The Benefits of 'Taking a Break'

Taking a break when we were kids was easy. Most of us probably had long stretches of time with “nothing to do” in the summer or on weekends. And if you’re like me, you learned early on that if you had too much free time and complained about being bored, your mom or dad made sure you DID have something to do.

But as adults, we have to work harder at figuring out where to squeeze in “breaks” during our normal workday (or week or month).

Even if you’re one of those lucky people who chose a career that was a good “fit,” you’re bound to have days that make you wish you were still back in school, able to look forward to a few free weeks more than once a year.

RELIEVE STRESS WITH 'MINI-VACATIONS'

One of the best ways to escape the rat race, even temporarily, is by taking mini-vacations. Whether those are one-day outings or one-hour breaks in a hectic schedule, mini-vacations are usually less expensive and easier to plan than the typical one- or two-week vacations we usually take with our families.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when planning mini-vacations:

• Schedule them in your daily organizer, even if your “vacation” is just a one- or two-hour block of time.

• Be willing to be “unavailable” during the time you’re away. (You can always listen to messages or check your email later.)

• Have a place in mind where you’ll be spending your time off. Doing that will help you avoid getting sidetracked before you get there.

Stress that lasts for too long without any relief can cause a myriad of problems for small business owners and entrepreneurs, including:

– Inability to get a good night’s sleep

– Difficulty focusing on important tasks

– High blood pressure

– Burnout

– Missed deadlines

Too many weeks of these problems are likely to result in a decline?– not only in your health, but also in your business.

GAMES AND APPS TO HELP YOU UNWIND

Everyone has favorite ways to take short “brain breaks” (a term I learned when working with special needs children a few years ago). Here are some of mine … all of which are free:

Happy Color is the name of an app I discovered a few years ago. The app’s slogan – “Color, Smile, Relax” – is an accurate description of the calming effect I usually feel after spending time “coloring” one of the more than 20,000 free pictures this app offers. At least six to eight new pictures appear each morning, and once you finish coloring the image, you can choose to share the image as either a photo or a video.

Pressed For Words is an anagram word puzzle game that’s available as an app in the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. I like it because each “round” only lasts 2.5 minutes. It’s perfect for those times when you’re waiting in a long line or just need a very short break from a challenging task.

Wordle is a word game app for Android and Apple devices that can take much longer than 2.5 minutes to play … which is why it’s best not to play this one unless you can afford to take a slightly longer “brain break.”

Each Tuesday morning, a new McKinsey Crossword appears on McKinsey & Company’s website. Each one has a different business theme.

Games and apps are great when you don’t have more than a few minutes to spend on a break. But whenever possible, take advantage of what I consider the best type of “brain break” – walking outdoors.

OUTDOOR EXERCISE

My favorite place to walk is a 76-acre park in a nearby suburb. It takes me about 10 minutes to drive there, but the half-hour I spend walking the trails and pathways in the park flies by fast.

Sometimes I see people exercising their horses in the warm-up arena. Other times I see families posing in front of some of the huge oak trees there for group photos. Two things I ALWAYS see are people walking their dogs and at least one group of people playing disc (frisbee) golf on the huge course there.

Find a place you enjoy walking, and you will have NO PROBLEM motivating yourself to get outside on a regular basis.

I promise that once you start doing that regularly, you’ll see an immediate boost to your creativity. TWO OTHER BENEFITS: more energy and WAY less stress!