I do my best to maintain regular business hours, but as a self-employed owner of 2 businesses, I have a tendency to work far too much. I spend the majority of most of my days sitting in front of 2 monitors, which is not good for my eyes, body, or brain.
I’ve worked from home for several years, but the same was true back in my on-site freelancing days. Back then, some of my co-workers would take frequent breaks to step outside for a cigarette. They’d get to walk away from their desks for 10 minutes and get some not-so-fresh air. We non-smokers were left sitting in our cubicles. In retrospect, I don’t know why we didn’t just get up and take similar breaks.
I’d like to say that my work day ends promptly at 5pm when my availability to my clients ends, and I turn off the computer until 9am the next morning, but like most people, that’s not the truth. Even though my second business does involve making things with my hands and affords me the opportunity to step away from the computer for stretches of time, I still do a great deal on the computer in relation to that business.
It dawned on me that I wanted the luxury of taking cigarette breaks without actually taking up smoking again (or standing around outside surrounded by smokers). Smokers tend to take mini-breaks; 5-10 minutes to get their nicotine, and then back to the grind, but they do it fairly regularly. Perhaps we should all incorporate such breaks when we can.
I could just tell myself to take a break every so often, but I can disappear in code or writing curriculum files for hours. (I worked straight through Thanksgiving 1998 because I was working on a complex website project.) I could set a timer or an alarm to schedule breaks, but I can turn them off, and continue working. After searching the archives on Life Hacker for a computer-based (of course) timing application, I found the freeware app Time Out. It allows me to set normal (up to 60 minutes) or micro breaks (up to 60 seconds) on a schedule that makes sense for me. I currently have it set to allow me to work for 2 hours, and then take a 20-minute break. It’s difficult to ignore Time Out, since it slowly (or quickly) fades on to your screen, covers everything (on both of my monitors), and then locks me out of everything for 20 minutes. It does give me the option of postponing the scheduled break for 5 or 20 minutes, if I’m in the middle of something, or skipping it all together, which I rarely do.
20 minutes may not seem like much time to do anything, but it’s certainly enough time to stand up, stretch, get your circulation flowing again, give your eyes a rest, step outside and get some fresh air, grab a snack, or drink more water. More importantly, it can help you develop a routine of doing those things on a regular basis, which means your eyes, body, and brain will be better off.
“But Leslie, not everyone reading this is on a Mac, you know!” I know, and for Windows users, there’s Eyes Relax, which is also free.
Now that you’ve read this, step away from your computer and take a little break ;)
Tags: Mac, productivity, software, tips