Take ‘microbreaks’ between your regular breaks to reduce stress, improve focus, boost productivity—and maybe even live longer
It’s amazing how easy it can be to get lost in your work.
You put your nose to the grindstone and—BAM!—the next thing you know, four hours have raced past.
Sadly, during that time, you never once budged from your chair.
Is that a productive way to work? Not likely. There is evidence aplenty that sitting in one spot without movement from the moment you finish your morning coffee until you pause for lunch can actually reduce your productivity.
That makes sense. Sitting for hours at a stretch as you toil in front of a computer screen subjects your eyes and muscles to unrelieved strain. The result is discomfort and pain. The lack of blood flow and brain oxygenation also reduce your ability to concentrate.
Not to frighten you or anything but prolonged sitting may also increase your chances of getting cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.
This is where “microbreaks” come in.
Microbreaks are very short respites you take throughout the day. They can last as little as 30 seconds or as long as five minutes—although a duration of one to two minutes is typical. Studies have demonstrated that these brief timeouts are highly beneficial for your mental and physical wellbeing.
Get your body moving
You use microbreaks to disrupt the monotony of performing repetitive work and to provide an opportunity to get your body moving.
Some people who aren’t sold on the idea microbreaks dismiss them as a distraction that causes loss of focus and a drop in productivity. On the contrary, microbreaks help you stay focused which, in turn, enables you to better perform your tasks.
For example, researchers have shown that focus could be restored by taking a 40-second microbreak to merely look out the window and admire the greenery.
Meanwhile, it’s now understood that work-induced stress and low energy levels can be reduced by performing a few simple breathing exercises during each microbreak.
Here are some things you can do during a microbreak to get your blood flowing, your sinews activated, and your synapses firing:
- Walk from one side of your office to the other
- Grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator
- Wipe down the inside of your microwave
- Practice breathing exercises
- Perform a simple but high-intensity workout (such as one-minute planks or burpees)
- Ponder the potted plants in your office
- Draw inspiration from viewing an artwork (the Mellow app is great for that purpose)
Be comfortable
For the ones who prefer to stay seated, you may want to look for versatile chairs like Varier’s Gravity Balans as the chair to use at your desk.
This unique design is ideal for both tasking and lounging because it lets you sit in active kneeling, upright, recline or go into zero-gravity. Switching between positions is actually the best solution to stay active even while sitting.
Bottom line, microbreaks should be viewed as an essential part of your daily work routine. They will reduce your stress level and boost your productivity. And they may even help you live longer by helping you achieve better health.
You want us to assist you in finding the right set up to stay active and productive? Reach out to us
