Whether you work away or you work from home, you will know the importance of taking breaks. There are many ways you can utilize this time to its full potential, from taking a moment to breathe the fresh air, stretching your body, or eating a healthy snack. Here are a few ways to make the most of your work breaks.
Schedule your breaks
It can be easy to forget to take a break, or convince yourself you don’t need one. However, breaks are vital for a number of reasons, so it’s important to make sure you schedule them in to your working day. Planning your day can help give it structure, maintain a routine, and also help you to ensure that you get everything done that you need to.
Plan your food
A common reason to take a break is to eat a meal or a snack, so when you do this, make sure to fuel your body to prepare you for the rest of your day. Foods that are great for your brain include:
- Green, leafy vegetables like spinach and broccoli
- Fatty fish such as salmon and cod
- Berries
- Nuts
It is also incredibly important to stay hydrated, and drinking water is essential in keeping your whole body healthy. Have a water bottle near you at all times to remind you to drink, and refill it when you need to. Try using a sustainable, reusable bottle, instead of a single-use plastic one, in order to reduce waste, help the plant, and save you money in the long run.
Stretch
If you are sitting at a desk all day, you can start to feel tight and achy. Taking breaks to move your body and stretch can certainly help with this. Investing in a Manduka yoga mat and starting some gentle, basic yoga practices is a great way to use your break times. Yoga is a great way to connect your body and mind, to take stock of how you are feeling, to get the blood flowing around your body, and to get stretching. It is a very versatile form of exercise, as it is not competitive and can be adapted to suit your level of ability or the areas of your body or mind you want to focus on.
Benefits of breaks
Taking breaks is very important, whether you are working or studying. It can help you to be more creative and productive when you come back to work, and can allow you to sit back and re-evaluate your goals for the day. It can also help you to process and retain information, and give you a chance to take care of yourself. This can be in the form of eating a healthy meal, doing some exercise, or even taking a nap. This is why scheduling your day is important, as these basic points can easily be forgotten or overlooked in favor of squeezing in even more work. Taking a break can actually improve your productivity and help you get more work done than forcing yourself to work constantly can.
