Using Breaks to Reset Your Workday

The most underrated productivity hack? Taking breaks. But not just any break. Science says there’s a right way to do it. Here’s how to restore your energy (and do better work) in 5 proven steps: Rule 1: Something > nothing Even short breaks matter. Try the 20-20-20 rule: → Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. You’ll reduce fatigue and give your brain a much-needed pause. Micro-breaks add up. Rule 2: Moving > stationary A walk beats a sit. Movement restores energy and improves mood. Just getting up and walking a few minutes can refresh your mind for your next task. Rule 3: Social > solo Breaks with people restore us more than breaks alone even if you’re introverted. Chat with a colleague. Call a friend. Grab coffee with someone you like. Connection is a powerful recharge. Rule 4: Outside > inside Nature boosts energy and creativity. You don’t need to hike a mountain just walk down a street with trees. Studies show even light exposure to green space can reduce stress and elevate performance. Rule 5: Detached > distracted A break isn’t scrolling Instagram. Leave your phone behind. Log off. Step away. Real breaks require real detachment. Let your brain breathe. Try this break formula: Every afternoon, take a 15-minute walk outside With someone you like Talking about anything except work Without your phone Do it daily. Schedule it like a meeting.

The most overlooked productivity tool? 3-minute mental fitness breaks. Most leaders think they can't afford to stop. The truth? You can't afford NOT to. Research has found that even brief mindfulness practices significantly improve decision quality. One study showed that just a 3-minute mindfulness intervention enhanced critical decision-making abilities under pressure. I see this with my executive clients daily: • The fintech CEO who takes 3 minutes before board meetings to reset her mental state. She consistently makes clearer strategic decisions that her team can actually execute. • The hospital administrator who pauses between back-to-back crises. This simple practice helps him maintain emotional balance while handling life-or-death situations. • The startup founder who schedules five 3-minute breaks throughout his day. He reports fewer reactive decisions and better strategic thinking. Mental fitness breaks aren't meditation in disguise. They're strategic reset points that: 1. Break decision fatigue cycles 2. Reduce cognitive biases (we all have them) 3. Create space between reaction and response 4. Restore perspective when you're in the weeds How to implement this tomorrow: → Set specific break triggers (after meetings, before decisions, between tasks) → Keep it simple: 3 deep breaths, a brief body scan, or simply observing your thoughts → Stay consistent even when "too busy" (ESPECIALLY when too busy) → Notice the quality of decisions before vs. after these breaks Leaders often pride themselves on cognitive endurance, pushing through mental fatigue like it's a badge of honor. But the strongest leaders I know aren't afraid to pause, reset, and then decide. Mental clarity isn't a luxury. It's the foundation of every other leadership skill you possess. Try it tomorrow. Three minutes. Five times. Watch what happens to your decision quality. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/dD6bDpS7 You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.

Working less makes you more successful. Burnout is not a business plan. Hard to hear, but harder to ignore. During my last startup, I hit rock bottom. 18 hour days. Constant stress. Total burnout. For what? Revenue flatlined. My health collapsed. I nearly lost my marriage and I pissed off Investors. Then I discovered a really obvious truth: Strategic rest isn't a luxury. It's your secret weapon. Work fewer hours, close bigger deals. Fact. When I cut my hours by 20% and added intentional breaks: • Creative solutions I couldn't see before suddenly became obvious • Decision quality improved dramatically • Revenue grew faster than during my burnout phase A 2019 Microsoft Japan experiment proved it: They tried a 4-day workweek and saw productivity jump 40%. Here's what actually works: 1. Use the 52/17 Rule -52 minutes of focused work. 17 minutes completely off. -Your brain naturally works in cycles of focus and recovery. 2. Take a real lunch break -Not at your desk. Not scrolling emails. -One of my peers added 30 minutes of complete disconnect daily. -Her team's output jumped 24%. 3. Schedule deep recovery -Block one 2-hour window weekly for pure thinking. -No screens. Just you and big questions. 4. The power pause -Before every major decision, take a 24-hour cooling period. -This single habit saved me from three potentially catastrophic choices this year. 5. One complete day off -Your brain solves problems in the background. -Give it the space to work. I now get more done in 40 hours than I used to in 80. Not because I found a productivity hack. Because I respect my brain's limits. What's one way you'll build strategic rest into your week? ♻️ Repost to save someone from burnout. 🔔 Follow me (Charlie Lass) for more counterintuitive truths about success.

Being 'always on' isn't success, it's slow self-sabotage. 7 simple ways to reset and recharge: You're depleted from being plugged in all the time. Constant connections. Endless notifications. Zero downtime. Your energy is quietly draining away. This isn't sustainable success. 7 power shifts to restore your energy: 1. Start with Stillness ↳First 5 minutes no phone ↳Three deep breaths and one non-negotiable for the day 2. Create Untouchable Time ↳90 minutes daily in Do Not Disturb ↳Phone in another room to remove temptation 3. Master the Energy Stack ↳Deep work before noon when your brain is sharp ↳Shallow tasks (email/admin) for your afternoon dip 4. Practice Micro Resets ↳1 minute breathing break between tasks ↳Look at something 20 ft away for 20 seconds 5. Design Power Blocks ↳Work in 45-minute sprints - followed by a true break ↳Get up and walk or stretch during breaks 6. Set Digital Sunsets ↳No devices after 8 pm ↳Calming nighttime ritual instead 7. Use Transition Rituals ↳5-minute decompress breaks between meetings ↳Three slow breaths: in through nose, out through mouth Success isn't measured by how long you stay plugged in. It's measured by how well you recharge. First thing you'll unplug from this weekend? Share below 👇 -- ♻️ Repost to help your network recharge and reset 🔔 Follow Dr. Carolyn Frost for more evidence-based strategies to thrive at work and life Quote: Anne Lamott

Slowing down isn’t laziness. It’s leverage. The hustle never ends, but your energy does. Burnout isn’t a badge. It’s a warning. If you want long-term results, You need intentional pauses to stay sharp. Here are 7 Ways to Slow Down Without Losing Momentum (and why they matter): 1. Clarity Morning ↳ Start one day with silence, journaling, or reflection ↳ Aligns actions with what really matters 2. Micro Break Day ↳ Insert stretch, breath, or movement breaks ↳ Small resets = sharper focus 3. No Meeting Day ↳ Block a quiet day for deep work ↳ Helps long-term thinking thrive 4. Walk & Think Hour ↳ One no-phone walk weekly ↳ Sparks creative problem-solving 5. Refill Day ↳ Read, reflect, rest, whatever fuels you ↳ Your spirit needs maintenance, too 6. Tech-Free Block ↳ Four hours without screens ↳ Nervous system resets = better clarity 7. Zoom Out Time ↳ One hour of Sunday planning ↳ Start your week with intention, not chaos These aren’t breaks. They’re strategic recovery. What’s one pause you’ll build into your week? Follow me Jon Giganti for more on how to build clarity, grow revenue, and lead with intention (without burning out or selling out)

Meet your new work bestie...N.E.A.T.! N.E.A.T. is the kind of friend that's got your back at work - protecting your mental and physical health. It stands for "Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis" and is a fancy way of saying: low level movement to break up sedentary bouts. Here's the problem with our modern work life: 😈 Long hours of sitting 😈 Hip structure gets out of balance 😈 Glucose & oxygen uptake flip off after 30 min of stillness 8 hours, 5 days a week, month after month, year after year - the damage builds up over time. The fix is simple. Take frequent movement breaks throughout the work day. Consider this study: 9000 middle aged Americans sit an average of 12.3 hours per day - with long bouts of sedentariness. Breaking up the sitting with a little movement was MORE PROTECTIVE against chronic disease than spending an hour in the gym and sitting the rest of the day!! This means: a workout in the morning followed by sitting the rest of the day is a false sense of security. ❌ Since the workday is the largest chunk of time in your day (except for sleeping) - WORK is your BEST opportunity to impact your health. Here are some N.E.A.T. investment strategies: ⤷ Movement Minimum. [Get up EVERY hour for at least ONE MINUTE - this flips your metabolic switches back ON. Or between every meeting. Or whenever you can.] ⤷ Walk & Talk. [Turn phone calls into walking meetings. If you don't have to be tied to your computer, get up. Movement + productivity = double dividends!] ⤷ Upgrade Your Workspace. [Get a standing desk, treadmill desk, under-desk pedals - even fidgeting counts! Check out the time lapse video I made several years ago comparing a moving day to a sedentary day at the office. You don't have to be this extreme, any movement counts.] ⤷ Post-Lunch Movement. [A 15-minute walk after lunch cuts blood sugar spikes in half! This is an easy way to protect yourself from afternoon cravings or sleepiness. Block 30 minutes for lunch - 15 to eat away from your desk + 15 to go for a stroll.] ⤷ Movement Snacks. [Pick a couple times during your work day for a movement break: - 10 squats while printing - Calf raises during calls - Desk push-ups between meetings - Stretching while reading emails] 🎯 Pro tip: Most of my clients track their work day movement with a wearable. It's like checking your bank account - you manage what you measure! Shoot for a minimum of 2000 steps DURING your workday. Now it's time to add an action to your matrix: Go to the WORK DAY row under the MOVE column. Choose 1 or 2 N.E.A.T. actions that are: ✓ Interesting (you might actually do them!) ✓ Achievable (in your current work environment) ✓ Impactful (will make a real difference) Remember: Your body wasn't designed to sit all day! Every tiny bit of movement adds up and is a deposit in your wellness account. Tomorrow we'll talk about timing your workouts with your meals for maximum returns! 🏋️♀️

Leaders, we've got to stop "Powering Through" work projects. Your brain is not a machine -- and if you want to maximize your work group sessions, here's the latest neuroscience research on how to structure your sessions. ⌛ Session Length: Work in 60-90 minute sessions. Research shows that your brain activity begins to fade right at around 80 minutes, on average. Anything over 90 minutes, you are NOT getting the same return on your investment. Another rule: Longer sessions are more effective earlier in the day when mental resources are high. For example, if you’re feeling mentally fresh in the morning, aim for a 90-minute session, but later in the day, a 60-minute session might be more realistic. ✅ Task Priority: Focus on hardest tasks in the first 20% of the session. Your mind is sharpest at the start, so tackle the most complex tasks first. For instance, if you’re working on a challenging report, spend the first 15-20 minutes drafting the most critical sections, leaving easier revisions for later. 📚 Task Order: Tackle tasks from hardest to easiest. Order tasks by difficulty within each session to maintain productivity as your energy decreases. If you’re juggling multiple tasks, start with strategic planning and end with routine emails or updates. ⏰ Breaks: Take 10-minute breaks after each session. Short breaks allow your mind to rest and reset, improving focus for the next session. For example, after 60 minutes of writing, step away for a brief walk or stretch before resuming. 🛑 Max Work: Limit intense work to 4 hours/day. Overworking your mind can lead to diminishing returns and mental fatigue. For example, if you’ve worked intensely on problem-solving for 4 hours, continuing beyond that point can hurt productivity the next day. #leadershipdevelopment #burnout #professionaldevelopment

When was the last time you did an audit of your daily calendar? I absolutely LOVE this illustration from the incredibly talented Liz Fosslien! Her Mood Pyramid, along with the concept of a “calendar audit,” highlights the importance of prioritizing mini-breaks for movement, sunshine, and connection. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that not all breaks are created equally. For example, taking 15 minutes to go for a walk can significantly boost your productivity and energy compared to taking a 15-minute coffee break at your desk. Here are some tips to maximize your "mini-breaks": ✅ Consider the length and timing of your breaks. Shorter, but more frequent breaks, also known as “micro-breaks” are generally better. ✅ Change your break location, get outside. Stretch at a desk versus get outside for a walk? The latter has a higher recharging potential. ✅ Include exercise and physical movement in your break. Exercise is great for boosting our energy, but the benefits are short-lived. It’s actually better to have more mini-exercise sessions over the course of the day. ✅ Take a break by socializing. Spending time chatting with colleagues or a friend discussing a topic unrelated to work can help break your thought process and re-energize you. ✅ Take a break with a furry friend. Break time with a dog has been shown to reduce cortisol levels. Spending time with pets can boost our psychological wellbeing, which in turn boosts our productivity levels. 

Regular 5-minute breaks improve productivity, performance, health, mood, and more. Taking regular 5-minute breaks throughout your workday might seem counterintuitive if you're trying to maximize productivity, but research shows these "micro-breaks" can have a lot of benefits, including: - Enhanced mood and reduced stress. - Improved concentration and productivity. - Better mental recovery from demanding efforts. - Higher levels of energy, motivation, and work engagement. - Reduced risk of health issues related to sedentary or repetitive behavior. The key to getting these benefits is to take these breaks proactively - before you feel mentally or physically drained. A brief walk, some simple stretches, light movements or exercise, or even just looking out the window at nature are examples of breaks that studies have found to be helpful. And this is particularly effective in the afternoon when your energy naturally dips and you need to replenish your mental resources. By incorporating these 5-minute refreshers into your routine at work, you're not just giving your brain a chance to recharge – you're making an investment in both your immediate productivity and long-term well-being.