A bunch of years ago, I worked at a small publishing company that distributed its books from a warehouse right behind the main offices. The employers treated everyone the same, whether we worked in the office or in the warehouse; we all punched a clock and were paid by the hour (I have since come to realize how nice it would be for everyone to get paid by the hour – but that’s a whole other topic).
Every day at 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., a loud bell would ring to indicate that it was break time. I would inevitably be in the middle of a thought or sentence and would completely ignore the bell. One day, my boss noticed me at my desk at 10:20 and said “You need to take a break, Betsy, it’s very important.” Somewhat annoyed, I headed out to the back to stand around for 10 minutes until I could resume my thought process. (I found out later that the company feared getting in trouble with labor law if it did not insist that everyone took a break at the designated time).
On the other end of the spectrum, I later had a job where I was routinely expected to stay until after midnight (and I was not on any sort of evening shift – I began work at 8 a.m.). Being a masochistic/martyr-type in those days, I would stay, but one evening I couldn’t sit at the computer one more minute and told my boss I was going to the health club five minutes away for a 30-minute swim. Honestly, he flew completely off the handle – “Don’t you know we have an important project to get done around here?,” etc. I went swimming anyway, did not get fired, successfully completed the project that night, and had way more patience, energy, and concentration to devote to the project once I got back.
Clearly, breaks are important. Yet it’s also important to remain focused on what we’re doing to the best of our ability and to minimize distractions and interruptions (plus, many of us have a near-paranoia of being viewed as slackers). So, how can we take helpful, refreshing breaks at work without upsetting our flow or our bosses and while continuing to appear (and be) productive?
Here are some ideas:
- Set an alarm on your computer, phone, etc. to go off once an hour or every two hours, but make sure the alarm has a snooze feature. Consider the first ring a reminder that you have five minutes to wind down your thought process or your activity. Press snooze, and the next time you hear the alarm, take a three-minute break from your work. Ideally, this will involve getting out of your chair and moving a little bit, or it could mean a brief three-minute meditation, tuning in to your breath. See my three-minute vacations page for some more ideas.
- Always take a lunch break that involves getting out of the office building (yes, outside), even if that just means going downstairs and eating in front of the building. Just do it, every day. If you must have a lunchtime meeting or you have an emergency project due, still make time for 5 to 10 minutes outside of the office. OK, if the weather is really horrendous, just go down to a local sandwich place – but get out of the office!
- If you work in an office with a door that closes, designate a segment of your day to working privately, letting your coworkers know they are not to interrupt you unless it is a major emergency. This is admittedly easier for managers than for people lower on the totem pole…but then, managers are more often the ones who have offices in the first place. The point is to see if you can give yourself some privacy. Then, spent the first and the last five minutes of this private time taking a break – yoga, jumping jacks, meditation, a five minute nap (set an alarm!), whatever invigorates or relaxes you…you can get away with a lot more with the door closed!
- Along those lines, it’s amazing how peaceful it can be in the ladies’ room. If all else fails in terms of finding room for a private break, head into a stall and make yourself inconspicuous for a couple minutes while you focus on your breathing or take a similar mental vacation from your work.
- If your job involves getting out of your desk or out of the office (making copies, visiting clients, running errands for the bigwigs, delivering goody baskets, etc.), take the opportunity to take a wee little break for yourself in the process of moving from place to place. Notice how your feet feel on the floor and how it feels to breathe. If you get to go outside, notice details of the scene around you, including the wind and other natural elements.
- Regardless of your job, always take advantage of opportunities to transition slowly and deliberately between tasks, rather than rushing from one thing to the next.
These are some ideas, but I’m sure you can think of more…let me know what works for you!
