Reclaim your lunch break: productive ways to spend an hour

Breaks are an important part of the work day as they help you re-group and in turn make you more productive in the afternoon. However many of us rarely allow ourselves a break in our work day, and far too often we end up working through our lunch break in an effort to get more done. Whilst the thought of working through your work break is tempting, by using that hour away from work, but on something productive, you may find that the work you produce in the afternoon becomes greater in quality.

Go for a walk

Getting up and away from your desk is a great way to clear your mind and help give you a fresh perspective. Even better if you can get out of the office and go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be a long walk either. A quick ten minute walk around the block can give you a much needed endorphin rush and boost your creativity; making you feel refreshed and energised once you’re back at your desk.

Meditate/Yoga

Meditation and yoga are all the rage at the moment, and for a good reason. Meditating has been proven to increase a person’s ability to withstand stress, lower blood pressure and clear the mind. Some of the greatest leaders swear by the power of meditation as a way of clearing their thoughts and allowing themselves to re-focus and re-group.

Read

We’re sure you’re all aware of the benefits of reading. Not only does it help expand your knowledge and vocabulary, it can also help you escape to another world for a little while. Spending time to read the next chapter of your book can help you relax and calm down after your morning activities.

Write

Do you have your own blog, or have you ever fancied penning your own novel or poetry? Use your time to productively work towards those goals. It will keep your brain working, but in a creative way that is outside of your work place.

Learn something new

With plenty of free online courses all over the web, spend your lunch hour learning something new. How about trying to learn a new language or expanding a skill that is within your current set that you have been meaning to work on but never got round to?

Eat

Sounds simple enough but it’s surprising how many people don’t actually eat during their lunch break. Eating is what a lunch hour is all about after all. Eating a healthy balanced lunch can often give you the energy you need to power through the work you have planned for the afternoon. Just make sure you’re eating the right foods.

Complete non-work tasks

Do you keep meaning to go to the bank or pop to the post office but find yourself just missing their opening hours? Use your lunch break! Write yourself a list of jobs that need to be done (that aren’t work related) at the start of your week and make it your mission to get them completed by the end of the week.

Visit an exhibition

If you want to expand your mind, but also want to get out of the office and move around, why not see if there are any local exhibitions nearby? London is full of museums and art galleries, many with free entry, waiting for you to explore.

Decide how you are going to regain your lunch break and you may be surprised by the impact it will inevitably have on the way you approach your work in the afternoon.