Productivity properly understood is based on an essential principle: breaks. If you are one of those who -like me- love and are passionate about our work, and for this reason sometimes we immerse ourselves in long hours because we do not fully perceive the passage of time and exhaustion, you may want to consider the concept of “productive breaks”, also known as active pauses.
The goal is to achieve a better level of performance and focus by taking short breaks from tasks. In the midst of this time you will be able to connect parts of your energy and mind so that they continue “working” at a different pace, in favor of that project you have in hand.
Since many find it difficult to completely disconnect from things, this proposal adds value by inviting you to do it at your own pace, consciously, while, at the same time, giving space to recreation.
6 free ideas to overcome job burnout
To help you take breaks that really clear your mind, here are half a dozen inspirational ideas:
1. Go back to play
Surely, in adult life, we often forget the importance of playfulness. One of the tools is that you learn to apply game and recreation dynamics during work time. In my case, I love the scrabbleand when I want to have my productive break, I connect to the mobile application, opening a new game where I associate the game with my creative energy through the words that I freely associate with what I am working on.
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2. write single words
In this case it is a very effective technique to release tension. Also called “free writing”, it is as simple as taking a piece of paper and letting hundreds, thousands of single, unconnected words emerge from you. Observe them and you will see how they somehow represent emotional states that you have been clinging to. Many others will have brought you ideas and answers to your dilemmas.
3. Release tensions and recharge energy with energetic movements
Is Excellent for people with a tendency to sedentary lifestyle. Dancing hard, doing push-ups, moving your arms rhythmically, listening to music at a certain volume while you stretch as much as you can, are some of the ways to unload.
4. neutral observation
This is a mindfulness dynamic, also applied by meditation. It is especially useful when you are dealing with situations that can be challenging. In your active pause, dedicate yourself to close your eyes and imagine that challenge you have in full detail. Observe it in the first person, just like when we get involved with body and soul in the matter. Take a deep breath. Then, dissociate your image of the moment with your other self, imagining that you see yourself in front of yourself; use creative visualization. What does your other self observe from the second perspective? One more step: if there were two people at the top who don’t know you, and can only see you: what would they say to each other? The technique of neutral observation it will help you to take perspective of things when you are in dilemmas with positive/negative polarities.
5. positive co-creation
Here is another extremely useful tool for team development. It is a participatory sequence with other close people, where you will briefly present the dilemma or situation in which you find yourself, you will graph it on a piece of paper, and you will pass it on to others so that they can contribute. At the end there will be a graphic version of the current problem, and collaborative solutions with possible solutions.
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6. Open a random book and connect ideas
It is a very useful resource to disconnect and remain productive at the same time. When you want a change of air, take a book and open it at random, ask any question you have at that moment, and read what appears in it. Don’t force the process; just make it relaxed and focused not on getting “the” right answer, but an inspirational influence or a reference to something of the moment.
By: Daniel Colombo
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