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At some point, you might scream, “I need a break from work,” but it doesn’t have to come to that. Consider how you can take a break from work as part of your regular routines. It’s hard for me, too. I want to be go-go-go, but finding the right balance can actually help me be better professionally.
In this article, I share my tips on the topic, including:
- What does it mean to take a break from work?
- How do you know when you need a break?
- Ways to take a break from work
What does it mean to take a break from work?
Needing a break can look several different ways. It might just be a short break while working today. Or maybe we need to step away for a day or two. Sometimes taking a break shows in the form of leaving one job and going to a different one.
The exact definition of what a break actually looks like depends on the role, but let’s stay with the role of marketers and maybe more specifically content strategists here.
While the daily work can vary, it’s not like marketers are working on an assembly line. They do different activities that require different type of work. For example, when I’m writing an article, I certainly need to sit in front of a keyboard or be able to voice dictate the article.
But, typing isn’t the only activity that is involved when we are “writing an article.” We may have to:
- do research
- brainstorm about the topic
- consider different source materials
- think about the best way the content would work
So what’s a break and what isn’t kind of depends on what it is that you are working on. Early on in my journalism career, I was told of a reporter who would always go outside to have a smoke (and write the article in their head while doing that). Then when they were done the article just kind of flowed from their fingers.
Technically, a cigarette break, but was it really?
Read next: How to achieve work-life balance
How do you know when you need a break?
This is harder than it sounds. I would think it’s crystal clear when I might need a break and sometimes it is. But other times I might be sitting in front of your computer and trying to get something done and in reality, I might be better off stepping away for a bit to be more productive when I get back.
Sometimes – if you have a lot of scheduled events on your calendar – it might be a good idea to literally schedule time to step away. Or to go on a walking meeting. To give you time to just think or to take a breath.
Read next: How companies can market their culture through storytelling
Ways to take a break from work
A couple of decades ago, when you left the office you were done. Over lunch, that’s the break, and nobody can reach you. Unless you go to lunch with people from work you’re not talking about work either. Today with notifications being available through smartphones, that can be easier said than done.
Before you go on your break, set your instant messenger status to that you’re taking a break so people know. consider adding a return time.
Read next: When and how to use a Slack channel to communicate with people
On your iPhone, turn on do not disturb.
Even when I don’t listen to music, I love putting in my AirPods Pro with noise cancelation turned on. It’s another way to tune out the outside world.
Listening to calming music might be a great way to take a break. Walking while keeping your iPhone in your pocket might be another way. And I’m not talking about walking on an office treadmill with your computer in front. Let’s just step away for a bit.
At the end of the day, what works as a break for you can not be preference. But at the foundation, it means we’re stepping away and we’re not available for a specific amount of time. We are giving our brain a break.
Certainly, that can be hard at times in a hustle culture, but what if we can hustle more after resting for a few moments?