You know what? You need a break.

The value of the 15-minute timer.

This is one of my two favorite productivity tools. (You already know about my clicker)

The 15-minute timer is something I’ll use throughout the day as a reset button. Sometimes I’ll use this to just simply walk away from my desk. Or I’ll take a moment and actually allow myself to read. I’ve used it to stop and do deep breathing or even just take some extra time to hang with the dogs.

Overall, breaks throughout the day offer a wealth of benefits and there’s no good reason to sit and stare at your screen all day.

Here are some of the well known benefits:

Increased blood flow

Sitting for long periods of time is bad for the brain and memory. Even if you get vigorous exercise you still suffer negative health effects when sitting too long. Get up and get the blood moving.

Creativity

There is a growing body of evidence shows that taking regular breaks from mental tasks improves creativity and that skipping breaks can lead to stress, exhaustion, and creative block.

Calmness

I’m all about the breathwork. Taking a few minutes each day for some deep breathing will calm and refocus your efforts.

Decision Making

Author S.J. Scott points out that the need to make frequent decisions throughout your day can wear down your willpower and reasoning ability. Taking much needed breaks throughout the day helps lessen decision fatigue.

Less Eye Strain

Staring at computer screens for long stretches can give you eye strain and pain. If nothing else, taking a fifteen minute break is good for the eyes.

Need some ideas for what to do with those free 15 minutes?

Read a few pages from your favorite book - Mine currently is the Lenny Kravitz biography.

Walk the dogs - Giving the dogs an extra walk during the day makes them calmer at night. A win win.

Do a quick mini workout - here are a host of reasons to clear out just 10 minutes to get moving.

Work on a hobby - You don’t have to tell me twice to paint. Even 15 minutes you can get some good hobby work in.

Make a playlist on Spotify - I like to make new playlists for running. There’s nothing better than a new list of songs move the day along. Here’s my last one.

Reach out and connect with friends - Give yourself a challenge to text or email three friends today and see how they are doing. In 2020, there’s no better reason to keep those connections strong.

Minimize clutter in your office - Maybe you didn’t know but minimization is good for you.

Play with the kids - I don’t have to remind you that they are in the next room from you do I? Go check in on them and see how those all day zoom classes are going. They would welcome the distraction - trust me.

Hydrate - Keeping hydrated has a host of good benefits. Use those breaks to refresh and refill. Oh, and when you drink a lot of water this increases your bathroom breaks which gets you moving. A double win.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. 15-minute breaks throughout the day will make you happier and more productive throughout the day. And your dogs will thank you.

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