Take a break!

No, I’m not talking about a vacation.  I just mean a break from – well, whatever you’ve been doing for the last 2 hours!

You see, many of us get stuck doing the same thing all day – repetitive motions, sitting all the time, standing in a certain position, lifting things in the same direction, and so on.  No, I’m not just talking about computer users – even “active” jobs can be repetitive.

In the “natural” world, you tend to have a lot more variety.  In our fast paced, “efficient” world, we try to block out interruptions and put everything close at hand.  But in reality, that can make you less efficient over time.

So, I’m just checking in to repeat what you’ve heard many times.  Take a break!  Stretch, and do something different.  If you’re concerned about efficiency, consider building in these changes and breaks.  Plan to do a variety of things, instead of just focusing on “getting that report done today” or “just painting the bedroom”.  Plan to do one thing for an hour, then another.  Take a 30 second break to stretch.  There are a lot of things you can do.

I’ve written before on this topic – read this post particularly for computer users.  One of the best resources for keeping those joints and muscles healthy day to day is The Posture Prescription by Dr Arthur White and Kate Kelly (review).  I was reminded of this topic because of this study of office workers [link no longer available].

Don’t want to take a break?  You’re asking for migraine triggers, tension type headache, back pain, and a mind that’s not quite as sharp.  But maybe you’re too far gone to recognize good advice when you hear it!  🙂