The Value of the Lunch Break

Today I learned the value of the lunch break. Have you ever wondered why sometimes we have to lose something to gain appreciation for it? Whilst at work this morning, a very important and urgent task was placed before me right before lunch. It needed to be done as soon as possible and I could see that it would take me well beyond lunch to finish. Being Christmas time, I managed to find something around the office to eat and I worked right through lunch to finish the task. I accomplished what I needed to and felt like I did a good job.

By this time, it was well into the afternoon, so I decided to just finish out the day. It wasn't until the car ride home that the Take Home Lesson for the Day came to me - a day with a normal intensity and no lunch break is much more tiring that when I do take a lunch break. On the way home, I noticed I was really tired - more so than usual. I learned the value of taking a lunch break.

The mind and body work much more effectively when breaks are used properly. We can work much better and finish out the end of the work day much stronger when a decent lunch break is taken. A lesson I enjoy teaching my children over and over is that the human body is the only machine in the world that gets better with use. This is true with both physical and mental exercise.

A good saying I learned from my father that I've tried to live by: "Work hard and play hard." Set goals for your time at work - long term and short term. Work hard to achieve them. Lay out your daily tasks and do what it takes to finish them. Take time, here and there, to reflect on your long range goals. Take a step back and see what path your day-to-day actions are taking you down. Make course corrections as needed.

Plan out your breaks and vacations with the same intensity. Do those things that bring regeneration and renewal to your mind and body during your break. Some times I like to sit back and let a movie entertain me. Other times, I feel an inner drive to get something accomplished and sitting back is the last thing I want to do at the time. Excessiveness on either end makes me ineffective and unhappy.

But the proper balance makes all the difference in the world.