Your future self will thank you 🍽️
Treating breaks as optional sends the message that exhaustion is just part of the job. The teams that truly excel understand that stepping away to recharge isn’t downtime it’s an investment in sharper thinking, better collaboration, and more meaningful results.
Microsoft Teams needs to catch on to this and have an away status that says 'at lunch' rather than just 'be right back', or 'out for lunch' instead of just 'Out of Office'. Employees will stop having to explain why they stepped away from their desk or why it looks like they are now off for the day in the middle of the day when it's just for short moment to replenish their energy!
It's great to see a post like this from LinkedIn, and I'm hoping they "walk the talk." Blocking time is one of the easiest strategies I teach in my talk on 'How to Set Boundaries at Work,' especially for individual contributors. You might not own everything people try to add to your work calendar, but you can block lunch time. This is one of the easiest work boundaries you can set today.
This is super important. Another tip is that when you’re having lunch, try not to think about work and avoid talking about work.
Maintain your physical health, manage your finances wisely, pursue intellectual growth, and cultivate meaningful relationships — your future self will thank you.
So true. I’ve skipped too many lunch breaks in the past and it always showed in my energy and focus. I’m much better when I take that time instead of turning it into another meeting. Thanks for the reminder LinkedIn
When we normalize skipping breaks, we're setting a standard that burnout is just part of the job. The best teams I've worked with understood that rest isn't wasted time, it's what makes the work time actually count.