Lunch Breaks For Productivity

You’re not burned out—you’re just taking breaks the wrong way. Here’s how to fix it, based on science. Want to perform better? Take better breaks. Breaks today are where sleep was 15 years ago—underrated and misunderstood. But how you take a break matters. Most people think more work = more productivity. But research shows that strategic breaks are the real key to staying sharp. The problem? Most of us take breaks that don’t actually help. Scrolling alone at your desk? Not it. Here’s how to take a break that actually works: Move, don’t sit – Walk, stretch, or get outside instead of staying glued to your chair. Movement resets your brain. Go outside, not inside – Fresh air and sunlight restore energy and boost creativity. Be social, not solo – Breaks are more effective when taken with someone else. Fully unplug – Leave your phone. No work talk. No emails. No scrolling. Just a real reset. Try this: Take a 10-minute walk outside with a colleague. Talk about anything but work. Leave your phone at your desk. Watch how much better you feel—and perform. Breaks aren’t a luxury. They’re a performance tool. Treat them like it. Got a break routine that works for you? Drop it below Or send this to someone who needs a real break.

I was recently reintroduced to Jeff Bezos’ “1-hour Rule” and I needed it! The basic idea is to reserve time for uninterrupted thinking. Instead of moving from meeting to meeting, block the time to empty your mind. EOS Worldwide calls this a “Clarity Break” and suggests ~3 hours. It’s tough to have great ideas when you’re working tactical problems all day. This break, whether it be once a week or once a month, forces you to break away from the day-to-day. Here’s how: -       Schedule time away from your desk/office. A park, a coffee shop, etc. -       No to-do list or agenda -       Not a time to catch up on email -       No interruptions or distractions – turn your phone off Just bring a blank page and see what happens

The exercise I took from the Navy SEALs to control nerves and still use today. Every time you gear up for a job in Special Forces the tension builds in your body. This is good. Nervousness is a normal reaction to fear and uncertainty. It puts you in a heightened state making you feel alert and aware. This zones in your focus to take decisive action. BUT, you only gain this power when you've trained yourself to control the nervous feeling. When your nerves overwhelm you it kills your performance. You can be the best at what you do but if you can't put that into practice you will waste your potential. Feeling nervous activates your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This is why your heart races, your breath quickens, and you feel on edge. It's fight or flight. If I have to talk on stage I get that feeling. To stay in control I use the same exercise I used before operations in the military. Something I picked up from our US counterparts, the Navy SEALs: Box Breathing ↳Inhale for 4 seconds ↳Hold your breath for 4 seconds ↳Exhale for 4 seconds ↳Hold for another 4 seconds ↳Repeat the cycle x 4. This activates your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) to: > Reduces stress hormones. > Enhances emotional control. > Improves focus and boosts recall. Allowing you to concentrate on your content and delivery, rather than anxious thoughts. You can apply this to any situation. It's a way to hack your body's biology to allow you the mental space to perform at your best. Breathwork: Simple, effective and used by elite performers the world over. This is a skill. If you train it you can turn nerves to your advantage by controlling that energy. #thenaturaledge #masteryourmindset #breathwork — (Repost for anyone allowing nerves to overwhelm performance ♻️)

We check our phones 58 times a day. Every check shapes our brains. The first time I did a 3-day digital detox, I was shocked by how different I felt afterwards. It was like someone had cleaned out my brain. But our phones are so addictive, it wasn't long before I slipped back into scrolling. Here are 16 ways to make using your phone less easy: 1/ Home Screen Question ↳ Replace home screen with text saying "What did you come here to do?"  ↳ This creates mindful pauses before mindless scrolling. 2/ Rename Apps ↳ Change social media app names to "Time Waster" or "Productivity Killer."  ↳ Honest labels make you think twice before tapping. 3/ Regret Lock Screen ↳ Make lock screen a screenshot of your worst screen time day's stats.  ↳ Your past excess reminds you to do better. 4/ Elastic Band Reminder ↳ Put elastic band around phone as physical check-in .  ↳ The band creates friction that breaks automatic habits. 5/ Greyscale Mode ↳ Turn on colour-free display in accessibility settings.  ↳ Grey screens are much less appealing to use. 6/ Boredom Jar ↳ Fill jar with paper slips of offline activities to do.  ↳ When bored, pick a slip instead of your phone and do the activity. 7/ Sensory Photography ↳ Notice sounds, smells and textures for 30 seconds instead of taking pictures.  ↳ You'll actually remember moments you fully experience. 8/ Token System ↳ Use physical tokens like poker chips to represent daily social media checks.  ↳ When the tokens are gone, no more scrolling today. 9/ Phone Box ↳ At social gatherings, everyone puts their phone in a box. ↳ First person to check their phone pays a penalty. 10/ Single-Purpose Tool ↳ Use phone for just one function at a time.  ↳ One task prevents the endless app-switching cycle. 11/ Plant Exchange ↳ Delete a social media app, plant a real plant instead.  ↳ Real plants give joy without taking attention. 12/ Always Log Out ↳ Sign out of all social accounts after each use.  ↳ Extra login steps discourage casual checking habits. 13/ 20-Foot Rule ↳ Keep phone charging far from where you sleep/work.  ↳ Distance breaks the reach-for-phone reflex instantly. 14/ Contact Whitelist ↳ Keep phone in Do Not Disturb mode except for essential contacts.  ↳ Only important people can interrupt you now. 15/ Scheduled Notification Time ↳ Check all notifications only at specific preset hours.  ↳ Batch-checking breaks the all-day checking pattern. 16/ Weekend Dumb Phone ↳ Switch to basic phone on weekends for digital detox.  ↳ Basic phones prevent endless scrolling completely. Do just ONE of these today. Your brain will thank you within hours. What's one thing that helps you scroll less? Let me know below ⬇️ Image credit: @matterneuroscience ♻️ Repost to help others enjoy life more.   🔔 Follow me (James Ware) for more like this.

Stop apologising that your response to an Email might be delayed...because you had the temerity to take a tranche of personal time 😕 So how do you set boundaries between work and life commitments in our always-on, instant-reply world? 🤳 Although a lot of the relentless demands on our mental space come from technology, it can also be the antidote if we configure it correctly ⚙ By setting boundaries, we can ensure we have the time and space to recharge and engage in activities that bring joy and fulfillment, leading to increased productivity and overall well-being 💪 My default meeting settings are 25 and 50 mins (and have a reminder flash-up when there are 5 mins left); this gives me the opportunity for a short "unplug" between sessions to walk around, use the bathroom, get a drink etc. ☕ You can set your collaboration apps to only notify you on the computer if you are active there, so you don't have the stimulus of your laptop going "bing" and your phone "ting" simultaneously with every arriving message 📵 I was always grateful for my team letting me know where they were; if they were due in the office but couldn't come in as they had a water leak at home, then just give me a heads-up: life happens 👌 Ultimately, we need to stop feeling guilty when we're not working - even if you're an entrepreneur, if you live to only work you're doing it wrong ❌ One of the smartest people I know says that what is urgent for someone else (such as a customer) does not necessarily directly translate to that same thing also being urgent for ourselves; it's a powerful premise 🎯 How about blending work and life commitments when you travel? 🛫 As much as I find the terms "bleisure" and "workcationing" borderline hateful, the concepts are sound 👇 Bleisure - a portmanteau of business and leisure - is the concept of tacking a bit of sightseeing or a few cheeky days of downtime onto the back of a work trip to a given location; winner 🏆 Workcation is to travel somewhere on holiday and graft a bit from there during (which for some brings its own peace), allowing you to mix remote work with play; this is perfect for someone who runs their own business 🥇 There doesn't need to be that hard bifurcation between work time and personal life - but the flexibility needs to go both ways; if it's too skewed in one direction that's not balanced ⚖ Meditation doesn't work for me, but I do respect the famous Zen quote "Wherever you go, there you are" - a reminder of how powerful taking 30 seconds to close your eyes and focus on peacefully breathing can be 👃 So give yourself a break - in every sense; work hard and deliver against your commitments with focus, but also allow for some flexibility. Know when you need to properly switch-off from work mode, and take time for yourself ⏳ What have I missed? How do you set practical boundaries between work and life commitments - let me know in the comments below please ✍ #future #innovation #strategy #technology #digital

When was the last time you did an audit of your daily calendar? I absolutely LOVE this illustration from the incredibly talented Liz Fosslien! Her Mood Pyramid, along with the concept of a “calendar audit,” highlights the importance of prioritizing mini-breaks for movement, sunshine, and connection. Research from the American Psychological Association shows that not all breaks are created equally. For example, taking 15 minutes to go for a walk can significantly boost your productivity and energy compared to taking a 15-minute coffee break at your desk. Here are some tips to maximize your "mini-breaks": ✅ Consider the length and timing of your breaks. Shorter, but more frequent breaks, also known as “micro-breaks” are generally better. ✅ Change your break location, get outside. Stretch at a desk versus get outside for a walk? The latter has a higher recharging potential. ✅ Include exercise and physical movement in your break. Exercise is great for boosting our energy, but the benefits are short-lived. It’s actually better to have more mini-exercise sessions over the course of the day. ✅ Take a break by socializing. Spending time chatting with colleagues or a friend discussing a topic unrelated to work can help break your thought process and re-energize you. ✅ Take a break with a furry friend. Break time with a dog has been shown to reduce cortisol levels. Spending time with pets can boost our psychological wellbeing, which in turn boosts our productivity levels. 

A browser with 100 open tabs! 🤯 We all know that is not how we should be using it. Now imagine our brain as that browser with 100 open tabs. A constant hum in the background, a relentless barrage of notifications, emails, and deadlines. That's the digital overload we're all grappling with. It's the modern professional's silent nemesis, stealing our focus, draining our energy, and leaving us feeling perpetually frazzled. As a marketer, I'm no stranger to this. The constant pings, notifications, and the need to stay 'connected' can be overwhelming. It's like we're caught in a digital whirlwind, right? The more we try to keep up, the more we feel left behind. It's a vicious cycle that leaves us drained, stressed, and less productive. So, what's the remedy? Daily digital detox. Here's what's been working for me for the past few months: 1️⃣ Digital Minimalism It's not about renouncing technology but using it with a purpose. Ask yourself, "Is this tool adding value to my life or just consuming my time?" 2️⃣ Unplug Ritual Create a daily ritual to disconnect. For me, it's a mobile-free hour before bed and after waking up. 3️⃣ Mindful Notifications Turn off non-essential notifications. Choose what deserves your attention. My social media, WhatsApp, and email notifications are always turned off. My Apple devices allow me to set a uniform focus mode across devices basis time of the day and location, and other OS like Android and Windows have similar features. 4️⃣ Clear Boundaries Designate specific times for checking emails and especially social media. Stick to it. My phone enters sleep mode at 11 pm and wakes up only post 7 am. 5️⃣ Tech-free Bedroom Establish areas in your home where technology is off-limits. After having a TV in my bedroom for years, I have taken it down. The idea is to have quiet time with my loved ones. 6️⃣ No Cheat Days The weekends are when we want to unwind, get lost in comfort and leisure, and gravitate toward our smartphones is natural. But don't give in to that. A book or even an afternoon stroll can be incredibly rejuvenating. The benefits? I'm more present in my interactions, leading to improved relationships - especially with my kids. I discovered a sense of calm and contentment - a rarity a few months ago in this hyper-connected world. The goal of a digital detox is not to escape from technology but to create a balanced relationship with it. It's about reclaiming our time and attention to live a more meaningful life. #DigitalDetox #Mindfulness #Productivity #Unplug

Journaling nightly for ~10 minute has made me a better man. Feel free to steal my journal framework: ✔ 1 page free form brain dump of the day that just happened (What wins did I have? What would I do differently if I could live the day over again?) ✔ A quick look to the day ahead (this is a great place to prepare myself for the challenges to come.) ✔ List 3 reasons for gratitude (over time, this changes the brain to become more positive!) There is no better way to consistently set the direction for your life than daily reflection and planning (plus it's fun the laugh at the entries from a decade ago!)

As high-achievers, we often push ourselves relentlessly. However, burnout is real and can sabotage our productivity and well-being. That's why I've made it non-negotiable to take time for myself each day to recharge. For me, this means closing the laptop, putting my phone away, and doing something solely for myself—whether it's working out in my garage gym, taking a walk, or learning a new skill. This personal time allows me to reset and return to work feeling refreshed and focused. Setting communication boundaries is also crucial. You don't have to respond to emails, DMs, or texts the second someone else decides to send them. While it may feel uncomfortable at first, establishing these guardrails is vital for sustainable success. I encourage you to examine your own boundaries: • Where can you start saying "no" to work demands during personal time? • How can you be more intentional about unplugging? Don't let the grind consume you! Prioritize your mental health, and you'll be amazed at how it boosts your overall performance. How do you recharge and reset? ------------------------ Hi, I'm Michelle. I'm a former fighter pilot turned speaker, author, and coach. If you found this helpful, consider reposting ♻️ and follow me for more content like this.

What kind of breaks do you take? By now, most people know that taking breaks is critical for your brain's health. (For those that don't, you might want to Google “Microsoft brain scan break study.”) But here’s what many don’t realize: what you do on that break matters. A study compared different types of micro-breaks—no break, a smartphone break, and a “paper” break (like jotting down a quick shopping list). The findings? - No break: Predictably bad. No recovery, just mental slog. - Smartphone break: Not much better. In fact, using your phone to “relax” leaves your brain almost just as depleted as if you’d taken no break at all. - Paper break: Surprisingly effective. Picking up a pen instead of a phone boosted recovery and improved performance on tasks afterward. Why? Smartphones are sneaky. Even when you’re not scrolling TikTok, just using one keeps your brain partially engaged. Paper? No cognitive spillover. No distractions. My go-to break is just stretching and walking around. Being exhausted is no fun. Your brain will thank you. Source: Kang, S., & Kurtzberg, T. R. (2019). Reach for your cell phone at your own risk: The cognitive costs of media choice for breaks. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 8(3), 395–403.