PSA: Taking a "real" lunch break saved my productivity for real

I used to just eat at my desk while working, thinking I was being efficient. But last month after a really rough week of feeling fried by 2pm every day, I decided to try something new. I literally walked away from my computer for a full hour, went to a park near my apartment in Austin, and just sat on a bench eating my sandwich. No phone no laptop no nothing. The weird thing is I came back and actually got more done in the afternoon than I usually do in a whole day. Now I do it every day and my burnout feels way more manageable. Has anyone else found that stepping away completely helps more than just working through lunch?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_wells3d ago

Wait, you sat on a bench in an Austin park for a full hour with no phone? That's wild. I can't even sit through a red light without checking my phone. But then again, I've been eating at my desk for fifteen years and I'm always half dead by 3pm. Maybe you're onto something.

margaretc423d ago

Wait, did you say fifteen years? As in the same job, same desk, for fifteen years? I can't even keep the same coffee mug that long, my brain would turn to complete mush.

patricia_hill602d agoMost Upvoted

I mean, fifteen years at the same desk is a lot. I've been at my current job for about eight now and I swear I'm losing track of little things like where I put my file folder. Maybe it's just me but I think a little change keeps your brain from going totally stale. Idk, you do you but I can't imagine another seven years in the same spot.