Take a break!

For this week’s tip, I would like to encourage you to take regular breaks from work.

Have you ever noticed that when you have a lot to do, you tend to get so focused on finishing the task at all costs that you forget to take a break? You may even forget to eat or go to the bathroom. And while I have never forgotten to eat, I end up grabbing the quickest thing I can find (which is rarely healthy) and munch while I am working so that I never have to stop. Inevitably though, I begin to get tired. And because I keep pressing on, I eventually get exhausted and then my work starts to suffer, especially if what I am working on requires intelligent thought. So even though you may feel like you don’t have time to take a break, if we work until the point of mental fatigue, we just cannot be as effective.

So plan to take regular, short breaks from your task or to do list. These breaks only need to be a minute or so, but plan to take a mini-break at least every 60-90 minutes. This would be a good time to close your eyes and take a few deep breaths or go to the bathroom! Other ideas are to stand up and stretch, take a short walk around the office, or chat with a friend. This can involve any activity that allows your brain to disconnect from whatever you are currently working on.

Therefore, your action item for today is to set a timer for every 60-90 minutes and plan to take at least a  1 minute break every time it goes off. Notice if your mindset, stress level, and work quality improve!