Take a Break: Your Life May Depend on It!
Take A Break – Your Life May Depend on It
The government in Japan recently announced that it is considering a new law requiring workers to take a minimum number of vacations days each year. Why? Japanese workers are renowned for karoshi or “working themselves to death”.
In the rest of the world we may not be “working ourselves to death” but our inability to stop and take a break from work is having a negative impact in other ways.
A short article in the February, 2015 issue of Psychology Today magazine begins with “Workers who take the most breaks get the most accomplished” and goes on to describe a study from the University of Illinois that specifically looked at the link between taking breaks and worker’s ability to focus. Not surprisingly, those who stopped to take a short break about once every hour were more productive.
Which begs the question: Why is it so difficult for most of us to stop and take our breaks?
In a 2014 study, Staples, the giant office supply chain, discovered that more than a quarter of us don’t take regular breaks because we feel guilty.
Recently I emailed a colleague who works in health care. I wanted her to join me for lunch as we hadn’t been in touch for a long time. I know that she puts in long hours each day but she declined my offer saying that her place of work was now “a “human tsunami” resulting in even more demands on her limited time and making it impossible for her to meet me for lunch.
In The Dynamic Introvert: Leading Quietly with Passion and Purpose, I encourage introverts to become aware of their need to take breaks in order to manage their energy requirements.
Although introverts and extroverts have different approaches to recharging their batteries and we all need to stop work and take our breaks, introverts in particular need to stop working and detach themselves mentally in order to restore their energy.
Introverts also need to communicate why it is important for them to take a break and how this benefits the organization. For instance, instead of leaving your desk or workspace quietly, without saying anything, you might want to tell your colleagues why you are taking a break. “I’ve had back-to-back meetings all morning and I need to go for a walk.”
Some of you can’t stop working except during your scheduled breaks. You have earned this respite so make sure you use that time to do what is important for you. Remember, by taking your regular breaks you will be more productive and less stressed.
This may be difficult at first and you may feel guilty but you will also make it easier for others to stop and take their breaks. So, take a break, your life may depend on it!