Around three in the afternoon most people hit the same wall. Energy drops, focus drifts and the third coffee starts to look like a plan. It isn't a willpower problem. It's a timing problem.

Why 3pm

Your body clock dips in the early afternoon, and a long stretch of sitting makes it worse. The dip arrives at roughly the same time every day, which is good news: anything that arrives on schedule can be planned for.

The ten minute fix

A short walk raises your heart rate, gets daylight into your eyes and breaks the sitting streak. In our data, people who walk for ten minutes before 3pm tick 34% more habits in the evening than people who don't.

• Walk before the dip, not during it
• Leave the phone in your pocket
• Ten minutes is enough

The best time to take a break is ten minutes before you need one.

How Nudgely finds the minute

Nudgely reads the gaps in your calendar, learns when your afternoon usually slips and sends one nudge in the free slot just before it. If you snooze it, it tries a better time tomorrow.