I'm Really Bad at Taking Breaks

When I do homework all day, I usually get pretty bored or easily distracted. However, if I only have 15 minutes to do something, then it’s done in 10, but if I have, say, a whole day, then don’t count on it being done before it’s due. And it’s not for a lack of trying, I swear. There’s just something about having all the time in the world that makes me take all the time in the world.

I read this article in Psychology Today, and they say that taking breaks have these phenomenal qualities. They claim that taking breaks leads to better physical and emotional health, prevent decision fatigue, restore motivation, increase productivity and creativity, and consolidate memories and improve learning.

Well, let’s try it out. I just started writing this. Every 30 minutes, I’ll take a break. Some of these things are difficult to innumerate, but we’ll try our best.

I’ve never put much stock in taking breaks before, really. I know what they say. Staring at a computer screen damages your eyes, etc. I already have pretty bad eyes, so that seems like a consequence I’m ready to absorb. Plus, when I’m really in the swing of things, the last thing I want to do is stop working.

In the context of the workplace, however, bring on the breaks. I’ll go get coffee, then go put my coffee cup up again. And then the long-awaited lunch break. Forbes says that employees in the US are scared to take a lunch break for fear of not looking hard working. When I worked in Belgium, I took 10-15 minutes for a lunch break at first until one of my supervisors told me I could take as long as I wanted. I was surprised, but then I looked around. Some of my coworkers would take an hour or two going out to lunch, or going grocery shopping and then making food in our kitchen at the office.

Just to catch everyone up, I just went and ate lunch and watched Dateline with my mother. A rather long break, but I definitely feel motivated, if only to finish this blog and watch the rest of the Dateline. I really want to know what happens.

Anyway, the workplace is stressful. People are easily fatigued when dealing with monotony and they become overworked when their daily routine is full of problems, stress, and no reward. That’s where the politics

of a break comes in. I figure, if an employer gives its employees breaks, they will be more grateful and less resentful to their other requests. I think maybe some of those benefits will kick in, and their productivity will increase. An educated guess.

To be honest, I only took that one break, but I did have fun doing it. Lunch breaks and other little breaks boost morale, which I can vouch for. For my productivity, I guess we’ll have to wait for more long-term results.