WEBVTT - Take a better break today

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

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<v Speaker 2>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 2>tip is to take a better break today. Everyone takes

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<v Speaker 2>breaks during the workday, whether they think they do or not.

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<v Speaker 2>So if you are going to take a break at

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<v Speaker 2>some point today, why not make it as rejuvenating and

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<v Speaker 2>wonderful as possible. In some lines of work, breaks are

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<v Speaker 2>formally built in. When I worked in a fast food

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<v Speaker 2>restaurant many years ago, an eight hour shift was scheduled

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<v Speaker 2>over nine hours because the working hours came with two

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen minute breaks and one thirty minute break.

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<v Speaker 1>My coworkers and I all took our fifteen minute breaks

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<v Speaker 1>at set staggered times to make sure enough people were

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<v Speaker 1>manning the kitchen and the registers. I imagine many people

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<v Speaker 1>listening to this podcast work in slightly different ways. Breaks

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<v Speaker 1>aren't so formally structured in your line of work. You

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<v Speaker 1>work for a while, and then you do something different

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<v Speaker 1>that isn't necessarily the core of your job until you

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<v Speaker 1>resume work again. When I have observed people and discussed

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<v Speaker 1>their schedules, I've noticed that these breaks often start unintentionally.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe you are working on a report and mean to

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<v Speaker 1>ask your colleague about something you hope to include. You

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<v Speaker 1>pop over to your inbox to send a note. Then

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<v Speaker 1>in your inbox you see a headline about something designed

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<v Speaker 1>to get your attention. You click over to the article

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<v Speaker 1>and read it, and then read something else, or see

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<v Speaker 1>a sports score and have to go check that out,

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<v Speaker 1>and next thing you know, it can be twenty mins,

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<v Speaker 1>minutes or more before you resume work. Now, that twenty

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<v Speaker 1>minute break was longer than my restaurant's formally scheduled smoke breaks,

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<v Speaker 1>that's what we called them, whether you smoked or not,

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<v Speaker 1>which I didn't. But many people taking that headline reading

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<v Speaker 1>break wouldn't even note it has a break. It wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>particularly rejuvenating or relaxing, and since it wasn't scheduled ahead

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<v Speaker 1>and intentionally taken, many people might not even notice it.

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<v Speaker 1>Then they might claim that they don't take breaks. But

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<v Speaker 1>everyone takes breaks, some are intentional and some are not,

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<v Speaker 1>Some are relaxing and some are not. I would argue

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<v Speaker 1>that since it is impossible to spend an entire work

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<v Speaker 1>day entirely focused on work, we are all best off

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<v Speaker 1>taking breaks intentionally so they can be truly rejuvenating and

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<v Speaker 1>not take more time than we intend to give them.

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<v Speaker 1>So as you think about your day to day, aim

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<v Speaker 1>to take a much better break. You might look over

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<v Speaker 1>your schedule and identify when you'd be most likely to

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<v Speaker 1>do something that is not your core job. Lots of

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<v Speaker 1>people feel unfocused and fatigued in mid afternoon, so if

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<v Speaker 1>you are not sure that's probably a good time to

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<v Speaker 1>aim for, then think about what you could do in

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<v Speaker 1>ten to fifteen minutes that would boost your energy levels.

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<v Speaker 1>Could you go for a quick walk, Even if you

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<v Speaker 1>can't leave your building, you might be able to go

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<v Speaker 1>up and down the stairs. You could have a quick

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<v Speaker 1>cup of tea with a colleague that you enjoy. That's

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<v Speaker 1>a much better way to socialize than reading comments on

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<v Speaker 1>online articles. You could read a book or a magazine

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<v Speaker 1>for a few minutes. If you think people will look

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<v Speaker 1>askance at this intentional break, just go somewhere that they

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<v Speaker 1>can't see you outside or your car, or a faraway

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<v Speaker 1>conference room or something like that. Of course, if you

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<v Speaker 1>work from home, you've got a lot more options. You

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<v Speaker 1>could do any sort of hobby, like practicing a musical instrument, gardening,

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<v Speaker 1>doing some artwork, or maybe a more complicated workout. You

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<v Speaker 1>could take your dog on a real walk and get

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<v Speaker 1>both of you some exercise and fresh air. Picture what

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<v Speaker 1>you would like to do today, and then work out

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<v Speaker 1>the logistics. If you plan to read and you work

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<v Speaker 1>in an office, make sure you bring your book. If

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<v Speaker 1>you'd like to go for a walk, make sure you

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<v Speaker 1>wear or bring shoes that would make that possible. If

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<v Speaker 1>you plan to practice your flute in your home office,

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<v Speaker 1>put your flute and your music in there so you

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<v Speaker 1>don't waste time looking for it when it's time to

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<v Speaker 1>take a break. Then at break time, execute on the play. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>you might need to be a little bit flexible. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>your break happens a little earlier or maybe a little

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<v Speaker 1>bit later than you planned. Maybe a colleagues meeting runs along,

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<v Speaker 1>so you walk alone rather than with a group. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>you take two shorter breaks instead of one longer one.

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<v Speaker 1>But I highly doubt that you can't make it work.

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<v Speaker 1>If you work in a job where breaks aren't scheduled,

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<v Speaker 1>but you think you work without ceasing, try observing your

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<v Speaker 1>time sometime and your activities just for a day and

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<v Speaker 1>see if there is any time spent on stuff other

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<v Speaker 1>than the core of your work. My guess is that

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<v Speaker 1>the answer is yes. If so, you will be better

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<v Speaker 1>off choosing those activities and acknowledging your break. You'll feel

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<v Speaker 1>more relaxed and like time is more within your control.

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<v Speaker 1>That little mindset shift can change everything. In the meantime.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

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<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b the number

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<v Speaker 1>four then Breakfast pod. You can also shoot me an

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<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That

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<v Speaker 1>before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>so much, should I look forward to staying in touch.

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts

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