Do you take breaks during your work day? It’s proven that sitting is not good for our health. As an artist, you might work on your feet, which is a good start in not being sedentary all day…but even if you’re standing, it’s good to take mental breaks during your day.
I work at a desk, so I’ve made a practice of working for 25 minutes, and then taking a 5 to 10 minute break where I get up and move around. I decided to use this formula after reading the Pomodoro Technique Illustrated. Twenty five minutes seemed like a short amount of time at first, but I quickly realized that with some simple pre-planning, it was just enough time to help me to stay focused and get things done. In order to make the 25 minute blocks work for me, there is some simple pre-planning involved. I know exactly how many 25 blocks I will work in a given day and what I will be doing during those blocs. Otherwise, I would spend 5 of the 20 minutes figuring out what to do next. I ask my new best friend Alexa to remind me when 25 minutes are up so that I know to take my break.
What do I do during those 10 minute breaks? It varies. Since I work at home, I often use that time to do some light housework, throw a load of laundry in, fold some clothes or other chore. I’m always amazed at how much I can get done in those breaks. I also use some of the breaks to take time for calm meditation. If I have quick phone calls to return, I might do that while walking around the house to get on my feet.
During those 25 minute blocks, the key is that nothing gets me up from my desk. I save anything that I might want to do – like get a cup of coffee – for break time.
This system has worked so much better for me than my old habit of just sitting at my desk for hours and hours. I find that I’m much more productive and feel better at the end of the day.
If you’re not taking breaks during your work day, try to incorporate a system that works for you.
Do you have a system for taking breaks that works for you? Share it here in the comments below.
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