How often do you take breaks from work? I mean, completely unplugging from any work-related activity? Today’s perpetual internet connectivity and the ubiquity of smart devices make us reachable anywhere, anytime, making it incredibly hard to take time away from work.
Getting stuck in the rat race looks appealing in the short-term, but it may have devastating consequences on our productivity, health, and relationships over the long-term. Here are five ways regular breaks can improve your life personally and professionally.
Regular Breaks Can Increase Productivity
It requires a tremendous amount of mental energies when doing goal-oriented work, such as decision-making, logical thinking, and executive functioning. Those constant strains on the prefrontal cortex can lead to “decision fatigue” if we don’t unplug and recharge.
As a sales manager by morning, an executive coach, and a blogger by evening, I usually work eighty-two hours a week. However, last June, following a month of health issues, I decided to make breaks part of my routine.
It didn’t take long for me to reap the benefits of taking time away from work every two weeks. Mini-breaks throughout the month allowed me to resume refreshed, paving the way for my productiveness. From that experience, I understood that activity doesn’t always equate to productivity.
If time is money, it’s also a gift we give others, expecting nothing in return.
Bachir Bastien
Regular Breaks Can Improve Your Social Life
Meaning isn’t only created through achievements, but also from cherishing our relationships with loved ones. The exaggerated focus on accomplishment may cause us to value only transactional relationships. It’s the mindset that only those who pay for our time deserve our attention. If time is money, it’s also a gift we give others, expecting nothing in return.
Regular Breaks Are a Catalyst for Creative Thinking
Excessive concentration, despite its benefits, if unbridled may lead to a “mental block,” which hampers innovative thinking. Remember those moments when you formulated a solution for an arduous problem by just deserting it? That’s because the time away from the problem gives the mind enough time to free from its algorithmic patterns. An article published in the BBC entitled What you can learn from Einstein’s quirky habits, purports that Albert Einstein walks regularly every day to boost memory and creativity. Whether you choose to take a walk in nature, nap, meditate, or just daydreaming, make sure regular breaks are a part of your routine.
Regular Breaks Can Make Us Happier
It’s well-known that breaks can help reset our moods by the release of dopamine, which reduces stress and promotes well-being. Research shows that employees who take fewer breaks are at higher risks of heart disease, anxiety, depression, and obesity. Since I developed the habit of taking breaks frequently, both my physical and mental health have improved. As much as you feel happy doing what you love, taking time away from it may compound that happiness. Who doesn’t want to be live a happier, more joyous life?
Regular Breaks Can Prevent You from Precrastinating
Precrastination, as opposed to procrastination, is rushing too quickly into tasks. David Rosenbaum, a professor of psychology at the University of California, stresses that precrastination is often the source of preventable mistakes. Not taking breaks leaves us little time in planning, which may hurt the execution phase. Remember to take breaks that are long enough to allow you to recharge and are sufficiently short to prevent you from getting overwhelmed when you get back to work.
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Taking breaks, like any other skill, takes time to master. At first, you may find it hard to erase work from your mental world, but as time passes by, you will find it easier to enjoy your break times. You don’t have to fall ill to include breaks in your daily routines. Start now and experience the benefits for yourself.
Good post ! It really needs . Well shared.
Thank you Priti for stopping and commenting on my blog. That is kind of you.
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