15
votes
People who work from home: what you do on your breaks?
Working and studying from home, it's hard not to acquire bad habits. Most of the time I follow the Pomodoro Technique, so I have constant small breaks instead of large ones. But sometimes I just stay on the computer looking at different things such as Reddit and Tildes, and it doesn't feel very restful. At the same time, if I change the context too much, it's easy to lose track of time (yes, even with apps), and I have trouble refocusing on my work, study etc.
This may seem like a trivial problem for some, but not for me!
Summing up: what can I do on my breaks (4 x 5 minutes followed by 1 x 25 minutes) that is both restful and pleasurable, but not excessively engaging?
Go for a walk, preferably without your phone. Just a 5 minute walk will get you out of that work context for some mental rest and physical motion, and it will also provide a discrete moment to resume your work when you reenter your home.
I do this both when at the office and working from home. Walking around as a break or to collect my thoughts is nice.
I try not to take breaks, and work a straight eight hours. I'll step away to use the bathroom, or get coffee, but that's mainly it. That's mostly because I'm only scheduled eight hours a day. I figure the scales are coming out in my favor because I don't need to deal with a commute, or a mandatory lunch period. I only need to deal with work for 40 hours a week instead of 50 or 55 so I'm happy with the situation.
I guess it depends what kind of work you do, but I'm sure breaks make me more productive. I'm a software developer and it's easy to get caught up on the stupidest mistake. Just stepping away for 2 minutes gives me a good shot at instantly seeing what the problem is when I sit back down.
I try and take as few breaks as possible, and when I do, it's to eat, exercise, or clear my head, or perform any other kind of relief.
I do this in an attempt to complete as much work as possible, as soon as possible. If I pace myself well, I can complete the total monthly workload in about half the month, which gives me the remainder to do whatever I want.
Having experimented with Pomodoro, I find it works best to gain the focus required for a long sprint. I might start the day with Pomodoro, to get into the flow, but after a time I'll abandon it, because I no longer need to trick myself into focus. If I do end up getting distracted, it can be good to get back into the flow again.
On those 5 minute Pomodoro breaks, I think the best thing to do is relax, and if you're sitting, go and stretch out or adopt a different position. Set a timer, and lay down for 2-5 minutes, watch a video, read something, whatever. Just give your back a break
I do a few days remote here and there. Depending on the weather, I love grabbing a coffee and sitting outside in the sun otherwise a small walk
I never manage to get used to the Pomodoro Technique, so right now I take breaks when finishing tasks (or subtasks) independently of the time that they take. When I'm about to change context or expand on an idea that's the right moment for me to take a break so when I come back I have more mental energy to stay focused.
One thing I like to do when taking a long breaks is to take a shower, it's refreshing in more than one way. It forces you out of the pc, changes your mood and your body. And depending on the problem at hand it could be a longer shower than usual; in my case being around water for some reason helps me think.
Other stuff could be going for a walk, do chores (inside or outside), watch a tv show (or part of it) or catch up with youtube subscriptions (anything that forces me to think in another stuff).
First of all, have a dedicated space for work, where I can just start or stop when I like. So no setup, no looking for cables, or whatever else. I'm fortunate enough to have a spare room specifically set up for work.
I do this (apparently silly, but really works for me) thing whereby I get up around 6am, do 10 minutes of meditation, power up the pc, get dressed, eat breakfast and get ready for work. Then I leave the house around 6:45 and go for a walk around the block, when I get back to the house I'm at work.
I usually take a 10 minute break every hour or two. I'll take a half hour lunch, and probably go for another walk or a short run. Then in the evening I do that walk around the block again when I'm finished work and when I get back I'm done.
Initially I used the stayfocused plugin in chrome and firefox to block sites I didn't want distractions from, but these days I don't need that.
Also, if I get stuck on a particularly tough problem and I'm not making progress for an hour or two then I'll go for a run, around 4km, that usually helps a lot.
For me breaks are important, fresh air is important, and of course interesting problems.
I take few breaks and those that I do take are usually forced by renders. I try to design my workflow so I kick off production-quality (s-l-o-w) renders at times that are good for breaks although some are long enough that I have a break until the next morning. I will take a walk, read or even nap during the day when no one else is around. In the evenings, I might cook dinner or watch something good on TV.