A Guest Post by
Rahil Muzafar
So, youâre on the verge of completing this extensive e-book and feeling desperate for a short break, so you can stretch out those tense muscles. Shoulders aching, eyes paining, head spinning, all you can think of is to somehow finish the damn thing and get some much-needed rest!
Finally! The moment arrives, youâve completed the entire thing, and you are ready to take a break. But what do you do? Browse the social profiles of your friends, watch some funny videos posted by one of your contact, chat with friends, and surf the web aimlessly? If thatâs how you spend time when taking a break from your writing job, then sorry to break it to you but thatâs adding more stress to your system. In other words, itâs more destructive than constructive.
What Iâve described above is the typical, âtaking a breakâ scenario where bloggers or fulltime freelancers donât realize that itâs not only damaging their health but productivity as well. This article will be focusing on freelancers as they are the people who are more at a privilege of taking a break every now and then. And because they are not sitting in a restricted environment of an office, most of the time they end up taking a break the wrong way, thus creating more stress and exhaustion than the needed relaxation.
Following, you will find some general dos and donâts for freelancers to help them take what can actually be labeled as break. Of course you can come up with your own definition of break via comments, but first, my take on the topic.
The Donâts âDoing It the Wrong Way
Despite having the advantage (spare some time to think of the misery of office workers!) of getting a break every now and then, freelancers waste it away by doing the following.
Spending time on Facebook, YouTube and the likes: Dude. If youâve done your work, get up! Donât stay sitting in the same weird posture and browse your Facebook page for the umpteenth time. Stop checking the continuous stream of Twitter updates. Curb the urge to comment on all status updates or image uploads by your friends.
Chatting With Friends Online: Most of the time, the half an hour break taken for a quick chat can lead to hours of useless debates or gossips. Just because Internet allows you to get in touch with your friends from any place at any time, doesnât mean you must be in touch all the time.
Watching TV: A few minutes ago, your eyes were literally aching, right? So, why are you watching the TV now? Rest your eyes, after hours of working continuously on PC, the TVâs glaring light and noise will add to the stress even if the show is enjoyable.
Doing Household Work: Taking a break doesnât mean washing the dishes, going to the market or cooking in the kitchen. These are household chores that should be done before or after you start working, not during your work break.
Eating Junk: Eating a packet of potato fries, or scoops of ice cream, while still remaining seated on your desk is NOT recommended at all. Thatâs unhealthy for many obvious reasons, so you must avoid getting indulged in any such practices.
The Doâs â How to Take a Good Break
Itâs a known fact that sitting consecutively for hours in one place leads to serious health problems. After an hour of working, you should get up and take a 5 – 10 minute break. If you are working from home, that shouldnât be a problem. So, hereâs what you should do when taking a break.
Meditation: If you want some kind of mental peace; this is one hell of a thing to do for the sake of your mind. You can try playing some soothing music and just sit back, thinking of positive and happy things in life, in fact you can think of anything except what you are going to do after the break.
Sleep: Many freelancers prefer to take one long break after 3 -4 hours instead of 5 minute break after an hour. If youâve worked for 4 â 5 hours and feeling stressed, whatâs better than taking a short power nap of 30 to 40 minutes, just to relax your state of being. If youâve been awake and working hard since morning, then an afternoon nap would be just perfect.
Go talk to your Family: We are not talking about the online socializing; instead you should spend some time with your partner, kids, or anybody living with you. Youâll find yourself infused with positive energy in next to no time.
Eat something Healthy: Keep a tray of fruits by your side. Avoid pastries, cakes, sweets, chips, coke etc. Oh and when talking of food, always keep a water bottle nearby. Consume as much water as you can while working. Itâll keep you hydrated, activated and will provide the necessary breaks in form of natureâs call.
Take a Stroll: A ten minutes stroll around the block is one of the most refreshing breaks you can take. If itâs too sunny outside, then walk around your apartment block! This is not only a good form of exercise, but will also help your mind to think out of the box.
Author’s Bio:
Rahil is an online entrepreneur, he manages a coupon code website listing coupon codes and discounts for purchases like 1and1 and Network Solutions. You’re welcome to avail these coupons at 1 and 1 coupons and network solutions referral codes .
Thanks! Rahil!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!
