9 Ways to Make A Break More Meaningful
Work is important — but so are breaks from work.
Despite this, I used to hate taking breaks. I found them so void of purpose, so unstructured and unproductive for my long-term goals. But as I have come to find out, there are several ways to make them more meaningful.
These are ways you can make your breaks as valuable as your time spent working.
1: Put away your phone
Your phone is a huge time-waster.
Your breaks, while being breaks, should have purpose. Being on your phone can potentially muddle your brain and make it more difficult to reconnect with work after the break is finished. Therefore, you should look for ways to make a break more meaningful than by staring at a screen.
All those notifications you have in your inbox can wait.
2: Be bored
Boredom is your greatest asset.
When you are bored, you allow your brain to rest and recharge. Simultaneously, like author Austin Kleon says in Steal Like An Artist, boredom is a great way to unlock the creative mindset. This is because you allow yourself to not be distracted by external and internal events, which forces your brain to look for new solutions and ideas.
In this way, being bored means being increasedly focused.
3: Go out into nature
Leave your room and go outside to truly experience nature.
Nature is one of the best sources of rest and inspiration, as writer Gina Trapani claims. My friend, who is an upcoming florist, believes studying flowers to be the best form of connecting with reality. Because when you really look at nature, you get out of your own, crammed headspace and out into the real world.
Sometimes, you might just have to stop and smell the flowers.
4: Work out
Exercise nurtures the mind.
Another of Trapani’s recommendations, it is, in Kleon’s words, a great way to relax the mind and become more focused on other things. This, without distracting or compromising the work you need to get back to later on. Furthermore, exercise is also just a productive activity in itself and only does good in the long run.
It is just as meaningful as work, yet just as rejuvenating as a break.
5: Read a book
Books stimulate the mind.
More impressively, they do so without being on a screen. Books can teach, inspire, and make you think about things in new ways — but they can also allow you to simply sit back and relax. They are perhaps the perfect form of productive entertainment.
And in a way, they are like exercise for the mind.
6: Learn something new
The best way to move forward is to learn.
When you learn something new, you teach yourself to conquer certain challenges and improve your knowledge or skillset. By doing this, even for just ten minutes, you get way more value out of your time than stagnantly waiting for the next work session. This way, you come out of your break with some kind of progress under your belt.
Do it for ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour — and see how much value your break has found.
7: Follow a hobby
Hobbies are the perfect blend between work and rest.
You get to work on something that feels fulfilling or accomplishing to you. At the same time, you get to do so without expending important energy. Hobbies can also help nurture creativity and focus in the long run.
So, whatever your hobby is, do it when you can.
8: Journal
Writing something doesn’t always have to be for work.
Sometimes, the best way to allow your mind to rest is to pour it out on a page. So, write a journal entry about your work, your life, your future, your thoughts and feelings. So, write about whatever helps you unwind.
Just put the pen to paper and write.
9: Make a list about anything
Lists are great ways to organize the mind.
They transform some outer or inner chaos into a comprehensible, structured list. You can write about anything from dreams to passions to people you want to spend more time with. Indeed, they guide your focus whilst also allowing you to relax from other, more demanding tasks.
So, make a list.
Perhaps one about things you can do on your next break.
