WAHM Tips: Take Regular Breaks
Every week we bring you a tip to help ease the stress of working from home. It may be a technique for getting things done, avoiding interruptions or just getting through the day with your sanity intact. This week we are looking at how to take regular breaks.
Working from home means we set our own hours. There’s no water cooler to congregate around and no-one to take a coffee break with. It’s easy to forget to take proper breaks.
Before you know it - you've been sitting at the computer, the whole morning has whizzed by and you're wondering why your concentration and focus is flagging.
Research shows that without regular breaks we become less efficient. What a wonderful reason to down tools every hour or so and give ourselves a break.
Here’s where you can take advantage of your surroundings. Give yourself ten minutes to: walk around the garden, pat the dog, flick through a magazine or pop the kettle on.
When you come back to your work it will be with renewed vigour and a clearer mind. The fresh air can’t do any harm either!
Here's a wonderful quote by Leonardo da Vinci to prove that even back then, those in the know knew how to be productive:
“Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgement will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen.”
Email me with your WAHM tips and get your name in print on our page.
Ahh.. yes Heather, those 10 min breaks that I often forget to take then really wish I had!! Usually I wind up taking them when I need to stretch!! Thanks for the reminder. it is good to take a break before you feel you are going to pop!! lol.
Peace and light
Elissa Joy
ps . Glad I found you on the Ultimate Blog Challenge!
Elissa,
How lovely to meet you and extra special that it was via the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I’ve done a few of them now and always meet wonderful friends. We all stay in touch and support each other – it’s so amazing.
Thank you for finding me – I love your blog and I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.
Hugs
Heather x
I am shocking at remembering to take breaks … all of a sudden I will realise I’ve been working for hours and I desperately need to move!
Thanks for the reminder to be a little more aware 🙂
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Meg,
It’s a pleasure!
I’ve learnt a great way to remember to take breaks. I use my schedule to block out chunks of time (say 60-90 mins), I set myself a task that I think will take that long (or series of little tasks) and then give myself a break as my prize when I reach my target. It does two things: makes sure I get a break and means I’m so much more productive. I keep an eye on the clock on my computer, but I know people who even set a timer to ring after an allocated time. Have a go yourself and let me know how you get on.
Heather x
Hi Heather
Great advice to take regular breaks.
In an office environment you naturally take breaks by talking to people, going for a drink etc. but at home…. you just keep going and as you say, wonder why you start to wilt.
Something that all home workers need – regular breaks and if possible, a chat with another human being. LOL.
Keith Davis recently posted..Keep it short- keep it sharp
Keith,
Welcome and thanks for your comment.
I totally agree about chatting to another human being. Not only do we not have a water cooler to congregate around, but also no colleagues 🙁 That was the thing I missed the most as I like to bounce ideas around and talk things through. I’ve found that the internet gives me immediate access to whatever and whoever I need. It’s a great tool and a big support.
Heather x
Heather
You say water cooler I say cup of tea.
We are reluctant to give up our tea here in the UK. LOL
BTW – is this a Genesis theme?
Looks like Genesis but I don’t see any mention.
Keith Davis recently posted..Keep it short- keep it sharp
LOL – I love my tea too Keith – and I’m in the UK!
South West Scotland to be precise – downshifted to the middle of nowhere from a busy life in Liverpool. All the companies I’ve worked for have water-coolers to congregate around (but maybe only in the warmer months LOL).
Theme is a variant of 2010 called Weaver – I really like the fresh look.
This is so true. Without small breaks in between my work, I think I would go crazy, lol! Especially with how many jobs I have on the go at any given time. I tend to work on one client project (or 2-3 depending on whether it’s a full-fledged project or just maintenance), then I take a small break to make a coffee or watch a television show. It helps me to mentally divide myself from the work I just completed, so that I can let it go and move onto something new.
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