WEBVTT - Are you on a break or just off task?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to take breaks intentionally. We are going to

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<v Speaker 1>take breaks during the workday, whether we plan to or not,

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<v Speaker 1>so it pays to take them mindfully. That way, you

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<v Speaker 1>will be aware that you actually took breaks and probably

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<v Speaker 1>be more refreshed as a result. I recently ran a

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<v Speaker 1>Better Workday challenge, during which I taught participants strategies for

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<v Speaker 1>making their workdays more pleasant. One of these strategies was

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<v Speaker 1>to take intentional breaks. The idea is that for ten

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<v Speaker 1>minutes in the morning and ten minutes in the afternoon,

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<v Speaker 1>you pause your work, step away from your screen and

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<v Speaker 1>do something totally different. Maybe you go to the break

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<v Speaker 1>room and chat with your work best friend, or make

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<v Speaker 1>a cup of peppermint tea. Maybe you work on a

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<v Speaker 1>crossword puzzle, or you might just go outside and take

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<v Speaker 1>a few breaths of fresh air. Whatever it is, the

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<v Speaker 1>point is to shift your focus and do something that

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<v Speaker 1>will refresh you. This all sounds good, but some Better

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<v Speaker 1>Workday Challenge participants soon realized that there was a fine

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<v Speaker 1>line between being on a break and just being off task.

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<v Speaker 1>This especially happened when the person was doing something not

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<v Speaker 1>work related but at their computer. You know how this goes.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you start by hopping over to a weather website

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<v Speaker 1>to see whether your evening's softball practice is likely to

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<v Speaker 1>be canceled, and then you find yourself on a sporting

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<v Speaker 1>goods website searching for softball cleats like the one your

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<v Speaker 1>friend has. Or maybe you go to link to see

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<v Speaker 1>whether a college friend is still working at the accounting

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<v Speaker 1>firm that your company just hired for your audit, and

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<v Speaker 1>then you end up writing a note to congratulate another

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<v Speaker 1>friend on her new job, and then reading several articles too.

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<v Speaker 1>Are those breaks? I would argue that they mostly are

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<v Speaker 1>in the sense that they aren't part of your job.

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<v Speaker 1>But they are not the sort of breaks that will

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<v Speaker 1>restore you for the rest of the day. They don't

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<v Speaker 1>feel that different from your work. You might not even

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<v Speaker 1>notice that you took those breaks, and so you can

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<v Speaker 1>create a story of having zero time to relax. So

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<v Speaker 1>how do you avoid mindless breaks like these? One general

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<v Speaker 1>policy might be that if you are not working, step

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<v Speaker 1>away from your screen if you possibly can, don't pass

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<v Speaker 1>this potential break time by looking at your personal email

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<v Speaker 1>or news headlines, or by internet shopping. Leave your workspace,

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<v Speaker 1>or at least turn away from your computer so you're

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<v Speaker 1>break marks a real change from your work. I think

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<v Speaker 1>some people take these fake breaks because they feel less conspicuous.

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<v Speaker 1>After all, if you are still at your computer, it

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<v Speaker 1>looks like you are still working. Getting up and reading

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<v Speaker 1>a novel outside might be seen as a bold statement.

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<v Speaker 1>But when you are doing something not work related at

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<v Speaker 1>your computer, you are not actually producing any more for

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<v Speaker 1>your employer than you would be if you were away

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<v Speaker 1>from your desk. Seriously, your employer gains nothing more by

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<v Speaker 1>you shopping on eBay than you reading that vampire novel

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<v Speaker 1>out in the Sunshine. So maybe go gently at first.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you do a really good job, taking two

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<v Speaker 1>ten minute breaks per day to do something refreshing is

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<v Speaker 1>not that ridiculous. So in the days ahead, pay attention

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<v Speaker 1>to when you are producing an when you are not,

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<v Speaker 1>and when you are not producing, acknowledge that this may

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<v Speaker 1>not be an effective break, you are just off task.

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<v Speaker 1>If you do need a break, take a real one.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll enjoy the time more and probably be more productive

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<v Speaker 1>in the long run. In the meantime, this is Laura,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks for listening and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>to your favorite shows.