Do the opposite (to regenerate during breaks)

1000 Ways to Improve Our Lives / No. 54

Hello from Berlin, 

Every working day needs breaks. Brief interruptions must follow phases of concentration. Without these relaxation phases, healthy attention spans are not possible. At least not in the long run. 

Today, the mobile phone is often used for these interruptions. We take a break and pick up our cell phones. 

Two problems arise from this. Many of us are already looking at a screen at work (so breaks are no change, at least to our eyes). And we often use our phones to check our social media accounts. That might be entertaining. But it's most of the time not relaxing. Because on social media we compare ourselves with others. Where did my friend go on vacation? What career leap did XY make? Or we see controversial issues. This can upset us.

So maybe we should better find something that really relaxes. This doesn't mean there can't be some excitement in it. But it shouldn't evoke negative emotions.

For myself, I've discovered playing chess. It started during the pandemic—correspondence chess with a friend in Portland, USA (Hi, Matthias!). We've been playing almost non-stop ever since. How I love it!

The Upshot: Work needs breaks. As a rule, you should tend to do the opposite of what you do in the long phases of the work. If you're staring at the screen, you shouldn't use your cell phone during breaks. Anyone sitting at a desk should move. If you do rather monotonous work, read a book.

As always, everyone has to find their way. Playing chess is certainly not the worst. :-)

Onwards, 

Johannes Eber

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