By Adrienne Erin
Contributor, Online Career Tips
These days, businesses in every industry are throwing more work than ever before on their workers’ plates. All of this is done in an effort for businesses to be more productive while spending less money.
In theory, you can always be more productive. But in the real world, there is a threshold where productivity and motivation take a nosedive. If you complete 30 projects in your best week, for example, it doesn’t necessarily logically follow that you can complete 31 the next week. In other words, there’s a maximum that you can’t really improve upon without compromising the quality of your work.
To make sure that you’re producing to the utmost of your abilities — but producing high-quality work as you hit that maximum threshold — it’s imperative that you step away from your work from time to time simply to clear your head. Sure, you might not even be able to find the time to step out of the office for a 30-minute lunch, but even if you can afford to take five minutes here and there, it could very well make a world of difference.
Five minutes might not sound like enough time for an ideal break, but getting relaxed in the 300 seconds you do have is certainly possible. If you’re hard-pressed to figure out a way you can relax during a five-minute break, consider these tips:
Have a Snack or Drink Some Tea
A healthy, delicious snack or a warm beverage can certainly help you regain some energy and focus as you hustle through the grind of a tough day at work. Consider leaving your desk and finding somewhere else you can go to sit and relax for a few minutes, enjoying a little bit of food or drink to help you regain the strength you need to face the rest of your day.
Take a Walk
Humans weren’t designed to sit on their rear ends for eight hours every day. Any way you slice it, that’s not the healthiest of habits. So get up and take a walk outside your office building or somewhere nearby. In addition to getting your blood flowing, stepping outside will make you feel a little more alive. Whether it’s the summer or the winter it doesn’t matter. Get outside, if only just for a few minutes.
Meditate
If you can do some meditation, without the risk of falling asleep, it might be worth trying in order to get relaxed and ready to confront whatever else you’ll face over the remaining course of the day. Research indicates that as little as two stints of meditation throughout the course of a day can help alleviate stress and improve your mood as well.
Listen to a Song or Read a Poem
Sure, five minutes isn’t enough time to catch up on TV watching or finish a transcription. That much time is enough to get your artistic juices flowing in one way or another. Why not read a couple poems or listen to your favorite song? You can also write, draw or take a quick stab at a crossword puzzle to activate your brain.
Call a Friend or Family Member
Five minutes is plenty of time to briefly catch up with someone, and it provides the perfect excuse to both initiate and end a phone call. If you find yourself on a break, why not spend it chatting with someone you haven’t heard from in a while?
No matter how hard your boss needs you to work, it’s important that you step away from the computer throughout the day in order to stay healthy. By considering some of these tips you’ll undoubtedly find a five-minute break to be productive.
You’ll always wish your breaks were longer—and there’s not much you can do about that. But you can make sure you get the most out of those 300 seconds.
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