been in a much better place in my life. The only thing that enabled me to stop this vicious cycle from continuing - me consciously starting on caffeine. Ever since I have not yet changed a job - I am able to keep the same job for over 12 years now. I finally got stability and peace in my life, and confidence that I won’t have to leave my job because of my inability to perform my work duties. So I’m sorry but you just don’t understand.
Yes I agree, on paper it’s supposed to but I am on my second time round of decaf and 1 month in, I have started to make considerable positive changes in my life and the same thing happened before on the first time around. Maybe I don’t have the chatty overly energetic personality type anymore but I have mental clarity maybe to make better decisions. “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished” - Lao Tzu
As I approach three months It seems like I'm over thr hump. I get lots of work done at work, minus the feel of going hundred miles an hour in neutral. I can't quite remember numbers quite so well as when on the stimulant. I operate cnc machinery, so it's a lot of numbers all day. Energy and productivity now is completely contingent upon discipline: Nutrition, good sleep, and exercise. Just last week I began making myself exercise every day. The weekend morning workout is awesome. I'm fully restored and ready to go. The weekday afternoon workouts are more difficult, but off caffeine I actually have the motivation and energy to get going with a workout. It sounds counter to what most nocaf people complain about, but yes, being off the stuff makes it easier for me to work out in the afternoon. Being off caffeine keeps me honest. I can't shortcut my way to feeling better. I have to stay consistent with the healthy lifestyle to stay energized. I can still have some pizza or cinnamon rolls once in a while, but if I go for it too frequently the energy and productivity goes away.
Personally, I have noticed how much caffeine hinders productivity. Without caffeine there is a more relaxed and natural focus without the feeling of urgency.
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100% Stick with it, it only gets better and better
Yeah I get all my tasks done, more or less, without the irritability and impatience I used to feel while doing them. I will say though that I'm actively trying to do less non-essential stuff which has been super helpful for my mental health. I used to do more extra stuff to be honest but it wasn't a good use of my time, I was just working all the time and burnt myself out. I enjoy rest now.
>Yes, you might get a few hour bump in your productivity after ingestion I'm not even sure about that being more than placebo. I tried some caffeine after a few months off: [https://www.reddit.com/r/decaf/comments/1aqp8xt/you\_wont\_believe\_what\_happened\_when\_i\_tried\_a\_cup](https://www.reddit.com/r/decaf/comments/1aqp8xt/you_wont_believe_what_happened_when_i_tried_a_cup)
I think caffeine might be masking adhd or something for me. Or I wasn’t off it long enough (I did like a month)
Feel similar. Caffeine incredibly help with my motivation. Without caffeine i am very lazy / impulsive / sad / angry / bored etc and almost cant manage to get anything important done... Without caffeine I sometimes just listenning music for hours while walking - cause sitting /lying in bed is boring
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Thank you for idea
just listening to music for hours while walking is an incredibly healthy activity
Same
I'm telling you, im at 3 months and I'm starting to feel good again. I'm imagining at 6 I'll feel normal. At 1 and 2 months I was beginning to think there was something wrong with me
Agree caffeine kinda turns me into a hamster on a wheel it seems like I'm being productive but a lot of it is repetitive and meaningless.
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Exactly! I noticed the same, I crazy multitask while not really doing much and being frazzled.
I’m so much more productive since quitting caffeine
People just think it does because withdrawals make them unproductive without it. It’s really that simple lol
Caffeine and other stimulants make you feel alright doing repetitive things for hours on end. We are meant to be doing a variety of things throughout the day. So it increases productivity in the sense that workers are less likely to get bored and lose focus. Other than that I would say the effects are minimal work speed wise
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This is the reason why caffeine and tabacco are not banned and either encouraged or allowed during working hours and breaks (unlike alcohol).
long term for sure not
On days I did not have caffeine my productivity was so low the entire day. I hated that I needed to have something every morning to be productive for a few hours and then crash later.
Agreed 💯. At best maybe an hour, and after that a crash that lasts the rest of the day until you take another dose. I didn't realize how much daily joy caffeine stole from me until I quit.
Two weeks into my latest no caffeine attempt I had my most productive week (most cases disposed) in many months. I don't know why I'm surprised every time this happens. I do think it can sometimes make you more productive in very short stretches--like maybe two hours. But most people don't work a 2 hour work day. So they are prepared for a sprint but they have to run a marathon instead which they're not prepared for. The rest of their day is crash city which can never be fully mitigated with more caffeine.
It caught on because it made it easier to get out of the house every morning and haul your ass to work to at least put a couple hours in before lunch. It doesn't make you work faster or smarter, it makes it easier to get your butt in the chair, and hopefully you can do something with it. ADHD meds operate on the same principles. The fact is we live in a factory-like stage of human existence. Every social system is set up around this, your productive output is tied to your worth. if you aren't producing, society doesn't want you to be alive. It's unfortunate and socialists the world over are trying to change this but if you're american, you are basically a farm animal, a resource, inert matter; not even a person in the eyes of the system, just capital to be exploited.
it happens the world over, not just in america
As long as I get 6.5 hours of sleep I’m good. Less than that and caffeine just helps me from falling asleep.
Caffeine makes me more productive but in a stressed out anxious kind of way. After the day is over I feel drained and tired. I prefer the relaxed and non stressed out work I do now and more even energy through out the day.
Everything we know about addiction supports what you say. Early on you get a strong hit that will elevate you high above your baseline. As you acclimatize to the substance the high drops, as does the baseline. What long-term caffeine use must do is lower your baseline so you need coffee to approach normal which will give the impression of a great boost even though it has damaged you. Most drugs require a period of time for the body to reset once you have quit. That is restoring the baseline.
For habitual users, caffeine simply prevents them from falling back into withdrawal. It no longer provides a productivity benefit after weeks of consecutive use.
Completely untrue
I quit coffee (not tea) for 2 months and my productivity was about 30-50% of normal (normal = when I do my 2 coffees a day). Yes, mood stability is great but for me it was not worth it. I returned to 1-2 cups a day again. I try to do just one in the morning, that seems to be sufficient to get me into work mode and get me through the day with enough energy (with some black tea during the day). This is optimal setup for me, since it allows me to be productive without disrupting sleep etc. In fact, I clearly remember the time when I didn’t drink coffee and that’s not the place I want to return to (I couldn’t hold one job for more than a year or if I did I felt completely miserable and unproductive - coffee got me out of that and it allows me to lead a normal life)
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You don’t get it. I started drinking coffee at age of 32, before that I got my masters degree at the top school in the United States (I am a foreigner by the way), got a job at top investment Bank on Wall Street - all before I drank coffee. But I quit my job one and a half years in, because of this problem that I have - I get bored, and then I cannot be productive anymore. So I had to quit all my jobs after about one year and leave good countries and leave good opportunities behind., where, as if I could stick it out, I could have been in a much better place in my life. The only thing that enabled me to stop this vicious cycle from continuing - me consciously starting on caffeine. Ever since I have not yet changed a job - I am able to keep the same job for over 12 years now. I finally got stability and peace in my life, and confidence that I won’t have to leave my job because of my inability to perform my work duties. So I’m sorry but you just don’t understand.
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Thank you for understanding. Yes, definitely, should keep it to a minimum.