If you spend your entire day in a cubicle or an office, behind a desk, chances are that at some point, you will lose focus and your productivity is going to decrease. There are days when you just need to find ways to de-stress and relax a little bit. Working non-stop is a sure way to burn you out, but taking a little break from time to time can really refresh your mind. The problem appears when the time you need to take a break doesn’t align with the time you are allowed to take one. There are a lot of studies which show that taking a little time off from time to time can make you more productive, so breaks are not always a bad idea. Here are 7 ways to take a break at work and still look busy:
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Deliver Messages Rather than Emailing
If you need to take a break, instead of sending a short e-mail to one of your colleagues, just get up and deliver that message personally. This little break will give you a few minutes to recharge your batteries and it will allow you to return to work a bit more refreshed.
Split Your Lunch into Smaller Breaks
If you get an hour for lunch, you could talk to your boss and ask him to allow you to split that break into three smaller ones, for example, a bigger break of 30 minutes during which you can have lunch and two smaller breaks of 15 minutes each. During these breaks, you could just step outside for a few minutes and get some sunshine and fresh air.
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Volunteer to Go on an Errand
If you need to take a little break when you are at work but you don’t want anyone to think that you are slacking off, then just volunteer to go on an errand. It could be a short trip to the supply closet, an errand for your boss or even a trip to go and get some coffee for your colleagues.
Make Multiple Trips to the Copier
Even though it would be more efficient to just save up everything that needs to be copied and do it all at once, if you want to take a little break without anyone knowing about it, you could make multiple trips to the copier. Two or three trips to the copier will give you the chance to walk around your office space and to give yourself a little break.
Do Simple Exercises at Your Desk
If walking around your office space is not an option but your body needs a little break, then you could try doing a few simple exercises at your desk. There are a lot of videos online that can show you what exercises you can do sitting at your desk. This will help you release all that tension from your body and it will help you feel calmer and more relaxed.
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Get a Longer Phone Cord
If you have to sit behind a desk for 8 hours every day, make sure that you get a longer phone cord. This way, when you are on the phone, you can stand up and pace a short distance during calls.
Set a Timer to Take a Break
Walking away from your desk is not always an option but in those situations, you could just set a timer to go off every 30 to 45 minutes and then reset it for 3 or 4 minutes. During that short break, you can simply close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and try to relax and shut out any worries you have about work or your personal life.
Taking a break from time to time when we are working is important because in the long term, those breaks can actually increase our productivity. Do you know any other ways to take a break at work but still look busy? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section!
Sources:
wisebread.com
lifehacker.com
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