No time to read this? Have you bookmarked this to come back to later, only later never comes?
When come up for air, we know that there’s more and more research that proves that we work more productively, that our brains function better, when we take regular breaks. When we do remember to press “Pause”. Step away from work for a few minutes, to appreciate the simple things in life, and suddenly the creative juices flow again, and a solution that you’ve been struggling for pops into your head.
We’ve been having fun trying different ways to take a five minute break every 25 minutes
- Take on your colleagues in a “run up and down the stairs” contest
- Do some stretches – a bit of office yoga?
- Have a power nap
- Catch up on your reading
- Day dream
- Have a snack
- Pop out for a brisk walk around the block – or field if you’re lucky enough to be out in the countryside
- Plan a fun day out with family or friends
- Decide where you want to go on a weekend break
We all need to work. Financially, to support our families, to keep us stimulated, to bolster our self esteem and to root us in our society. And, if we’re lucky enough, our work is something we love doing. But work is only one part of who we are and often comes with a good dose of stress added into the mix. Try some of our fun five minute break techniques, or come up with your own.
Wstop there? Just as we work best when we have regular breaks throughout the day, we also need goals to keep us motivated and focused on a weekly and monthly basis, and so on throughout the year. We don’t mean your business targets and goals here; we mean your “non-business goals” both large and small:
- Getting home in time to read your kids their bedtime story or making time to teach them to ride their bike at the weekend
- Organise get togethers or “clan gatherings” as they’re called where I live in Scotland
- Plan with pals from school where you laugh at old stories that make you cringe
- something off your bucket-list, whether that’s climbing a hill or bungee jumping
- time for your sport and hobbies, old and new
- Or just getting time to lie down in the garden and decide what shapes the clouds are making
Tof our five minute breaks, is that it gives us time to plan our non-business goals – multi tasking at its finest, making sure we always have something to look forward to.
I know you’re itching to get back to your desk now, so count reading the blog as your first five minute break, and set your alarm for your next one in 25 minutes. What will it be?
