When you have a monumental task and you just know your going to be sitting at your desk for the next 283920 hours, breaks are both glorious and necessary. A technique that works for me is to set a timer for around 30-45 minutes, make sure to constantly work with no distractions until the timer goes of… and voila! Its time for a break.
Here are a few things you can do to take a break from work…
1. Make a cup of tea. Or any other drink you prefer.
I don’t know about you, but tea is my weakness. I’ve been bought up to believe that any time you relax at home, be it watching TV, chatting with your family or reading a book, it must always be done with tea in hand. Warm drinks are great at chilling you out (oh, the irony!) when your stuck on a stressful piece of work, or have just been sitting at your laptop for too long letting the world go by.
2. Go outside!
Have a short walk, go for a run, even just open your window and stick your head out! Fresh air is a must have to make sure our brains are functioning in tip-top-condition, and who doesn’t want that?!
3. Change of Place
Working constantly in your room, or the library, can just feel like a drag. When your thinking these four walls just aren’t very inspirational any more, its time for a change of place. Coffee shops are wonderful for this: not only is there a selection of tasty food and drink (cake, anyone?), but the buzz of people can just add a lovely ray of positivity to your day. Even if noise is an issue for you, grab some noise cancelling headphones and chill to your favourite music. However, if you’re a silent worker, even just moving to a different part of your house like the living room or kitchen is a nice, refreshing change.
4. Do something creative!
Creative breaks can not only make you feel more relaxed and happy, but they are also thought to improve your productivity. Grab some pencils, paints or anything of your choosing, and just create. It not only opens your mind, but completely disconnects you from your work. Meditating, listening to music or writing in your journal (if you have one, that is!), are just a few more creative ways to take a break from working. Meditating is a great way to relax and lower your blood pressure, making you a lot more calmer when you’re feeling stressed from work, and we know how hard it is to productive when your feeling stressed!
4. Exercise!
Sitting curled over a desk all day really isn’t the best thing for your body. Doing any sort of exercising can help you from feeling achy and gross. You can do anything from going for a run to doing small stretches in your room. Yoga is an amazing way to relax muscles and improve your posture. It’s also a really fun way to de-stress, and tutorials for routines can easily be found on the internet if you’re a beginner.
Creating a perfect balance between work and relaxing is difficult. Hopefully these simple steps will help you become both more productive and relaxed during your working days!