Take A Break

It’s difficult for most of us to admit that we work too hard.  And even if we don’t work too hard, our idea of a “break” is usually checking Facebook, or getting a cup of coffee.  When was the last time you actually sat still, with your eyes closed, for a solid 5 minutes at work?  Maybe that one time when you were comming down with a cold and you were trying to will yourself well?  Either way, this is something we just don’t do at work and I think the culture needs to change.  By law, in the U.S. anyway, if you work more than 5 hours, you are entitled to a 15 minute PAID break every four hours.  So why don’t we take these breaks?  This is really supposed to be IN ADDITION to the 30 minute lunch break that we actually don’t get paid for.

Well guess what?  It’s time to start taking these breaks, even if it’s for only 5 minutes.

We don’t take cigarette breaks anymore, since most people I know have quit smoking.  We don’t NEED that extra cup of coffee, and if you do, that’s something you might want to contemplate on a deeper level…but that’s beside the point.

I challenge you to take a 5 minute break with your eyes closed in a comfortable seated position.  If it is impossible for you to do this at work because you work on your feet or you don’t really have your own space to carry out this challenge in relative peace, you have no excuse.  Most work places have bathrooms with stalls.  Take a nice 5 minute crap break without actually taking a crap.  If you’re totally grossed out by this prospect, see if you can find another secluded place where you won’t be interrupted.

I find that it helps to have some music to listen to also.  This is also a nice time keeper so you’ll be sure to sit for more than just 1 minute.  Get your ear buds, play a song that you absolutely LOVE from beginning to end and really listen to it.

I guarantee after you do this you’ll be fresher and ready to face the task at hand.

I personally try to do this twice a day.  Sometimes it’s hard to drop what I’m doing, but nine times out of ten, when I come back to it, I notice something that I missed before.

Trying this out

I’ve been on Livejournal since 2001, and while I still love the LJ, I’m ready to branch out a little and attempt a new blog for the sake of having my inner thoughts and musings in various locations all over the internet…

Facebook makes me angry.  The only reason I keep my profile is so that people don’t forget to invite me to parties.  Sad but true.

My least favorite start to a conversation is, “You probably already saw my update on Facebook…”

“No, no I didn’t.  Please tell me, in person, or perhaps over the telephone, anything you would like me to know because I don’t read Facebook very often, and if this is something above and beyond what  you ate for breakfast, yes, I’m interested!”

I’m not as cynical as this makes me sound, but I truly love the art of the written word and I find so few people actually bother to write properly anymore.  I miss reading paragraphs of my friends’ lives rather than a few spotty words mixed with “likes” and political beliefs.