Take a Break

This week I’m delighted to have my first guest blogger – Kim Westrich. She shares another technique that enables us to manage our energy. As I read this, I reflected on my blog post on calendar construction and realized her post explains why my ideal calendar worked so well for me. Here’s Kim!

Last week Josh shared the Pomodoro technique, a productivity technique that helps him triumph over procrastination. Many people describe the Pomodoro technique as a method for time management, but I think it works so well because it’s also a method for managing your energy.

Why might focusing on energy management be even more powerful than focusing on time management? Tal Ben-Shahar has observed about our society, “The problem is not hard work; the problem is insufficient recovery.” All the time management hacks in the world won’t help you achieve your goals if you don’t have the energy to accomplish what you want to do.

Ultradian Rhythms

Honoring our ultradian rhythms is the key to energy management. An ultradian rhythm is a cycle that our bodies go through multiple times throughout the day. You may have heard of a circadian rhythm, our 24-hour cycle of waking and sleeping. An ultradian rhythm is a similar, shorter cycle of performing and recovering. You may not be aware of it, but it’s a biological pattern through which your body continually cycles (see the illustration below by one of my mentors, Pilar Gerasimo).

After 90 to 120 minutes of high productivity, the accumulated mental and physical stress caused by the effort of performing results in energy depletion. Your body needs a short break to recharge and recover by releasing the stress and repairing the damage. If you don’t take those breaks, accumulating stress and damage build over time. In the short term, this impacts your performance, but in the longer term, it affects your health as you literally and figuratively burn out.

Pilar recommends we take what she calls “Ultradian Rhythm Breaks” (URBs) throughout the day to operate at our highest energetic and productive level. Our bodies regularly signal this need for a break to us in many ways: we start to feel sluggish, crave caffeine or sugar, or perhaps our minds wander. Often, we ignore these signals and continue to power through, focusing on managing our time rather than our energy.

Implementing URBs

After learning about the benefits of incorporating URBs into my day, I still resisted taking them. My primary excuse was my work schedule, as I had back-to-back meetings and a never-ending to-do list. I ate at my desk while I worked. I barely even got up to go to the bathroom. I thought the more I worked, the more I could accomplish. Unfortunately, these are the behaviors our society teaches us.

Earlier this year, something changed. I started a new job. On my first day, when my calendar was still empty, I scheduled recurring daily breaks for URBs and lunch. It was fantastic! I recharged my energy several times a day by taking a walk, working on a puzzle, eating a healthy snack, or doing some yoga. I felt good throughout the day. I was more productive, resilient, joyful, and kinder to my family.

Barriers to Taking URBs

Unfortunately, my new habit started to disappear after a few weeks. As I settled into my new job, my to-do list got longer, and my schedule got busier. Even though the time was still protected on my calendar, I started dismissing the alerts and skipping my scheduled URBs. Before long, I was back to where I began: powering through with a cranky attitude while I accumulated and internalized my stress.

If I knew I felt better and was more productive when I took URBs, why was I dismissing the alerts? I started paying attention to my thoughts when I ignored the reminders:

• I have too much to do to take a break.
• I just need to get one more thing done.
• I don’t deserve to take a break.

Wow. That’s an unhealthy society’s voice in my head, not mine! I don’t honestly believe any of those things. I worked on reframing those thoughts:

• I have too much to do, NOT to take a break. I will be more energetic and productive after a URB.
• I can do that “one more thing” after my URB when I’ve recharged my energy and refreshed my attitude.
• I absolutely deserve to take a break! Taking care of my body is one of my highest priorities. I need to “put my own oxygen mask on first” to optimize my energy and well-being so I can continue helping others.

Experimenting with URBs

Last week, I ran an experiment. Each day, I took a 15-minute URB in the morning, at least 30 minutes for lunch, and a 15-minute URB in the afternoon. I felt so much better:

• I had time to prepare and eat healthier food,
• I spent more time connecting with my husband and son,
• I had more agency and control over my day,
• I was more patient and more joyful,
• I was fully productive at work, and
• I slept better at night.

Are you up for an experiment? Where can you add a break or two during your day? What activities might you do during that break to recharge and recover? You can learn more about URBs here if you need some ideas or motivation. I invite you to try it out and let us know how it went!

Schedule time with Kim.

Schedule time with Josh.