In running any race: racing to the top of a mountain, racing to the top of the corporate ladder or when racing through the day managing a busy schedule, it’s a good strategy to try and find the rest stops along the way to be able to continue to run with perseverance and endurance. The good news is that such opportunities are easy to find and are available all around us. We just need to remind ourselves to pause and take intentional breaks to let ourselves recharge, re-energize and get re-inspired.
I’ve always struggled to embrace the idea of rest, or taking a break. Yes, I am that person who always has to be doing something being constantly busy and working on many different projects simultaneously. I do my best thinking and get my best ideas through movement and physical activity. My relaxation time is when I’m running, hiking, dancing, kayaking, stretching, or doing my hula hoop. But I get my mental rest and inspiration when I interact with other people. Inspiration comes to me in many forms: having a great conversation, reading a great book or an article, listening to a TED Talk, and scrolling through my LinkedIn and Facebook newsfeeds. Everyone has a story; some stories make me think, some will put a smile on my face, some will move me, and some will truly inspire me. Stories about people overcoming adversity and doing extraordinary things leave me spiritually uplifted and strengthen my belief in human potential for creativity and greatness.
I just took a short break to watch a YouTube video about Jessica Cox, an inspirational woman who is doing extraordinary things achieving what seems to be the impossible. Jessica was born with no arms. She uses her feet to perform not only day-to-day tasks but also anything and everything from gymnastics and tap dancing to martial arts and flying planes. She is the first woman without arms to earn a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and is the first licensed pilot with no arms. And she is doing it all with a big smile and a great sense of humor. There’s a great moment in the video when she is about to take a flying lesson wearing a T-shirt that says “Look ma, no hands.”
Break over! I am in awe and feeling inspired. With a positive attitude, creativity and determination even the sky has no limit. Taking a break from our work, even if to click through photos of singing dogs, is not procrastinating. We need breaks to boost our productivity. Like any other muscle, our brain tires from repeated strenuous mental activity. Breaks following focused concentration allow us to recharge and gain a fresh perspective on complex work problems. And it’s been scientifically proven:
OK, so now we know that even brief breaks improve our focus. Just like it’s necessary to take breaks from physical activity to recuperate and prevent injuries, taking breaks at work to rest and relax is equally important. Embracing the downtime to refresh, we’ll become more energized, engaged, and efficient. And there’s a simple technique to do it – The Pomodoro Technique. All you need is a timer. How to do it? Break your large projects into a series of tasks and your work day down into timed intervals (called “Pomodoros”) with scheduled short breaks in-between. The method calls for a concentrated work period of 25 minutes and then a 5-minute break. At the end of a “pomodoro” you mark your progress. After 4 “pomodoros,” which equal 100 minutes of work time and 15 minutes of break time, you earn a 20 minute break.
To learn more: http://pomodorotechnique.com/get-started/
It’s my experience that in a real-world office environment with calls, meetings, and constant interruptions, it may not be feasible to fully follow the method and time intervals. However, modifying and adapting the process to what works best in any given day, the technique trains our brains to focus and helps improve our concentration over time. To go back to the analogy of running, we need to learn how to work optimally in short sprints to be able to finish a challenging long-distance race.
