Sometimes, the difference between a productive day and time wasted can come down to how you use your breaks. Wasting time on social media while at your desk doesn’t cut it as a break, especially when you are working from home.  It’s easy to get caught at your desk for the entire day without moving, especially when you only have to log into Zoom for meetings.

Breaks can make or break your workday.  Whether you are taking a formal break or taking a couple minutes away your work for a microbreak from, the effect is largely positive.

What is a Microbreak?

We’re all familiar with break time, when you might go across the street for a coffee or socialise with colleagues.  Some of us might even go shopping.  But what is a microbreak and how is it different?

Imaging taking 30 seconds to a few minutes to decompress and step away from your work, so that you can regroup and come back refreshed.  Not only does this help the way you feel, but they also helps to keep you physically refreshed.

These are simple and short ways to change positions and give those sitting-at-your-desk-posture muscles a break.  It can be anything from:

  • Standing to take a phone call
  • Going to the washroom
  • Getting a cup of coffee or water
  • Rotating tasks
  • Taking walking meetings
  • Going to get something from the printer

The goal is to break up those repetitive tasks to let your eyes and muscles relax.

If you are looking for a guideline as to how much you should be sitting, standing and stretching during your workday, Cornell University has some good guidelines that you can tailor to your work.

What kind of benefits do micro breaks have? 

Microbreaks are a great way to prevent potential injury and discomfort.  If you are constantly sitting at your computer, pounding away at the key and reaching for your mouse as your head falls closer and closer to the monitor, a simple break from your work tasks to change positions and offload all of those muscle and joints that you have been stressing can be all that you need.

Not only do microbreaks come with a range of serious benefits, but they give you a chance to indulge in what can look suspiciously like time-wasting. Taking time out to surf the internet, according to one study or gaze at a flowering meadows can improve your productivity and help you to concentrate.  One of the ways that microbreaks might work is simple by doing something that you enjoy, though not for more than 12% of the day.

This can lead to a calming effect on your body, that not only offers its own health benefits, but also makes your work more productive.

The added benefit of these breaks is that you are being mindful and proactive about chronic office injuries such as low back pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, that all accumulate over time

Why stretching matters

Despite the overwhelming evidence that microbreaks are helpful, the only aspect of them that have entered mainstream use is as a way of reducing the risk of developing physical injuries such as low back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.  This is a tangible way to measure the effects of microbreaks.

The latest data show that  50% of workplace injuries are sprains or strains. Most people don’t notice that they’re doing harm to themselves until they’re in pain.  At this point it’s already too late.  Microbreaks can help to mitigate this.  Simply changing positions through the day can offload the areas that are stressed when sitting at a desk for too long.

These minuscule breaks are thought to help you to cope with long periods at your desks by taking the strain off certain areas of the body, like your neck, that you’re using all day. The important thing is that they are taken regularly.  It should go without saying, but if you’re taking a microbreak to give your body and brain a rest, watching YouTube videos won’t do the trick.  It’s best to do something physical like standing up, stretching or changing positions.

If you want to go one step further, using one of your microbreaks to stretch will only help with productivity, and will help you to feel better.

Rebrand it, if necessary

Of course, watching TikTok might not go down well with your boss – but there are plenty of other ways that you can take microbreaks without looking like you’re slacking. Here are some tips to get you started:

  • Keep a large bottle of water at your desk. Not only is staying hydrated good for you, but it will make you get up and go to the washroom more often.
  • Don’t forget, it’s a microbreak. It’s not a chance to watch an episode of your favourite show.
  • Every industry and every worker has different needs. A microbreak should be an open environment to take a small break that you see fit. It’s up to the employer to train their employees how to balance pressures and their well being, but up to the individual to implement that… within reason.
  • Simple stretches go a long way. Whether you are walking to the window to check out what’s going on outside, leaning back in your chair or doing a few stretches at your workstation, the goal is to relax your eyes, body and brain so that you can work more productively once it’s over.
  • If you need help with timing, use a timer on your phone or you can go old school and use an hour glass. There are even apps that will remind you to take breaks Timeout for mac and Work Rave for PC
  • Don’t call it a break. Call it a change of activity.  This helps to clarify what it is and its purpose.

Keep in mind, if you catch your boss spontaneously bursting into laughter, or spot your colleagues touching their toes in between meetings, they might just be resetting their brains and bodies ahead of their next burst of productivity.

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

ARC Health & Wellness offers patients in Toronto exceptional care with a personalized treatment plan to suit your specific needs. If you are suffering from pain or have recently experienced an injury, our Toronto Chiropractor will ensure you get back to the activities you enjoy and love. Call us at (647) 504-4213 for an appointment today or use our online booking tool here to book a consultation.