Rest, Recharge, Repeat: The Power of Small Breaks
"Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes...including you." ~ Anne Lamott
Are you someone who's guilty of working non-stop without taking a break?
Me too.
When I burnt out, I was living for the weekend or the next holiday - a time when I could stop and rest. But I was missing all the small opportunities to take a break that were available to me every day, even though I had convinced myself I was too busy to even stop for lunch.
I believe that small breaks can be just as powerful as big ones when it comes to resting and recharging.
Because, let's face it, most of us aren't great at making time for or even enjoying the big breaks anyway.
There are two main benefits to taking small breaks. Firstly, it is easier to practice taking small breaks. By treating them as little bits of rest and coming back to work, we can slowly build up our ability to rest. This is much easier than suddenly taking half a day off or an extra day off a week, especially if we are not used to taking a lot of rest. This is how you get better at resting and enjoying 'winters' without feeling guilty.
Secondly, because cycles are fractal (there are cycles within cycles within cycles), we get to experience these little bits of recuperation throughout the day. This means that we are less likely to be exhausted at the end of the day because we have been taking little opportunities to reboot throughout the day. That adds up over the course of the cycle of a week and then the month.
How do you know when it's time to take a break?
Signs You Need to Take a Break
Almost certainly time for a break!
Tension in your head, neck and shoulders;
Feeling hungry or thirsty;
Eye strain or difficulty focusing on your work;
Feeling irritable, anxious, more sensitive or overwhelmed;
Feeling stuck or lacking motivation;
Making more mistakes or having difficulty remembering important details;
Reaching for distractions like your phone;
A sense that it is taking longer than usual to complete tasks.
It's important to note that these signs can vary from person to person, depending on their unique circumstances and where they are in their cycles. It's essential to pay attention to what your body is telling you and to get to know what the signs are for you that indicate it's time to take a break.
Structure is your friend
It can be challenging to recognise these signs, especially for me, when I become completely immersed in my work. My attention is solely focused on my tasks, and my perception becomes narrow. As a result, I tend to dissociate from my body, making it difficult for me to notice any physical or mental changes. Relying on myself to notice I need a break isn't sufficient.
This is where structure and discipline can help you be more tender with yourself. Scheduling in small breaks around every one to two hours can work for most people and is in line with our basic activity-rest cycle, which runs throughout our day. This cycle is between 80 and 120 minutes long; you might know it as the REM sleep cycle.
By scheduling in breaks, you can give yourself the opportunity to pause and check in with yourself to see if you need to take a break. With this structure, you're more likely to take a break before you hit your threshold and need even more time to recover.
One tool that I find helpful for scheduling breaks is an app called Time Out on my MacBook. I can set up regular breaks and customise the duration of those breaks. I like to have a 10-minute break every hour so I'm ready to start afresh at the top of each hour, especially when I have coaching calls. There's also a feature for a 15-second break every 15 minutes which reminds me to take my eyes away from the screen and receive a couple of mindful breaths. One of my favourite things about the app is that it disables my screen during the break, making it much harder to ignore than just a phone reminder (although I can still skip it or delay it by a few minutes if it's not convenient - I try not to do this too frequently!).
create a ritual
Having decided to take a break, what do you do with your time? This might sound like far too much planning for some people but I'm sure my fellow control freaks will love this. Of course, find something that works for you - there is no one-size-fits-all.
Your break could involve:
This looks pretty idyllic to me - don’t let the perfect be the enemy of good enough when it comes to taking breaks
Some movement - stand up, stretch, shake, put on a song and dance in your kitchen while the kettle boils;
A drink - dehydration is the enemy of focus and creativity so fill up your water bottle or make a cup of tea;
Connection with nature - if you can get outside for a few moments but even looking out of the window or at a picture of a beautiful vista can help regulate your nervous system;
A power nap if you have space for a longer break, but even laying back and closing your eyes for a few minutes can be reenergising (Dan Pink talks about the 'nap-uccino' - drink a coffee then nap for up to 20 minutes so you wake up just as the caffeine is hitting your system);
Social connection (preferably without a screen) - I like to use my cats for this if I'm working from home alone or I like to leave voice notes for friends.
Whatever you do, create a ritual for yourself. I find calling it a ritual rather than a routine gives it a sense of being something precious to engage in intentionally but, whatever you call it, knowing what you do in your breaks reduces decision-fatigue and makes it less likely you'll scroll your way through whatever time off you've given yourself.
Taking breaks is not a sign of weakness or laziness. Instead, it's a vital part of every cycle and can help us be more productive and focused when we're working. By prioritising small breaks throughout the day, we can train ourselves to make rest a regular part of our routine and enjoy the benefits of sustained productivity and mental clarity. If you want to commit to taking those small breaks and giving yourself the gift of rest throughout the day, share your break rituals in the comments below.