(PowerInEmail.com) – It’s been a long night, and you wake up to an overflow of work and deadlines. Because you’re running on just a few hours of sleep, you worry how you’ll get everything done and turned in on time. Don’t fret. There may be a way for you to sail through the workday and not miss a beat. Consider a microbreak. Here’s how it works.
Use the Pomodoro Technique
Everyone loves an excuse to take a break, but there are instances when one is truly beneficial. In the 80s Francesco Cirillo, a consultant company owner, derived the Pomodoro Technique. It’s a smart way to work faster and more productively.
Using his timer technique, you set up a time frame in which to get your task complete. Typically, 25 to 45 minutes. In between tasks, the timer will alert you to take a 5- or 15-minute break. This helps you drive your deadline, while also preventing feelings of being overwhelmed. The microbreaks may help you achieve your goals easier.
Take Time to Stretch
When you’re glued to a desk or space all day long, work can get mundane and draining. It can also cause your muscles to adapt to awkward positions. You only realize it when you wake up with pain or numbness in certain areas of your body.
One way to combat this problem is to implement movement in your microbreaks. Get up and stretch. It helps work out knotted muscles and improves blood flow, making it easier and more comfortable to get through the day.
Get Up and Move
While stretching is important during a microbreak, so is getting up and getting the blood pumping. More rigorous movement helps incorporate all muscle groups and rejuvenates the senses. It can be a brisk walk or engaging in some sort of physical activity.
Exercise allows your brain and thought process to switch gears for a moment, allowing you to be able to concentrate better when you go back to work.
Shut Down for 15 Minutes
Staring at documents and spreadsheets all morning can lead to fatigue and burnout quickly. That’s why you need to do something completely different when you start feeling worn down.
Take a break and get some fresh air. Play a game. Get a healthy snack. Whatever you do, take a microbreak to get that feeling of rejuvenation to recharge.
It’s best to keep microbreaks to a minimum of 15 minutes — short enough to gain some incentive and boost energy levels without getting off track from your work. In some cases it’s not possible to take several small breaks a day, so you’ll have to work the time into your schedule however you can. While it’s vital to take care of your body through fuel, sleep and exercise, your brain deserves a break too. It may be the rescue you’ve been needing all along.
~Here’s to Your Success!
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