Delicious UK – (01)January 2021

Researchshows80% ofemployees

they’re working, and two-thirds of

I

fyou’reoneofthemillionsofpeople

whohaven’ttravelledtoanofficesince

lastMarch,thedreamofworkingfrom

homehasprobablyfaded.Unstructured

days,overtimeandlimitedreal-life

contactwithcolleagueshavecancelledout

someofthebenefits.Asforproperlunch

breaks,you’veprobablyforgottenwhatthey are.

Onerecentsurveyfoundthatduring

lockdown,mostBritishemployeesworked

longerhoursathomethanintheoffice,and

morethana thirdstruggledtoseparatework

andhomelife.Anotherpollrevealedthat

almost80%ofemployeesatelunchwhilethey

worked,andtwothirdsskippeditaltogether.

Thesefigureshighlighthoweasyitistostay

atyour‘desk’,especiallyifthatmeansthe

kitchentableorsofa.Buttakinga breakand

reclaimingyourlunchhourhasbigbenefits,

sayexperts.Itcanimproveproductivity,as

wellasphysicalandmentalwellbeing.

“Peopleoftenbelieveiftheypresson,they’ll

getmoredone,”sayspsychologistDrGregory

WarwickofQuestPsychologyServices.“Yet

takinga breaknotonlyhelpsregulateyour

stresslevels,butalsorechargesyousoyou can

attackthenextprojectwithfullforce.”

Withsomuchfearaboutredundancy,it’s

temptingtotrytoproveyourdedicationby

workinglongerhours,butthiscanhavethe

oppositeeffect.“Employerscanbegintoexpect

a constant 110 percent– andtheywon’t

increaseresourcesbecauseyou’replugging

thegap,”saysDrWarwick.“Thisinturn

compoundsyourstress,asdemandsincrease.”

Steppingoffthetreadmillwithouttheusual

structuresorthecamaraderieofcolleaguesis

easiersaidthandone.Sowe’veputtogether

a five-pointplantomake 2021 theyearyou

work– andrelax– flexibly...andenjoyan

altogether healthier, happier working day.

FIVE-STEP

STRATEGY

REMEMBERWORK-LIFEBALANCE?It usedtomeanleaving

theofficeandswitchingoff,butit’shardertoseparateprofessional

andhomelifenow.Instead,youneedtogiveyourdaystructure.

Makelistsofthingsyouneedtoaccomplishandrewardyourself

asyoutickoffeachone.Thiscanbeassimpleasmakinga cupof

teaorspendinga fewminutesonsocialmedia,saysDrWarwick.

Schedulingina lunchhouris a vitalpartofthisprocessbecause

athomewedon’thavethesame“visualcues”– colleagues

grabbingtheircoats,forexample– aswedowhenwe’reinthe

officetotellusit’stimetotakea break.Blockouta lunchhouron

yourcalendar,turnonyouraway-from-keyboardnotificationand

leaveyourworkarea.Allthesethingswillhelptoreinforcethe

ideathatthistimebelongstoyoufornon-workactivities.

“Guiltis a largefactorinkeepingusworkingpastwhenwe’re

supposedto,”DrWarwicksays.“Aimtotakeyourlunchbreakat

thesametimeeverydaytohelpmaketheprocesseasier.If youhave

the luxury of multiple rooms, designate one as your break room.”

Establish

a routine

90 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

STEP

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