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Today, American culture tends to glorify the daily grind: the relentless cycle of working days, nights, and weekends. After all, a business owner needs to hustle to chase the leads that grow their company, right?
A good work ethic is incredibly valuable for an entrepreneur, but working too hard for too long can lead to burnout, mistakes, and lost momentum. Even though it sounds counterintuitive, the prudent business owner knows that taking frequent breaks can be one of their greatest professional and mental resources.
Taking a quick break, whether that’s just a small movement break or a coffee break, can increase productivity, help a worker stay motivated, and more. This guide walks through why it’s essential to take breaks, how to do so successfully, and more.
Why Entrepreneurs Benefit from Taking Regular Breaks
For some, the thought of taking a break just seems like a big waste of time. Couldn’t that time be used to accomplish something work-related? But myriad studies have shown that regular breaks can enhance cognitive performance, improve focus, and boost productivity.
Even with a short break, a business owner can come back to a task refreshed. Odds are, they’ll be more motivated and more efficient. In contrast, skipping breaks could leave them exhausted by the time the workday’s over. Constantly focusing on work drains a person’s energy levels incredibly fast.
But keeping a regular break time should go a little deeper than “Scroll Instagram for a few minutes once and a while” or “Don’t work through the lunch break.” Instead, prudent business owners establish healthy habits for the way they take breaks: how often, what they do on their work breaks, and more. The rest of this guide suggests some ways that busy professionals can take effective breaks.
Note: the following tips are intended for entrepreneurs. Traditional staff workers should double-check their organization’s policies for allowing employees to take breaks.
Healthy Break Habits: How to Spend Break Time
Here are a few different ideas for a great break.
Go for a coffee run.
It’s a classic idea for a reason. Going on a coffee run requires a business owner to get a quick change of scenery, and if they need it, they can get a caffeine boost for a quick energy pick-up.
Don’t like coffee? “Coffee break” could mean grabbing tea, a smoothie, a slushie, a bear claw, or even ice cream. The key is getting out of the office and having a quick treat.
Take a power nap.
Unlike some cultures, the U.S. doesn’t glorify taking naps. Some Americans even look down on napping. But a nap, even a short one of five to ten minutes, can boost productivity. Some entrepreneurs even swear by their afternoon car nap. It’s just important to have a good alarm so the nap doesn’t run too long.
A power nap can be especially helpful for new business owners, who are notorious for working late into the night and sacrificing a healthy sleep schedule.
Hit the gym.
If there’s time for longer breaks, a business owner might find it helpful to head to the gym and get in a sweat session. Maybe that means hitting a cycling class at the local YMCA, lifting weights at the local fitness center, or even going for a quick run in the fresh air.
A gym break has several benefits. For one, getting the blood pumping can boost cognitive function and increase energy levels, making it easier to do more focused work when the break ends (even working long hours). Plus, regular exercise benefits many aspects of physical health, like reducing stress, improving muscle tone, and lowering blood pressure (to name just a few), that reach beyond the office.
Take a social break.
Spending the workday taking breaks every few hours sounds appealing, but some entrepreneurs don’t look at breaks as an opportunity to catch up with friends. But they can be!
Even if a business owner works from home or owns their own business, they can still socialize with friends. Maybe their schedule demands fewer breaks on a given day (or shorter ones); in that case, they could spend ten minutes sending a few texts or calling someone on the phone. The mental break of checking in with a friend or family member can be a great distraction, boosting a person’s mood. Plus, it helps an entrepreneur avoid accidentally thinking about work while they’re taking the break.
Organize the office or workspace.
If a business owner struggles with taking enough breaks because it feels like they aren’t being productive, they might find it helpful to take a cleaning break. For the home-based business owner, that might look like unloading the dishwasher or dusting a bookcase. For an in-office worker, an organization break could mean decluttering their desk or disinfecting surfaces they touch a lot. They get a break from work, and they do something productive. That’s a win-win.
For many people, a cluttered workspace makes them feel overwhelmed, anxious, and stressed. It’s also all too easy to waste time during the day looking for something that got misplaced. Studies have also shown that simple “mindless” tasks like doing the dishes and cleaning can help increase creativity because it allows the subconscious to “work” on the problem in the background.
Catch up on personal reading.
So many professionals spend their days scanning documents and reading emails at work, and it’s easy to neglect personal reading. Taking a break to read can be a great distraction from work without completely turning the brain off.
And there are no rules about what to read, either. Some professionals might prefer to stick with a book about business or productivity so they can get ideas for how to improve their work. And that’s fine. Others might pick up a “fun” title that’s on their to-be-read list. That’s fine, too. What matters is giving the brain a mini break.
To keep the break as beneficial as possible, it’s a good idea to stick to physical books over e-books. This isn’t meant to disparage e-books, of course, but part of the benefit of a book break is to stop looking at a screen for a few minutes (that’s always good for the eyes).
Don’t be afraid to utilize micro breaks.
Sometimes, the day’s schedule might not allow for a twenty-minute break to go for a coffee run or read a chapter of a book. And that’s understandable. Entrepreneurship is busy. But a crammed schedule shouldn’t be an excuse to skip breaks entirely. Even a five-minute break every hour can help maintain performance (or even boost it).
What should a business owner do on a micro break? Maybe they could get up, refill their water bottle, and walk a lap around their office or up and down the street. Or maybe they can take a few minutes to put their order in with their favorite lunch spot if they need to keep their noon break quick. Just a few minutes of looking away from work can help break up the monotony of the workday.
Pencil breaks in.
Taking time for a break is easy to overlook when work demands are piling up. Many busy entrepreneurs find it helpful to actually write their breaks into their schedule. A calendar event for a fifteen-minute break can give a visual reminder to step away to refresh both body and mind and come back to work energized and ready to chase business goals.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
