As summer is upon us, many embark on a yearly vacation. Growing up, it was always a trip “up north” to Northern Michigan for family time and fly fishing. Vacations like this are important for enhancing relationships, emotional rejuvenation, and to find a slower pace, even if just for a limited time. Taking time off can help people de-stress, feel happier, and increase productivity. While these weekend or week-long trips are great, it is also important to incorporate small breaks into your everyday schedules as well. This includes incorporating small and healthy breaks into your monthly, weekly, daily, and even hourly schedules. Research indicates that mental breaks enhance productivity, replenish attention, consolidate memories and improve creativity.
While an exhaustive list is impossible to create, some ideas to incorporate monthly, weekly, daily, and hourly breaks are:
Monthly
Take a weekend, overnight, or day trip to a city within 3 hours of you
Weekly
Be a “tourist” in your town and go see local attractions
Look in local newspapers to find local festivals, events, and activities
Schedule a visit to a park
Go catch a sports game
Daily
Exercise
Yoga
Plan a trip
Call a family member or close friend
Organize or clean your desk, workspace, or area in your home
Listen to a TED talk
Spend a couple of minutes and write 5 goals you would like to accomplish today
Draw, compose, write, color, and create something
Hourly
Mindfulness activities
Meditation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Spend time thinking about upcoming trips or activities
Take a 5-minute walk outside
Do 5 minutes of yoga
Complete a Lumosity exercise
Do nothing for 2 minutes
Focus on what you see, hear, physically feel, smell, and taste for 30 seconds each to fully appreciate what you are sensing
Listen to a song
Do push-ups and sit-ups for 5 minutes
Talk briefly to a co-worker
Putting aside for brief periods of time can be difficult especially when busy. As long as you can consistently transition back to your task after quick breaks, however, it can be greatly beneficial. So, set aside some important “me time” to enhance your concentration, creativity, output, and mood.