How small chores can break up the day and improve focus when working from home
If you've ever hung out a load of washing while working from home, we have some good news.
According to Rachel Clements, the national director of psychological services at the Centre for Corporate Health, making sure we schedule micro-breaks — including time for small domestic tasks — can give workers a better sense of control, and improve productivity and mental wellbeing.
Work-life balance and flexibility are two benefits of hybrid work arrangements that have remained for some Australian workers post-pandemic. Ms Clements explains why breaks are important while working remotely, along with tips for those feeling guilty taking them.
Why it's important to incorporate mini breaks into your day
Ms Clements says during our working hours, we need at least a 20-minute break — which could consist of two 10-minute intervals or four five-minute intervals throughout the day — to let our brains do something mindless.
"It has benefits from two perspectives … I can go and hang the washing out for 10 minutes and I feel really good because I feel as if I've got a little bit of personal life-work balance; and I've [also] had a micro-booster break and now I can go back online and concentrate for my next meeting."
"A lot of people that we're speaking to say, 'I feel a perceived sense of being feeling in control of my whole life if I can work from home and put a load of washing on and just get one little chore done,'" Ms Clements says.
She explains that since work-from-home and hybrid arrangements have become normalised, our minds often need to make increasingly complex decisions more frequently.
"The research in neuroscience is quite interesting and has shown that the amount of information we used to process in a whole week, we're basically processing in a day now.
"So there is a huge cognitive load on our brain."
What sorts of tasks can you complete while taking a micro-break?
Having the flexibility to do small chores while WFH can ensure workers are taking breaks in the first place.
"People are actually using little personal tasks now as a bit of an opportunity to have a little micro-booster," Ms Clements says.
Domestic duties that can allow your brain to switch off might include unloading the dishwasher, making the bed, or doing a spot of vacuuming.
"When I ask people on webinars how they have a micro-booster-break, some people say, 'I go out and start picking some of the weeds off the flowers for five minutes … and that calms me down because I'm in nature and I'm doing things in the garden.'"
"Whatever it might be, it's just a task that winds you down; it's something that you're not using your brain for, something that allows you to check out and operate out of habit."
Micro breaks don't have to be mundane and can involve taking your dog for a walk during your lunch break or stepping outside when you have a free moment.
Overcoming the guilt
Despite evidence proving that regular, short breaks improve focus, wellbeing and increase productivity, you may feel a sense of guilt when it comes to taking breaks.
It's a problem that often starts from the top down, with people in leadership positions modelling poor behaviour by being reluctant to take breaks themselves.
"What leaders always say to me is, 'I feel guilty, I feel really bad for taking a five-minute break.'"
But she says trying to maintain peak performance at the expense of recovery and appropriate wellbeing practices is a recipe for burnout and employers should try to overcome traditional mindsets and "permission culture".
"I always think if you've got a good, high-performing team — dedicated, committed, love their job, all of those things — then no matter where they're working, they're going to do a good job."
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