Breaks are incredibly important for our brains. While our brains are “resting”, they are still pretty active, making sense of past experiences and help us think about the future. Taking breaks also allows us to generate new ideas. And often come up with solutions to problems. When I’m stuck on an issue, I like to go for a walk. By the end of it, I always know what to do next. And I know I’m not the only one.
There are different levels of breaks: Taking breaks during the day, taking time off work and recharging. They are all equally important and I practise all three of them. The result is that I get much more done in the time I do work and that my mind is overflowing with ideas! Here’s how I do it.
Daily breaks
When I create, I flow through my day. In the past, I would work until I ran out of steam and by the end of the day, I’d often feel exhausted. Not anymore. I work for 45min and then I take a break. A timer reminds me to stop. I’m using eggtimer in a separate browser tab because it comes with an alarm and takes over my screen if I work in my browser, as I am doing right now. Very difficult to ignore. Alarms work too.
It took a bit of testing before I settled on 45 minutes as the ideal amount of time for a work block for me. You might prefer 20, 30 or even 50 minutes. See what works best for you. The most important thing is though that you make the deliberate decision to actually take that break!
Take at least ten minutes off. What do I do in my break? It depends. If I am hungry, I eat. Mostly, I practise some affirmations or mantras, listen to a guided meditation or an interesting talk on YouTube. Because I work on my laptop, I also stare out of the window at a point in the distance while I do these things or close my eyes to give them a break.
Breaks from work
If you have a full-time job, I hope you use all of your vacation time. Stepping away from any job, ideally for more than 8 days in a row, helps our brains de-stress. If you work for yourself or have several projects, taking time off is just as important! Give yourself at least one month off every year.
I talked to two Scanners who are in their twenties a few weeks ago and they struggled taking time off from their projects. Meanwhile, my goal is to have a minumum of two full completely work-free months off next year. This year, it’s one month for starters. Yes, that is one month in a row.
So how do I do it? Actually, the most important step is again giving myself permission to do nothing and just enjoy and explore for a month. And then plan accordingly. I knew at the beginning of this year that I wanted to have a full month off and I have always had that goal in the back of my mind because it’s non-negotiable.
Once you decide that you will have a month off, you can plan your entire year around it. Every task takes as much time as you allow it to have. Work is no different. Yes, I have more freedom because I create inconsistently so I can share consistently. But in any job you can work around the time off you want, as soon as you give yourself permission to do so.
Recharging
So what do you do in your breaks? In my daily breaks I like to meditate, practise affirmations or exercise. This helps me recharge. I also take three days off a week, which has boosted my productivity even more. These days are not in a row. One of these days I spend learning and sometimes doing chores, like cooking and cleaning. One day is reserved for long hikes. And the third day for “adventures”: Trips to a new place. My month off will be stuffed with reading and hiking and travelling.
These are the things that interest me. They restore my energy on a daily, weekly and yearly basis. Breaks help our brains but I have to point out here that they only do that if you take healthy breaks, meaning do activities that make you feel good. Yes, you can absolutely read cat memes! I do sometimes! You can even watch cat videos if that feels good.
Just pay attention to how you feel. If you are more tired after your break, or if you take lots of breaks during the day but are still exhausted in the evening, try different break activities. It takes a while to find what works for you and it will definitely change over time but that’s ok. We’re Scanners and thrive on change.
Plan the fun
So to recap: breaks are good. They make us smarter, more creative and are fun! Breaks are also necessary. Believe me, you do not want burnout (but that’s for another post). They reduce stress and improve mental and physical health. So allow yourself to have daily breaks and plan your weekly and yearly breaks.
This last bit is really important. If you prefer to be spontaneous and always have great ideas for what to do on your days and in your weeks off, that’s fantastic. If you spend all day sitting on your couch watching TV that’s also fine if it makes you feel good! If not, though, plan your days off.
Decide where you want to go and what you want to see. Try something new at least once a week. Follow an interest that has nothing to do with your main projects. If you want more fun in your life you have to make room for it and plan it. Follow your new fun relaxed schedule for a few weeks and be prepared to be amazed by the results.
I know I was very hesitant about my 4-day work week. I am no longer because I get more (!) done in a week now than ever before. Take breaks because you deserve them. Take breaks because they are good for you. And most importantly, take breaks because they work!