The culture of staying in the office later to show commitment can often lead to another “game” – who can take the least breaks. Breaks are often taken as a sign of weakness and anyone who takes them is slacking. When it comes to productivity the opposite is infact true. Taking a break boosts our productivity and changing our environment or situation often gives us the creative idea we were searching for, or the answer to a problem or issue we couldn’t figure out. Taking a break not only boosts productivity it also boost happiness and health – what’s not to like about that? I still have to keep reminding myself about this periodically as it easy to slip back into overworking when the pressure is on. When that’s the case I remind myself of two things;
- Mostly the answer to something comes when I am not thinking about it.
- I know, from experience, that taking a break makes me more productive.
- Schedule breaks in regularly – scheduling them makes it more likely that you will take them.
- Short regular breaks through the day will help maintain your energy levels.
- A longer break might be needed in the middle of the day.
- Schedule exercise in to your day.
- Don’t feel guilty about taking a break – think about what you are achieving rather than the amount of time you are working.
- Keep checking in with this technique – it’s easy to stop breaks when the pressure is on and that’s exactly when you need them.