Break Time = Sacred Time
There’s a small dialogue box on my work computer that sits either on the desktop or in the taskbar, monitoring my working time. Little green bars tick up or down like a thermometer, keeping track of time spent mousing or keyboarding. Every 50 minutes or so, the box will expand and announce a break time. Whatever I’m working on will cease, and the dialogue box turns into a little yogi of sorts, instructing me to breathe, stretch, stand, or some combination of these for about four minutes.
You can also click to ignore the break time, and trust me, a few times I’ve wanted to do just that. But after a quick eye roll, I take the cue and stop. I follow along with the instructions to stretch my arms and shoulders, adjust my posture, and shake out my hands. Is this Big Brother’s latest attempt to keep his watchful eyes on me? Maybe. Is it my company’s best intention to make sure I’m taking care of my health, which will in turn lead to more productivity? Yes. Using this tool for only a short while has reminded me of the importance of break times, no matter how brief.
Call To Action:
- Before settling in for a marathon session of expense reporting, data entry, e-mail replying, or other mind-numbing “work,” set an alarm on your phone for 50 minutes. When it goes off, stop. That spreadsheet isn’t going anywhere.
- Make your break times meaningful. Close your eyes, go for a walk, read something stimulating. All too often we dive into our social media or do another kind of task on our break time. I’m guilty of this all the time, and it doesn’t make going back to the real work any easier.
- Break times are sacred times. I like to see breaks as mini-oases in between work, calls, appointments, child pick-ups, errands, and anything else that takes up my personal time. Even if it’s just for a few minutes, find the Zen in the points in between.
- Mental breaks are just as important as physical breaks. Try turning off the thinking mind by zoning out once in a while. People watch, bird watch, listen to nature—anything that distracts from the noise of the world will calm your mind.
- Ever want to call a “time out” from people? The best break of all is to disappear. Remember this: there is no obligation to entertain all the people all the time. They’ll get by, and you’ll be all the better when you come back.
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