Are Breaks Essential?
Why Taking a Break from Work is Vital
Are Breaks Essential?
In the work environment, the best employees are the ones who work 24/7 and are available to answer queries regardless of the time.
But according to science, employees with long working hours are less productive, less focused, and have less creative skills because all the time, they are forcing their minds to work while saying no to the break hours. It also builds up the stress level, which can result in conflict-ridden personal and professional relationships.
So, it’s essential to take regular breaks from work in the form of lunch breaks, nap time, and play hours. Taking frequent breaks increases your productivity level, develops focus, and brings mental peace to work. When you work without breaks, eat from your desk, and don’t follow a healthy diet plan, your health deteriorates, which results in taking long leaves from work.
The above is the reason successful companies emphasize their employees to stand up from their desks often and avail their annual leave for the change of mind or traveling.
Here’s how to take a break from work:
1. Stand up and Exercise
Sitting on your desk for straight 9-10 hours can damage your posture and makes you fatigued. The energy level can drain down, and as a result, your mind starts functioning low, which affects your overall performance.
So, you must take out 10-15 minutes to charge your muscles. You can dedicate this time to any physical activity such as taking a round of your office, climbing stairs, doing planks, squats, or leg lifting.
Exercise is great for increasing your metabolism, boosting your mood, and refreshing your mind. When you come back to your desk after a short workout session, you’ll feel more energetic than before.
2. Avoid Taking Lunch at your Desk
The desk lunch, which is also known as eating ‘al desko’ reflects the saddest part of your job. And no matter what you eat, the food will still don’t give you the joy you wish to have. In the first half of your job, you have dedicated the whole time to accomplishing your tasks, and when you’re done with the first half of the day, then treat yourself with the lunch outside your desk.
It will fade away the stress and allow your mind to think creatively when you return to your desk. Results show that taking lunch with your colleagues gives a productivity boost while making you happier. When you talk and listen to your employees, you also relieve your stress level and improve your networking.
3. The Sleep Cycle and the Nap Time
The money you made while neglecting your sleep cycle can go into making your health when it deteriorates. So, having adequate sleep is important because it gives you rest, sharpens your memory, and makes you prepared for the next day.
On the contrary, if you miss sleep and replace it with work, you’ll be more tired and stressed the next day. As a result, the focus on the work will be low and you will look for reasons to skip office. The whole cycle can be harmful to your mind and can also affect your performance.
It’s also recommended to take a nap of 5-10 mins in your workday because it’s a good activity to relax and rejuvenate your muscles. The Google company culture has nap pods that emphasize the importance of napping on the whole day.
4. Plan a Vacation
Every office grants annual leave to the employees so they can take a break from work and change their environment. These annual leaves are great for boosting your performance and making you love the job instead of hating it. But the employees become so workaholic that they miss to avail themselves their annual leaves and build stress for themselves.
So, you should prioritize vacations and rekindle a great time with your friends and family. If you’re an entrepreneur or you have a side-hustle to manage, here’s how to avail yourself the most of your vacation.
When you rejoin work after having your ‘Me-Time,’ you’ll feel your heart and mind both at work. Work is important but maintaining a work-life balance is equally important because only good health and a stress-free mind can bring great results to the table.
What’s your work routine, and how do you manage to take breaks from work?