Take a better break today

Enjoy work more with intentional, rejuvenating breaks

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to take a better break today. Everyone takes
breaks during the workday, whether they think they do or not.
So if you are going to take a break at
some point today, why not make it as rejuvenating and

(00:32):
wonderful as possible. In some lines of work, breaks are
formally built in. When I worked in a fast food
restaurant many years ago, an eight hour shift was scheduled
over nine hours because the working hours came with two
fifteen minute breaks and one thirty minute break.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
My coworkers and I all took our fifteen minute breaks
at set staggered times to make sure enough people were
manning the kitchen and the registers. I imagine many people
listening to this podcast work in slightly different ways. Breaks
aren't so formally structured in your line of work. You

(01:14):
work for a while, and then you do something different
that isn't necessarily the core of your job until you
resume work again. When I have observed people and discussed
their schedules, I've noticed that these breaks often start unintentionally.
Maybe you are working on a report and mean to

(01:35):
ask your colleague about something you hope to include. You
pop over to your inbox to send a note. Then
in your inbox you see a headline about something designed
to get your attention. You click over to the article
and read it, and then read something else, or see
a sports score and have to go check that out,

(01:57):
and next thing you know, it can be twenty mins,
minutes or more before you resume work. Now, that twenty
minute break was longer than my restaurant's formally scheduled smoke breaks,
that's what we called them, whether you smoked or not,
which I didn't. But many people taking that headline reading
break wouldn't even note it has a break. It wasn't

(02:18):
particularly rejuvenating or relaxing, and since it wasn't scheduled ahead
and intentionally taken, many people might not even notice it.
Then they might claim that they don't take breaks. But
everyone takes breaks, some are intentional and some are not,

(02:39):
Some are relaxing and some are not. I would argue
that since it is impossible to spend an entire work
day entirely focused on work, we are all best off
taking breaks intentionally so they can be truly rejuvenating and
not take more time than we intend to give them.

(03:01):
So as you think about your day to day, aim
to take a much better break. You might look over
your schedule and identify when you'd be most likely to
do something that is not your core job. Lots of
people feel unfocused and fatigued in mid afternoon, so if
you are not sure that's probably a good time to

(03:22):
aim for, then think about what you could do in
ten to fifteen minutes that would boost your energy levels.
Could you go for a quick walk, Even if you
can't leave your building, you might be able to go
up and down the stairs. You could have a quick
cup of tea with a colleague that you enjoy. That's
a much better way to socialize than reading comments on

(03:45):
online articles. You could read a book or a magazine
for a few minutes. If you think people will look
askance at this intentional break, just go somewhere that they
can't see you outside or your car, or a faraway
conference room or something like that. Of course, if you

(04:07):
work from home, you've got a lot more options. You
could do any sort of hobby, like practicing a musical instrument, gardening,
doing some artwork, or maybe a more complicated workout. You
could take your dog on a real walk and get
both of you some exercise and fresh air. Picture what

(04:28):
you would like to do today, and then work out
the logistics. If you plan to read and you work
in an office, make sure you bring your book. If
you'd like to go for a walk, make sure you
wear or bring shoes that would make that possible. If
you plan to practice your flute in your home office,

(04:49):
put your flute and your music in there so you
don't waste time looking for it when it's time to
take a break. Then at break time, execute on the play. Now,
you might need to be a little bit flexible. Maybe
your break happens a little earlier or maybe a little
bit later than you planned. Maybe a colleagues meeting runs along,

(05:11):
so you walk alone rather than with a group. Maybe
you take two shorter breaks instead of one longer one.
But I highly doubt that you can't make it work.
If you work in a job where breaks aren't scheduled,
but you think you work without ceasing, try observing your
time sometime and your activities just for a day and

(05:34):
see if there is any time spent on stuff other
than the core of your work. My guess is that
the answer is yes. If so, you will be better
off choosing those activities and acknowledging your break. You'll feel
more relaxed and like time is more within your control.

(05:58):
That little mindset shift can change everything. In the meantime.
This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

(06:19):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number
four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an
email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That

(06:41):
before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks
so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts
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