Think As Inc

BUILD IN OFFICE BREAKS

November 9, 2009 on 1:52 pm | In life coaching | No Comments

You are more productive when you take periodic breaks.  Since the frenetic pace of office life today often means that well-intentioned breaks fall by the wayside, you need to proactively build in these office breaks:

MAKE PLANS FOR YOUR LUNCH HOUR.  You are less likely to forget lunch or to work through lunch if you arrange to meet people or make other plans during your lunch.  Obviously if your office culture requires working through lunch then you do it but more typically you can and should break away.  If you feel guilty about leaving work, schedule networking lunches with colleagues and feel good knowing this is a “working” lunch.

BLOCK YOUR CALENDAR FOR CATCH-UP TIME.  I block my Outlook calendar for the first two hours of Monday morning and the last two hours of Friday afternoon.  Monday morning, I use that block to get through emails and orient my week.  Friday afternoon, I review the important, but not urgent memos and emails that I saved throughout the week.  This way, I don’t start and stop my work all week when these issues arise, knowing that I have Friday set aside.

RESERVE STRATEGY DAYS.  Every month, I block my calendar for a whole day.  I use that day to catch up on longer projects that have been set aside and can’t be done in my Friday blocks.  I may end up taking that day off as a vacation day.  Because I haven’t scheduled anything, I have an easy vacation option if I need some out-of-office time.

SCHEDULE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.  Look up your company’s offerings, and sign up now as far in advance as you can.  This way, you reserve your space in the class AND the space on your calendar.  If you are self-employed, think of workshops or conferences you wish to attend, and reserve for these.  Last resort, block off a few hours each month for Training, and read business books or trade magazines during this time.  You need a break from the day-to-day and time to invest in your development.

PENCIL IN VACATIONS, DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS, AND OTHER PERSONAL COMMITMENTS.  By scheduling in advance, you avoid double-booking or letting important events lapse or forgetting altogether.  Don’t forget personal enrichment:  Build in a lunch date with your significant other.  Think of 6 friends you’d like to stay in touch with, and block a lunch a month for each.

OVERLAY THE SCHOOL CALENDAR.  If you have school-age children, put their important events in your work calendar and plan accordingly.  Now you know when you have to leave early or when you want to take a vacation or day off.