Get the best out of your lunch break
How do you spend your lunch break? Do you prioritise work over lunch and skip it in favour of working? Or do you eat at your desk at the speed of light, to get back to work as soon as possible? Do you even spend the entire time just eating? In any case, are you making the most of it?
Different offices have different cultures. For instance, at one of my jobs, I ate as fast as I could so I could rush back to my desk. At another, everyone spent their lunch break together at the rooftop of the building, where a separate space offered a place to eat. An article MasterCard published placed the percentage of British employees actually taking around one hour for lunch at 17. Given that this article is already several years old…
Why is it important to take a lunch break?
Lingering over your lunch feels counterproductive. There’s a lot of work piling up and every second you spend not working is every second of overtime you are racking up. Right? Wrong.
Taking full advantage of your lunch break may feel like a waste of time. But in reality, that break will only improve your productivity. There are definite benefits to taking breaks from working. You might be the biggest workaholic to ever exist. But pushing through at work with no breaks is not healthy. And it definitely is not productive. And if you are in a position of managing others, your habits can also affect your team. Imagine doing a project as a team and powering through it with minimal breaks.
Even if you are ok with it, your team members may have a word or two to say about it, even if they never say it to your face. Taking a break now and again could help you to keep positivity up, don’t you think? Why not spend the lunch break with your teammates and get to know them? Joking around and getting to know each other will make everyone happy, and that positivity will go a long way towards overall productivity.
Things you can do to get the best out of your lunch break
Just because it’s your ‘lunch’ break, you don’t have to spend it just eating. Sure, the food will give you an extra boost for the second half of your work day. But if you give yourself permission to enjoy it to the fullest, this break can be about more than just satisfying your tummy.
Get to know your co-workers better
Instead of eating at your desk, you can join your coworkers and share a meal together. Personally speaking, the people I shared the lunch break with were the ones I was closest to at work. This is an opportunity to shed your professional persona a little and get friendly with your colleagues. Doing so will improve the trust you share with them, which can then affect your teamwork for the better.
Unwind and decompress
Depending on your day, by the time your lunch breaks rolls around, you might already be a ball of stress. So this is a chance for you to take a step back and relax a bit. Hit pause on your day and take a few minutes to just breathe. Clear your head of the clutter. Giving yourself a moment to slow down will help you to have a wider perspective.
Hit the gym
If you are too tired to go to the gym after work, you can do it during the lunch break. The gym is more likely to be less crowded in the afternoon, so you can really enjoy your workout in relative peace. An added bonus? Excercising will reinvigorate you, giving you an extra boost to tackle the remainder of your to-do list at work.
Give your eyes a break too
You have to spend the majority of the work day, staring at some screen or the other. So during your lunch break, avoid all kinds of screens. Yes, even scrolling through IG on your smart phone. Your eyes strain a lot when you spend a lot of time staring at a screen. So if possible, avoid doing it during lunch. A healthy eyesight is a blessing you should never take for granted.
Spend time outside
How much time do you typically spend outdoors? Let’s be honest, if you work behind a desk at an office, not a lot. Which means you don’t get a lot of fresh (as fresh as it can be, in cities) air or sunshine. Get your daily dose of vitamin D during your lunch break by going outside for a short walk. Even a chance to feel the wind on your skin can help to reduce stress.
Catch up with old friends
If your friends happen to work nearby, you can meet them during the lunch break. With everyone being busy, the chances to meet our friends get few and far between as we grow older. Meeting them during this break from work is not only going to help you maintain your friendships. Talking to them and reaffirming your relationships will make you happier. Which will lead to improving your productivity.
Pamper yourself
When you are busy with work, your personal errands take a back seat. Do you even get the chance to do something for yourself? So steal some time during the lunch break to focus on yourself and focus on self-care. Do something that makes you feel better because you deserve it.
