Take a break!

When I was in high school, my favorite English teacher told me that the key to producing an "A" essay paper was to stop working once an hour for a 1-5 minute break to rest my mind and engage my body. She encouraged me to stretch, go outside or simply close my eyes and take a deep breath. Another teacher encouraged me to overcome those notorious afternoon slumps by having a high protein snack and exercising for 15-60 minutes to wake up my body and increase my energy for the rest of the day. The advice from these two smart women stuck with me over the past 15+ years and proved to be true time and time again. (I got a lot of A's in school.)

As I learned, taking a break is one of the best things you can do to re-energize, regain focus, and keep up the level of productivity that you desire. If you're anything like me, you may concentrate so hard on what you're doing that the time passes quickly. One of my tricks for fitting in breaks is to schedule them ahead of time. Modern technology makes it easy to do this. If you're working on a computer, you can usually set up your email client (such as MS Outlook or Gmail Google Calendar) to remind you when it's time to take a break. If you're moving around or at home, try setting an alarm or reminder on your cell phone or setting a timer on your stove or microwave to signal it's time for a break.

Setting reminders is easy - the hardest thing for most of us even when we have good intentions is to actually stop and relax. If you find yourself resisting a break, remind yourself that this break is going to help you reach your goals faster and easier because you'll be focused and rejuvenated when you get back to work. Experiment this week - try scheduling a couple of breaks for yourself and TAKE THEM. I bet you'll be glad you did!