1 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,720 --> 00:00:16,120 Speaker 2: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 2: tip is to name your breaks. Taking regular breaks during 4 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 2: the workday tends to make people more productive, and we 5 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 2: tend to take things more seriously when they have formal names. 6 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:36,760 Speaker 2: Naming your breaks just might nudge you to actually take them. 7 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,240 Speaker 1: Today's tip comes from a participant in my recent Better 8 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: Workday Challenge as part of my next book, currently called 9 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: Big Time, I had hundreds of people implement some strategies 10 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: that I believe can help anyone improve their time at work. 11 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: One of those strategies is to take two short breaks 12 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: each day where you do something restorative. People try this 13 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: out and report back on how it went. One person 14 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: mentioned that she was naming her breaks, think things like 15 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: the morning walk or afternoon tea time. Giving her breaks 16 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:18,279 Speaker 1: names meant that she wasn't just taking a half hearted 17 00:01:18,319 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: break by checking personal email in between Zoom meetings, she 18 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: knew it was time to go take her morning walk. 19 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: I know people take breaks in lots of different ways, 20 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: but I absolutely love this idea. In an eight hour day, 21 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: it might be good to take one mid morning break 22 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:42,479 Speaker 1: a lunch break, and then a mid afternoon break. Lunch 23 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:45,640 Speaker 1: already has a name, but what do you call those 24 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: other ones? I could picture all sorts of things. If 25 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:52,919 Speaker 1: you decided to do the headspace app for ten minutes 26 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: mid morning, that could be your morning meditation break. A 27 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:03,080 Speaker 1: mid afternoon walk might be called your afternoon constitutional Or 28 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: perhaps you check in with a work friend in mid 29 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: to late afternoon, this could be your tea time teta tet. 30 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: If you listen to upbeat music during a break, that 31 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: could be your morning motivation moment. You can see I 32 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: like alliteration, but what I really like is figuring out 33 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: what kinds of breaks you like to take when, and 34 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,799 Speaker 1: then formalizing them, at least to a degree. People do 35 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: generally expect to take lunch. There is a purpose to 36 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,359 Speaker 1: that break, and it has a name, but generally it's 37 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,079 Speaker 1: good to break more frequently than that. By giving other 38 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:44,079 Speaker 1: breaks a name, you make them sound purposeful and more 39 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: like an expectation. It is not just mid afternoon and 40 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: you are tired. It is afternoon constitutional time. It is 41 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,919 Speaker 1: not just mid morning and you already can't think straight 42 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: because that last meeting was so ridiculous. It is morning 43 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: meditation time. Your breaks don't have to be the same 44 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 1: every day, nor do they have to be different from 45 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: each other within a given day. But most people have 46 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 1: certain things they know will reliably energize them. I certainly 47 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: try to grab a walk most afternoons. By naming your breaks, 48 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:26,320 Speaker 1: you can turn what is sometimes an afterthought into more 49 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: of a ritual. Rituals are more likely to happen, and 50 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: if your breaks happen, you will be more productive. It 51 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: really is as simple as that. In the meantime, this 52 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making the 53 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. 54 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or food, you can reach 55 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast 56 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, 57 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 58 00:04:19,400 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.