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Today marks 'least productive' day of year

Write your own intro, I can't be arsed

Today is apparently the "least productive" day of the year, as glum workers battle that sinking feeling provoked by the clocks going back.

That's according to a poll by the the Canary Island tourism board, Promotur, which found that no less than 52 per cent of 2,000 workers polled reckoned they'd struggle to get their act together.

Fourteen per cent, meanwhile, said things were so bad last year that they'd had to talk to their boss about their lack of motivation, and eight per cent "even admitted to phoning in sick because they were so depressed at the thought of going to work amid the shorter, darker days", as the Telegraph puts it.

The upshot is a 50 per cent drop in productivity this week, presumably before employees come to terms with the depressing reality of travelling home in wintery darkness.

Dr Christian Jessen of Channel 4's Embarrassing Illnesses explained: "The Winter Blues are no joke. They can affect your work performance by making you unable to concentrate and carry out your normal routine, your relationship by affecting your libido and your social life by making you feel irritable and anti-social.

"Feeling low as the nights draw in and the days get shorter is something many people experience, but some will struggle with lack of motivation, tiredness and depression."

He added: "If you find the winter months tough, particularly during December and January you may suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, which causes a low mood caused by the lack of light during winter.

"It's thought to affect two million people in the UK and the best treatment is to get more light. If these all ring bells then you may be a sufferer and should consider ways you can get more light into your life over winter."

Fair enough. I'd take that on board and book a plane ticket to Oz right away, if I had the energy. ®

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