Why taking breaks during the day is important
Taking breaks during the day is important Do you take breaks during the day? Whether you work at home or in a company building, it is important to take some [...]
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Taking breaks during the day is important
Taking breaks during the day is importantDo you take breaks during the day?
Whether you work at home or in a company building, it is important to take some breaks during the day. Depending on the company, the notion of break time may be different. Indeed, some companies have fixed schedules with well-established break time periods. And there are some companies that offer flexible schedules. Some workplaces, such as teleworking or working with a flexible schedule, are favorable for you to work without taking any breaks. This can have an insidious effect with time.
Why you should take a break?
To not take any breaks during the day causes risks such as lack of concentration, increased risk of injury, increasing errors and decreasing the quality of work.
Taking breaks during the day can allow you to change your mind, to unhook from a task that requires a lot of attention, to rest the body and the mind. This allows you to recharge your battery for a period of time and be more effective afterwards. After a break time period, the body and the mind are able to spend energy again on the task to be accomplished.
Depending on your workplace or if you are at home, as a self-employed or a business leader, there are several traps that you can fall into. Do not let these traps prevent you from allocating pause times. Working with fierceness as long as a task is not completed, is one of the trap. People should realize that breaks are needed for our physical, mental and emotional energy. As a bank account capital, if we spend too much and that we put too many purchases on the credit card, we will have to pay later and with interests!
Why I tell you this story?
Why I tell you this story?As a computer IT analyst, I worked in companies with flexible schedules. It’s a conducive environment for not taking breaks. It’s really great to have a flexible schedule but the danger is that if we have too much work, or if we give ourselves too much work, there is never time for a break. We do not take breaks, we eat at our office and we work almost non-stop. I did this for several years and the result was not very conclusive. Burn-out, repeated stomach ulcers, chronic stress. Ouch. Of course, there were other factors, but not taking a any break time was one of them.
Today, as self worker, I have to reconcile my schedule with my irresistible desire to do more in one day. I schedule my break periods everyday. For example, I always take an hour for lunch outside my office. This time is really beneficial for my energy and I stick to it.
How to take breaks?
Whether you have a fixed schedule or not, taking a break during the day is salutary. Here are some examples that you can apply in your daily life.
1) Plan your schedule accordingly
Set up an agenda and respect it. Do the same as companies which have fixed hours! Plan a 15-minute break in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon and 30 minutes to 1 hour for your lunch time. Try not to stay at your desk to eat and do something. It is better to take physical distance from the workplace. You can also plan your breaks in your schedule. Write them to your agenda and activate notifications. This is a great way to remember that it is time to take a break. You may be absorbed by the current task. But, how many times did we think we would be finished in a few minutes? Well, an hour has passed and it is still not finished! It is in our interest to resist the desire to continue the task. It will not run out!
2) Be careful with your eyes
Being on a computer screen for several hours can damage the eyes. Optometrists recommend taking 20 seconds of pause for every 20 minutes to the computer. You can take a break from the screen just looking away. If you are close to a window, it’s even better! The rule to follow is to look up to a distance of 20 feet or more. So, 20/20/20! ????
3) Meditate or listen to a guided meditation
Take a break by doing meditation is a good way to refocus and relax. If required, go in another room to meditate or put headphones to isolate surrounding sounds. Listen to relaxing music or guided meditation. There are several applications like MindSpace that can be useful or you can also listen to free music and guided meditations on YouTube or Spotify. I also offer severalon my Youtube channel.
4) Socialize
Rather than spending your break at your office on social networks, go for a coffee, a tea or an herbal tea. Visit one of your colleagues to have a chitchat or call someone.
5) Do stretching exercises
You can do stretching at your desk, in a room available or outdoors. Why would we be embarrassed or uncomfortable to make movements that are good for us? We should not be afraid of ridicule to take care of our health. Businesses should encourage their employees to take a few minutes to move and do stretching. You can go to an available meeting room to make a few movements or just do it at your desk.
Here are some examples:
- move the neck and head from left to right, then make circles
- roll the shoulders 10 times forward and then backward
- stand up, cross your hands and stretch your arms, hands towards the sky and stretch your waist from left to right
- sitting on your chair, you can work your calves by raising your feet up and down for 10 to 15 times
- sitting on your chair, relax your back, shoulders and neck simply by leaning forward, round back, head between your legs and arms dropping in line with your feet, without forcing. Then go back up slowly. Inhale before going down and exhale when you lean.
Do not be afraid to take this kind of active break. It’s your eyes, your body, your physical and mental state that you need to take care. No one else will do it for you.
Do not be afraid to take this kind of active break. It’s your eyes, your body, your physical and mental state that you need to take care. No one else will do it for you.
6) Take a healthy snack
Food has a great role in the energy you spend in a day. Take a good healthy snack during your break time. Foods like almonds with a yogurt or a fruit constitute a good source of protein and natural sugar to resume your activities with a boost of energy. Sweets, chocolates and other fat and transformed foods may be able to give you a short-term boost but will not keep you in the long run. Take pleasure in integrating natural and unprocessed products.
7) Listen to music
Music can quickly change our state of mind and bring us into positive emotions and lightness. So take some time to listen to music, whether relaxing or energizing! Do nothing else and enjoy a sound environment to feel free and detach from work. Click the link to see my Top 10 relaxing music for work.
For other relaxing or energizing music, visit my Youtube channel Plume Musik!
Yes, I used to be shy too
When I was working in offices in downtown Montreal, I was going to the bathroom to make some breathing and stretching exercises to refocus myself. I was waiting to be alone to practice this active break. At that time, I was too embarrassed to do it at my desk. Yet, as I mentioned above, companies should encourage this practice. Besides, if you do it, maybe your colleagues will imitate you? We never know the positive influence that we can have on others. Talk to your boss if you think you need a permission to do some stretching at your desk.
Now I listen to myself
Now I listen to myselfWhen I started shooting the video on this same subject, it was the evening and I was tired. I lacked coherence and I had difficulty with my energy. I wanted to force myself to do the video. Honestly, do you believe that I would have made a convincing video? The goal was not to make a video to make a video. Then, I took the wise decision to take a bath and relax to make 2 videos the next day instead. And it was a much more pay off to listen to my body and take a break from working. The next day, I was in a much better shape to give you interesting content with an optimal level of energy. That is also, taking a break. Listen to your body and mind. I do not encourage procrastination or to postpone work from days to days. There are some moments when you have to let go of work and that, even if it’s an interesting project or hobby.
What happens if we don’t take a break
If we compromise our energy during the day, there will be a price to pay. It could result in inattention errors, which could lead us to restart work, for example. We can finish the day and feel burned down. Over time, we can end up having more serious problems like physical health problems, burn-out or even depression.
If the life of no one depends on it, then why give ourselves stress and push the machine too much? Sometimes we give ourselves too tight deadlines for the task to be accomplished. This can make a person to work tireless or without any breaks. It is important to take breaks during the day, during the week and during the year. What is better than a vacation periods or a day off once in a while to give back energy?
It is important to recharge your batteries to resume work more efficiently afterwards. For me, I make this a priority! And you?
I wish you to find the formula that works for you and to set your schedule for you to have energy available throughout the whole day.
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May your life be filled with colors, music, joy and loving kindness.
Chantal Rioux ????
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