Girl Gives Gifts

Taking a productive break during work hours is a great way to refresh and refocus your mind. But what exactly constitutes as a productive break? The answers might vary, but such an activity could include various tasks which will enhance mental and physical productivity. And certainly those tasks would not include aimless scrolling through your social media! 😉

When you have been working for long hours at a stretch, you are not only mentally drained but it is stressful to the eyes as well. Since most of our jobs require constant staring at the computer screens, it gets really tiresome.

Sometimes, people get engrossed in their work and don’t leave their desks until lunch breaks. In that case, the 1 or 1.5 hour lunch break is all they have to relax and rejuvenate their mind. This is not a good practice as your mind and body need pauses from a continuous rigorous activity.  Hence, it is recommended that you take short breaks from continuously working in a same posture every hour or so. I personally work for about 1.5 hours at a stretch and then take a 10-15 minute break.

Below are discussed 11 productive ideas for taking breaks during your work hours, to help you gain energy for your mind and body when you resume your work. You can easily perform any of these activities on your short breaks. You can schedule as many of these as possible in your longer lunch break as well.

1. EXERCISE/STRETCH/WALK

Either you take just a single break during your whole work day or you take multiple short breaks during the day, don’t forget the importance of stretching. It is great for your mind and body and helps you keep active throughout the day.

You can incorporate physical activity by taking a walk to grab your lunch from nearby café, or if you don’t have to buy food then just a simple walk outdoors is good enough. If you keep a yoga mat handy at your work place, then you can take it outdoors and make full use of it. This however depends on the weather and your work location. So if going outdoors is not possible, use the yoga/exercise mat in your work place and have a good 15-20 min stretch. If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of exercise mat (and any other exercise equipments) then there are innumerable easy exercises/stretch techniques available online that you can perform from the comfort of your office chair.

While stretching your body, don’t forget that you can utilize this time to do facial exercises as well. They hardly take 5 minutes and are super easy to perform.

2. MEDITATE

Another productive idea for work break is meditation. Meditation is a great way to give your mind and body a much needed pause. It helps in increasing mental focus, reduction in anxiety and stress, and enhancing your memory. The stillness of the moment is sometimes the key to clear up the cutter accumulated in your brain.

There are many different form of meditation that you can practice. It can either be a guided or unguided practice. Mindfulness, spirituality and mantra meditation are among the most popular ones. This is such a diverse topic that one can’t recommend a fit for all solution. Meditate indoors on your yoga mat, do any spiritual practice that aligns with your beliefs or just sit in silence and focus on your breaths. The idea is to give your brain a moment to pause and focus on your thoughts to achieve concentration and awareness.

Don’t stress yourself about being perfect at it from day one. It’s usually pretty hard to focus on your thoughts in the beginning (speaking from personal experience). The trick is to be consistent every day for whatever amount of time is feasible for you. Just start with 5 minutes a day (or some people even do it for 2 minutes in the beginning), then gradually increase the duration once you start getting in the flow, and reap the benefits along the way.

3. READ A BOOK

If you like to read books but also struggle to find time for it and don’t feel like reading before bed because you feel exhausted, it’s better to accommodate your reading time during your work breaks. This way you can not only read multiple books simultaneously (yes that’s possible!) but also don’t feel guilty when you miss your bedtime reading due to tiredness.

You can designate single or multiple slots for reading throughout the day. For example, on an ideal day right before the start of my work routine, I try to read a chapter of my holy book. Then during the day, I keep a minimum 30-minute slot during work breaks for reading any self-development or productivity related book to keep me motivated. (These days I’m reading Start with Why by Simon Sinek ). If I get lucky then I end up reading something light right after I finish off my work for about 15-20 minutes. On most days if the before and after slots can’t be managed, at least the slot of during work hours is enough to tick on the box of my daily habit of reading.

It would be an added bonus if you have a physical book to read from, rather than staring on the screen. This way you will utilize your work break to the maximum by giving your eyes a rest from the screen glare as well.

4. LISTEN TO A PODCAST

Podcasts have been such a trend lately, and I must confess, I have been late to jump on the bandwagon! There are many informative, productive and educational podcasts available that you can listen to in your work breaks. Of course you can also choose the ones from entertainment category. I personally gravitate towards the current affairs or personal development ones to keep me updated and inspired during my work hours. (The entertainment stuff I usually keep for after office hours).

Listening to podcasts is such an interesting activity for productive work break because you can perform other tasks while performing it. For example, you can enjoy your meal by savouring every bite while listening to your favorite podcast. Though I personally prefer to practice mindfulness in whatever I’m doing as much as possible, hence I suggest to enjoy one thing at a time to relax your mind and feel calm after your work break.

5. PREPARE A CALMING DRINK

Another productive break idea for work is to replenish your water intake. (Have a look at some of the best bottles that motivate you to drink more water). Aside from plain water, having a cup of calming drink during the work break is divine! Preparing your drink during work break is a great activity to move your body from a stagnant position. If you work from home, then you have the added advantage of access to your pantry where you would keep your teas and drinks. You can try a new recipe or prepare a drink any time your heart desires.

For folks working in a traditional office setup, having a mini pantry stocked with your favorite teas is a life changer! Any tea lovers here would agree that preparing exotic teas and enjoying them in beautiful tumblers (like this pretty little thing) works as a conversation starter among your colleagues.

6. SOLVE A PUZZLE

To keep your mind active and attentive, solving puzzles would contribute as a productive work break activity. It increases your mental attentiveness and helps your brain focus and concentrate on the tasks more effectively. A quick and fun way to give your brain power some much needed boost. Crossword puzzles for adults like this one is a good option to try!

7. LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

If you have a zest for learning new languages, or learning commonly used phrases in different languages, you can use your work break for this productive activity. You can allocate as little as 15 minutes to practice a new language. Depending on your learning level, you can utilize this time to enhance your knowledge. For example, for an upper-beginner level, you can learn a new word and try to make at least 5 sentences with it. For an absolute beginner, one can learn a bunch of new words like different forms of vocabulary sets, etc.

8. SPEND TIME WITH PLANTS

Keeping plants in your work area is beneficial to your overall health as they purify the air around. They also add a pleasant look to the overall ambience of your work space. Whether it’s your work from home setup or workstation at office, you can keep a plant (or plants) that fits your available space.

Spending time with plants and maintaining them is a therapeutic hobby that you can practice daily in your productive work breaks. You can water them as per their requirement and take care of the damaged leaves, if any. Manage your activity as per your break slot and you will surely feel fresh and relaxed afterwards.

9. ORGANISE YOUR WORK SPACE (PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL)

This goes without saying that a tidy, mess free workspace is excellent for your mental focus and productivity. During your work breaks, you can allocate some time to organize physical items on your desk to keep it clean and clear from unnecessary junk. Similarly, it’s a good habit to keep your monitor and phone screens clear of unused folders/icons/apps, etc. A frequent cleaning and organizing ritual for your workspace will reduce the visual as well as mental clutter. (Want to know how to set up and maintain a clutter free work space, read more here).

10. SPEND TIME AT YOUR VISION BOARD

Another productive idea for work break is to spend time at your vision board. Vision boards are a great way to keep you inspired and motivated. You can set up a vision board by placing pictures of objects and situations that you want to achieve and experience in your life. You can even keep a separate board for professional and personal life. These boards can be easily created at your home office or conventional office setup alike. For optimum results, keep your vision board neat and organized.

Spending time at your vision board daily helps you keep focused on your end goals and makes you work consistently with determination and motivation. It is one of the best ways to practice law of attraction (if you haven’t read about it, I highly recommend you to read this life-transforming book).

11. TRY A NEW HOBBY

It’s never too late in life to pick up a new hobby. Learning guitar, starting a new blog, colouring mandalas, making crochets, learning Origami….the list goes on. The amazing thing about these pastime activities is that you can fit them into your limited time slot of work breaks easily. Most of the above mentioned hobbies can be practised whether you work from home or a conventional office. However, if carrying your hobby equipment (like guitar) to your office seems tedious, then you can store it in a designated place if you have suitable space available. They are a fun way to help you learn some new skills as well as refreshing your mind for better focus on your work related tasks.

To setup a minimalist home office and maintain it over time is a dream of any (aspiring) minimalist. A home office with minimalist set up not only looks clean and aesthetically pleasing, but it also boosts your productivity by helping you focus on your tasks with clarity of mind. The trick is to incorporate only essential items in your work space so that the clutter doesn’t build up quickly over time. With lesser items in the first place, it is easy to clean and organize on a day to day basis as well.

When it comes to minimalist spaces, clean lines and monochrome color palettes come to mind. While most minimal spaces are color contrasted with white and black/grey, you can be creative and curate your space as per your personal style.

If you have already established your home office and now want to make it look minimal, then with few modifications you can achieve your goal. Of course if you are planning to set up your new space, then you have more options to design it in a sleek and minimal way. Let’s discuss both scenarios.

IF YOU ARE SETTING UP A NEW HOME OFFICE

There are certain things which you can choose right from the very beginning of the office setup process to get a clean and minimal look of the final design.

ROOM COLOR SCHEME

The color scheme plays an important role to give the overall work space a desired look. If you would like your space to be upbeat and funky, then you can go for brighter shades like yellow or bright green (its preferable to have 70% of the area in the lighter tone of the color and the remaining with the popping hue). If you are inclined towards simple and clean outlook, then the good old all white will work for your desired minimalist look.

FURNITURE COLOR SCHEME

If you are setting up a new space with addition of the new office furniture, then making it color coordinated with room color scheme will give a very polished vibe to your space. Usually people opt for oak, grey or black colored furniture with the white painted room for a sleek and minimal look. You can be creative and look for inspirations. Pinterest is full of innovative ideas!

ERGONOMIC FURNITURE

Buying an ergonomic piece of furniture such as office chair (the best comfortable chairsnullare discussed here), office desk (check out these minimalist affordable desks), etc, will not only be good for your health, but it will also be a stylish addition to your minimal office setup. By default, most of the ergonomic office furniture items are very sleek and minimal in design. Since you will be using these items for a long time hence it’s a smart thing to invest in a premium quality and modern design item.

LIGHTING SET UP

It is best to choose a room for your new home office that have plenty of natural light. Of course not everyone has that option (I personally have a small set of windows in my home office with not ample lighting). So if abundant natural light is not a possibility, then you can go about having ergonomic lighting in your office space. A properly lit space will motivate you to work for long hours without causing any strain on your eyes. You can also include a modern desk lamp for your minimalist home office.

FOR ESTABLISHED HOME OFFICE : HOW TO SETUP AND MAINTAIN THE MINIMALIST LOOK?

If you are already working from home for quite some time, then you must have set up your space accordingly. However, if you are thinking to give it a clutter free, clean and sophisticated look, you have plenty of options to turn it into a minimalist home office. By following these tips, it will be easier for you to maintain the minimal look of your work space.

MINDFUL PURCHASING

Whether you have an established home office or are setting up a new one, be mindful of your purchases. Buy only items that are absolutely necessary for your workspace. For example, if you work full time on your laptop, then having a PC-monitor setup does not make sense. This way, not only you will be doing a favor to your own pocket, but will also keep your work space minimal with functional and useful items.

Also, try to minimize on office equipments by choosing one with multiple functions. For example, instead of buying three different equipments like printer, scanner and photocopier, look for a printer that has the functionalities of scanner and photocopier as well. I have HP Pro Laser Printer All in one M125NW in my home office. It’s a monochrome printer (I hardly ever need a colored printout) which has a built in scanner and photocopier feature in it, so it works perfect for me.

BE KIND TO ENVIRONMENT

Going paperless will not only be safe for the environment, but will also keep your office free from paper clutter. If you have large volume of paper that is not much useful for you in your day to day work, then try to gradually scan the papers and save them electronically. I had a huge pile of paper in the initial days of my home office setup, which I couldn’t just discard. So I started to scan all the documents in my free time and now they are stored in my e-Drive.

Another environment friendly practice that I have adopted over the years is to print as less paper as possible. Printing unnecessarily has detrimental impact on the planet and it also adds to the paper clutter which gets difficult to manage over time. Hence print something only if it’s absolutely necessary.

DECLUTTER REGULARLY

Go Marie Kondo on all the old, unused and unnecessary stuff piling up in your workspace! 🙂 A monthly or quarterly decluttering drive is good to keep your office clean and clutter free. Toss out the items that are totally not functional anymore, while you can donate the ones that are damaged but can be repaired or those that are in good condition but of no use to you.

I go a step further from physical decluttering, I perform quarterly electronic decluttering as well. I clean all my computer folders and email from junk items. Unsubscribe from any newsletters/magazines/websites that you no longer read to minimize your mental and visual clutter. A cleaner desktop screen with minimal useful icons is easy on the eyes and is also helpful for arranging your folders and files in a proper manner.

USE ORGANISATION HACKS

Who likes to work on a messy office desk? No minimalist would!

Even if you have a good number of items placed on your office desk, you can give off a minimalist vibe by organizing them efficiently. For items that don’t have use in your day to day work, keep them in a designated drawer. A reason why I like office desk with drawers is that it keeps additional items securely within your arm’s reach and keep the surface area of the desk clean. (You can read about the best desk organizers that will keep your work desk clutter free).

If you work with physical files, then only keep those on the table that are required during work hours and the rest should be stacked neatly in compact designed filing cabinets or drawers. Similarly, keep all your stationary in the stationary organizer.

If you have not gone wireless yet, then stack away the wires neatly and securely under the desk or where appropriate. It gives a clean spacious look to your work space, and reduces any chances of stubbing or tripping over.

DECORATE WISELY

If you are a minimalist that doesn’t mean you can’t have the luxury of decorating! You can add a decent plant pot in a corner of your room. This will be beneficial to your health, and it works as a good minimalist decorating item.

Another elegant yet useful item is a mood board. You can utilize it in a multiple ways like vision board, mood board or just a board for placing photographs of your cheerful memories. You can practice your goal setting with your vision board. In a similar way mood boards are helpful to express your creative side. This way instead of cluttering your work desk with photographs, to do lists, etc, you will stack them nicely on a board which will serve as a way of decoration as well.

CONCLUSION

Setting up a minimalist home office is not as much of a daunting task as it seems. With a few right choices while doing the new set up, you can achieve a sleek and minimal look. For work spaces that are already in use, a few tweaks and continuous smart practices will keep your home office retain the clean, polished and modern vibe in the long run!