Coffee: Good Or Bad For Productivity?

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Can drinking coffee lead to better work performance? Or is coffee more likely to have a negative impact? This post weighs up the pros and cons of drinking coffee to boost productivity.

The benefits of coffee
Coffee contains caffeine – which makes us more alert. This can help us with physical and mental tasks: it can provide better concentration for admin tasks, while also giving us energy to take on manual labour.

It tends to be a great pick-me-up first thing in the morning when many of us are feeling tired and groggy. It can also help many of us get through the 3pm slump.

And unlike a sugar rush or taking illegal stimulants, a cup of coffee is incredibly nutritious and may even improve heart and liver function.

The drawbacks of coffee
It's possible to drink too much coffee and give yourself the jitters. This could lead to shaking, increased stress levels, nausea, dizziness or a headache. All of this is certainly not good for productivity.

Coffee also comes with a comedown. During this comedown, some people feel even more tired and unmotivated than they did before drinking coffee. Stronger coffee is more likely to have this impact, whereas a regular coffee may only produce a mild comedown that barely affects productivity once people are in their zone.

It's also worth noting that drinking coffee while working late at night could affect sleep quality and isn't advised.

It's all about moderation
Whether coffee is productive or not mostly boils down to how much you drink. It's recommended that most people drink no more than three cups of coffee per day and space them out throughout their shift. Some people with a higher tolerance for coffee may be able to drink more without experiencing any side effects, while others may find three coffees too much. You will likely know yourself if you've drank too much.

Good quality coffee matters too
A good quality coffee can be a reward worth looking forward to that can help boost motivation. A poor quality coffee will have less of an impact. Employers should consider this when supplying coffee in the office. Choosing a commercial coffee machine over instant coffee could turn coffee breaks into a workplace perk that retains employees and boosts morale. Obviously, if you do choose a coffee machine, it needs to be easy to use and someone needs to maintain it. There are many self-service coffee machines that can create top quality brews. Alternatively, some large offices set up their own cafe and hire a barista to serve coffees to employees. Smaller teams of employees can meanwhile delegate workers to take trips to a local coffee bar to pick up coffee for a similar level of quality (although this does mean paying more for coffee).

Conclusion
Coffee can be fantastic for productivity providing that it's a) good quality, and b) drunk in moderation. Say not to cheap instant coffee and try to stick to no more than three cups per day for the best results.