How you spend your lunch break can significantly impact your focus and productivity.
It happens to the best of us: you power through the morning, only to hit a wall and sit in a haze for the rest of the afternoon.
Unfortunately, battling the 2pm slump with more caffeine can negatively impact your sleep patterns and tip you off balance even further.
One of the most efficient ways to curb the afternoon crash is to give your mind and body a full reset during your lunch break.
Today, we will discuss six lunch break activities that can help restore your balance and boost your focus and productivity for the rest of the day.
1. Go outside.
The quickest way to trigger a mind reset is a change of scenery. Relocating to another room or café for the afternoon can certainly help, but according to some studies, sunshine and greenery are natural mood enhancers and improve short term memory by 20%. By stepping outside, you are giving yourself a true break away from day-to-day operations and a chance to explore new ideas or see your work from a different perspective.
2. Avoid simple carbs.
Simple carbohydrates like bread, pasta and white rice are known comfort foods and can be especially appealing after a trying morning. But they also trigger a blood sugar spike that inevitably leads to an afternoon crash. Opt for complex carbs like whole grains, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables and beans to give your body the slow-burning fuel it needs to power through the entire work day.
3. Power nap.
Studies show that power naps help improve cognitive performance and are much more effective at staving off fatigue than caffeine is. A 20-minute power nap – or a stage two nap – can help improve alertness and enhance motor learning skills. A 30- to 60-minute nap – or slow wave sleep – can help improve decision-making skills. To avoid oversleeping, we recommend sleeping on a surface that is not your bed like a day bed or reclining office chair to signal to your brain that this is not an opportunity to fall into a 7-hour slumber.
4. Have lunch with someone new.
Lunch meetings offer the perfect amount of time to get to know someone while keeping the mood casual and lighthearted. It also offers a good amount of stimulation to reset your mind for the rest of the work day. Make a habit of scheduling lunch meetings regularly with people you haven’t met yet to make new connections and stay up to date within your industry. Avoid meeting with the same people over and over as these meetups can easily turn into complaining fests – not exactly the best way to keep yourself motivated for the rest of the work day.
5. Put your phone away.
While phone scrolling is often associated with leisure and relaxation, studies show that it actually causes unnecessary stress on your vision and the muscles around your neck, leading to a variety of symptoms like blurred vision and headaches. From a physiological perspective, scrolling on your phone during your lunch break can equate to not taking a break at all. Give your eyes the rest that they deserve by putting your phone away and going screen-less until you return to your desk.
6. Brush your teeth.
Did you know? Poor oral health can have surprising implications on your overall health. Studies show that oral bacteria and inflammation can lead to endocarditis and pneumonia, among other diseases. While it can be difficult to brush after every meal at the office, those of us who are now working from home can do so and reap its health benefits while also squeezing in a self care ritual before powering through the rest of the afternoon. Jazz things up with an assortment of unique yet refreshing toothpaste flavors.