Bring Back Lunch: How to Make the Most of Your Break at Work

Actually, I guess it isn't all that odd. Our lives are jam-packed with obligations, scheduled events and activities. If you work full-time, you spend 40 or more hours shackled to your job. That doesn't even count the time you spend preparing for your day and getting to and from work. Add in the obligations of children, relationships, household chores and just the daily business of living, and it isn't hard to understand why everyone feels like there aren't enough hours in the day.

To make it all fit in, many of us sacrifice a few hours of sleep and our lunch breaks. If we spend the noontime hours at our desks, then maybe we won't have to work late again. If we're really lucky, we may even be able to slip out a bit early. At least that's what we tell ourselves.

The reality is that choosing to toss down a sandwich at your desk while continuing to work really doesn't buy you that much time, and can actually have a negative impact on both your productivity and your work/life balance. Consider the following:

- Many experts say that most individuals are not actually productive in the office 8 hours a day. Our minds and bodies need breaks and variety in order to function at their best. Is it better to continue slogging through that report until your eyes feel crossed and your brain refuses to focus, or to get up, stretch and take in some sunshine, so that you can return to the task with a clear head and a fresh outlook?

- Most professionals who work through their lunch breaks don't end up closing up shop early or getting ahead of the game. Between office interruptions and our tendency to just take on more work, we really don't buy ourselves much extra time.

That hour may not get you very far in terms of getting ahead on the job. But used wisely, it can go a long way towards building a better balance in your life.

Instead of working away your lunch hour, consider it a precious slice of time for reconnecting with yourself and other important things in your life. If you think about it, a lunch hour is a gift. You aren't home, so this little stretch of free time can't be used to catch up on household chores or get a head start on dinner. You're free of all the "should dos" in your personal life. By rearranging your priorities a bit, you can also free yourself of the on-the-job "to do" list for a bit and devote some rare time to yourself. Chances are your work won't suffer at all (and may even improve), but your mental health will benefit tremendously.

So, what can you do with that extra time besides feed yourself and catch up on work emails?

Reconnect with you.

If what's been most lacking in your life is solitary time for you to reflect and recharge, make your lunch hour your scheduled appointment with yourself. Escape your job and your family obligations for sixty minutes. You'll be more able to devote the best of yourself to both your job and your family during the time you've allotted for them if you give a little attention to number one - you.

If at all possible, actually leave your work site during your lunch hour. Pack a quick and easy meal so that you don't have to waste precious time in line at a fast food joint or cafeteria. Instead, try some of the following:

Free Scent Therapy:

Our favorite smells can de-stress, calm and invigorate us. If you have a shopping area nearby, pop into a coffee shop, a candle store, or a Bath and Body Works type store and just take in the heavenly smells all around you. Find that lotion that makes you think of honeysuckles and springtime, or that candle that reminds you of your grandmother's kitchen and simpler times. You don't have to buy anything unless you want to. Just take in your favorite smells and enjoy the mental images they conjure up.

Window Shop and Quick Stop

There are many other types of shops that can recharge your batteries, depending on your interests. Pop into a bookstore and browse, even if you only have time for an aisle or two. Stop in a pet store to laugh at the antics of a gang of playful critters or soothe your senses by gazing at an aquarium display for a bit. Duck into that quirky little clothing or house wares shop that always catches your eye, but never quite makes it onto your busy schedule. Get some ideas for weekend projects at the local gardening store.

Just Get Outside

The above ideas offer lots of possibilities for quick and easy slices of contentment. But not all of us work where we can conveniently bounce off to a shopping center during a short lunch break. If your office or workplace is off the beaten track, then it could take your entire lunch hour just to get to a shopping center and back. Instead, bring a favorite book or your walking shoes, and head outside during your lunch break. Stake a claim on a secluded bit of lawn, a shade tree, or a park bench and treat yourself to a chapter of a novel. Or don't sit down at all, but spend your hour exploring your surroundings and getting some brisk but low-key exercise. If you work near a residential area, stroll the neighborhood and get ideas for your own yard, garden or deck.

Read, Write and Explore Without Leaving Your Building

Don't let a rainy day or uncomfortably hot or cold weather keep you from escaping your office during your lunch break. If venturing outdoors would be unpleasant, try escaping into the online world instead. If you can close your office door for an hour, do so and catch up on your favorite bloggers or web sites (keeping in mind, of course, your company's web surfing policies and that you don't want to surf anywhere that would create embarrassment if your techies are keeping logs of sites visited on office computers). Do a little blogging yourself.

If that's not an option at your work location, bring a book, magazine or journal and venture off somewhere quite to read or write.

Reconnect With Others.

Sometimes, our connection to ourselves isn't what is missing in our lives as much as time to spend with others who are important to us. Our waking hours are taken up with our jobs, our families and our choice. But what about friends, fun and romance?

Make New Friends

Use a lunch break as an opportunity to get to know your co-workers in an offsite setting. Pluck up your nerve and ask a new colleague or someone you've been meaning to get to know to join your for lunch. See if the nice new girl who always eats alone at her desk too would like to check out your favorite nearby salad bar or take a walk outside.

Spending time together outside the context of "work" helps form connections that increase productivity in the office. You don't want to bare your soul to co-workers right off the bat, but forming a bond based on non-work interests and general chitchat makes it much easier to pick up the phone when you need each other's support and expertise. Not only that, but you may discover shared hobbies and interests that lead to friendship or social activities outside of work.

Catch Up With Old Friends or Family

Identify friends who either live or work close to your own job site, and invite them to meet you halfway for a quick meal.

When our weekdays are taken up by our jobs and our evenings and weekends are spent cramming in children's activities and household chores, it is our longstanding friends and acquaintances that often get neglected. We mean to schedule a Saturday lunch or outing for coffee, but always forget amidst the piles of laundry, the lawn that needs mowing, and the soccer game.

Take advantage of your right to a break during the workday, and enjoy a bit of midday freedom with an old friend you haven't seen in a while. Or make a date with Mom or Dad, to spend some one-on-one time that allows you to focus on each other instead of everyone else at your regular family gatherings. If you have grandparents or other elderly relatives close by, grab an easy meal and surprise them with a quick visit. Make it a monthly thing to be sure that the two of you don't lose touch again.

Rekindle Your Romance

Your share your home with the man or woman in your life, and you see each other every day. But how much do you really see the spouse or significant other who shares your house? When you're chugging your coffee in the morning, are the two of you really listening to each other, or are you making mental to-do-lists for the day ahead?

Is he really noticing your new outfit, or are you both dashing around trying to pack lunches and get the kids off to school? Are you paying attention to his recap of his day, or are you nodding absently as you wrestle with laundry and dinner? Is he really hearing your funny little anecdote, or is he helping your daughter with her math homework?

Sometimes, the people we spend the least amount of time really connecting with are those we live with and see every day. You love each other dearly, but it is far too easy to say "we'll talk later" when there are million errands to run and things to be done at home. When we do catch a spare moment, we give it to the people we don't see as often.

So make a lunch date, and break up your work day by spending a bit of time together. Talk a quick walk in a park, or duck into a little café. Really focus on seeing each other, talking, and being together smack dab in the middle of the work day. Flirt like strangers, hold hands across the table, look into each other's eyes as you talk, and rekindle a spark that will hopefully linger until you get the kids to bed.

Connect Even When You Can't Connect

Does your spouse or closest friend work too far away to make grabbing a lunch break together feasible?

If you can't get together in person, make a phone date. Grab a quick lunch and then head off to a pleasant outdoor location to sweet talk with your partner or catch up with what's going on in your best friend's life.

Send long emails to your family and friends giving them the scoop on what's going on with you, the spouse, and the kids. Or start a blog they can all read, and maybe even update alongside you.

Even when you can't get together, your lunch break can be a time to focus on those you love.

Buy Yourself More Time For Later

There are those days when it would be wonderful to just indulge in some "you time" or enjoy a pleasant lunch with an old friend or your husband. But you've just got too much going on. The list of after-work and weekend errands on your plate is overwhelming.

Buy back some of your off-hours by chipping away at those errands during your lunch break. Go pick up that prescription, buy cat food, pick up tax forms, stop by the bank, buy that gift for Sunday's wedding shower, or return that dress you borrowed to a friend. You're still getting outside the office and stepping away from your "work mode" persona, so you'll be better able to jump into the afternoon's job tasks. At the same time, you'll be relieved that the list of things you need to do after work is just a bit smaller.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Hour

- If you work in a busy, congested area, try to schedule your lunch breaks either earlier or later than the standard noon hour, to avoid the worst of the harried crowds.

- Pack a lunch instead of buying one if your plans don't involve actually dining with someone in a restaurant or café. That way you won't waste valuable time in long lines.

- When possible, choose activities within walking distance so that you can get a bit of exercise and avoid the hassle of finding parking in congested areas.

With the demands placed on us in today's hectic workplaces, sometimes a lunch hour doesn't seem worth the effort. Staying at your desk and working seems like the best way to lift some of the stress from your shoulders. But in most cases, doing something to refresh and recharge our bodies and minds, or to strengthen our connection with friends and loved ones, is far more worthwhile. That hour can be time we steal to do things for ourselves and others that normally don't fit into our days. And getting away allows us to return to your jobs with clearer heads and an increased ability to focus on the work at hand.