Do you work to live or live to work? Many of us are actively trying to create more of a work-life balance, but whether you work from home, from the office, or a hybrid of both, this can be difficult. Even the busiest workday should contain some breaks. While it can be a struggle to make yourself take them, you really should make the most of this time away from your workflow. Here are just some ways in which you can make the most of your work breaks and feel more fulfilled every day.
Enjoy activities that involve leaving your desk
It’s important to have a good work balance, especially if you work long hours. So instead of using up your work breaks, sitting at your desk or doing more work, take the time to enjoy other activities. We all live increasingly sedentary lifestyles, both at work and at home. So it can be beneficial during work breaks to get up and get active.
While you might find yourself too tired to do much after work, you can use your breaks to enjoy more physical activity. There are plenty of lunchtime workouts to choose from, from taking time away from your desk to go running, or just going for a walk to get your steps in. If you live near a gym, an hour break can give you a chance to make the most of it. You can either fit in a class or a quick circuit of your favourite equipment, so you can get back to work feeling energised!
Focus on improving your life
Do you have a special hobby or interest that you wish you could learn more about? Or have you always wanted some quiet time and space to learn a language? You can use your work breaks to learn and grow personally, whatever your interests might be. Work breaks, whether long ones or short ones, could be the perfect opportunity for you to fit in more learning. Especially when you don’t have time or cannot be bothered to after work.
There may even be an opportunity to take an online class, or you could start one in-person, either by yourself or with your colleagues. Investing time into a new skill or hobby will be much more enriching than simply grabbing coffee! You could plan to be at your most productive during your work breaks and working hours only and spend your time outside of the office doing tasks that aren’t work-related, hence achieving a better work-life balance.
Enhance your career during your work breaks
Perhaps one of the most amazing ways that you can enhance your break times and make the most of them is by working on your career. You may not want to work or study during every single break, but choosing to dedicate some of your time to career progression can be very beneficial. For example, you may wish to do a course and study during your downtime at work, learn new skills, or commit to doing industry research that can help you decide where you want your career to go next.
It is important to find useful resources that will help you to progress and enhance your knowledge – this isn’t time to just wander around the internet! Insightful study resources such as those provided by 300Hours.com can not only show you ways to develop your financial career but also provide great tips around study motivation and how to use your study breaks too.
Use the time to rest instead
While having active breaks and improving your health is important, it is also important to spend some time resting. Especially during busy times at work, you may wish to take some time for yourself. Even this can be more structured, listening to peaceful music that helps to ground you and reduce stress, or even practising mindfulness. There are some fantastic apps that you can download to your phone for guided meditations and mindfulness that can really give you a calming boost.
Podcasts are really popular too so why not spend your breaks taking some time away from a screen, and take a walk with your favourite podcast series? Just taking the time to read an enriching book can also be a very calming exercise and won’t stress you out like reading the news on your phone might, or remaining glued to your desk working your break.
By mixing it up and introducing some of these methods into your day, you can develop your skills and grow both personally and professionally. It may be all too easy to lose time playing games on your phone or just texting with friends. However, you will feel so much more fulfilled if you take time to breathe, learn, and grow – even on a break.
