I used to be a dive-in-and-work-like-mad kind of guy? You too?
Go from one project to the next, snarf down some lunch (ten minutes max) and then jump back in.
Not a great deal of peace. It’s just not the way we’re wired. In fact there’s science behind the idea of taking breaks during the day. Lots of them. If you’re interested, it’s called the Pomodro Technique and you can read about it here.
Essentially the idea is work for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break. It’s proven to increase mental agility, and put more bluntly, keep you from burning out. (Just before I wrote this blog post I took five minutes.)
But What Do You Do With Your Five Minutes?
For me, this has been the key. This isn’t a chance to check e-mail or jump on Facebook for a few minutes. It’s about getting away. Here’s a few ideas that might work for you:
- Get outside for a short walk.
- Touch nature. What I mean by this is go up to a tree and grab a leaf. (No, I’m not kidding.) We are so surrounded by technology–our computer screens, phones, TVs, cars, etc., all of which are artificial, we rarely literally touch the creation. There’s something about stopping to smell a flower, or feel the grass, or dip our hand in a stream that settles us.
- Go somewhere you can be alone, sit down, and close your eyes. Don’t think, don’t pray, don’t figure out what is about to crash down on your head (figuratively) simply sit in the quiet.
- Get to a place with fresh air and breathe in and out SLOWLY three or four times.
Do these kind of things and I promise you’ll get a slice of peace you didn’t know was well within your reach.