Why Coffee Breaks Increase Productivity In The Office
Ever had one of those mornings when nothing goes
right and you’ve been as productive as a sloth on a duvet day? Ever been
for a coffee break and thought of the solution to a problem within minutes for
no apparent reason? Did you return invigorated and raring to go?
This has happened to me more times than I care to remember, but if you need
more convincing about the benefits of having coffee breaks at work, read on.
A Blank Mind
Say you’ve just been on a spread sheet course and you strut into the office declaring to your boss that you know all there is to know on the subject. He grins and spends an hour or so talking about automating his paper based system, but there’s something you just can’t work out how to do.
An hour later and your boss comes to check your progress, only seeing the title and date on an otherwise empty worksheet. As sure as I.T. courses don’t come cheap, he won’t be happy and at this point you should go for a coffee break, it’s been a long morning.
Say you’ve just been on a spread sheet course and you strut into the office declaring to your boss that you know all there is to know on the subject. He grins and spends an hour or so talking about automating his paper based system, but there’s something you just can’t work out how to do.
An hour later and your boss comes to check your progress, only seeing the title and date on an otherwise empty worksheet. As sure as I.T. courses don’t come cheap, he won’t be happy and at this point you should go for a coffee break, it’s been a long morning.
Sharing’s Caring
Discussing in-growing toe nails or listening to a colleague banging on about her kid’s impetigo whilst drinking a brew will not only recharge your batteries, but also improve your social relationships.
A greater social intelligence makes for a healthier mind. Indeed, one theory has it that man first evolved the ability to talk through the social interaction involved in sharing food. It’s a well known fact that discussing a problem can lead to a resolution.
A colleague might offer an alternative angle which could help you cope with a difficult situation. You might share a joke with them, return laughing and breeze through the rest of your day like a butterfly on acid.
Discussing in-growing toe nails or listening to a colleague banging on about her kid’s impetigo whilst drinking a brew will not only recharge your batteries, but also improve your social relationships.
A greater social intelligence makes for a healthier mind. Indeed, one theory has it that man first evolved the ability to talk through the social interaction involved in sharing food. It’s a well known fact that discussing a problem can lead to a resolution.
A colleague might offer an alternative angle which could help you cope with a difficult situation. You might share a joke with them, return laughing and breeze through the rest of your day like a butterfly on acid.
Don’t Force It
If you’ve ever suffered from writer’s block, you’ll know that staring at a screen, trying to force out creativity doesn’t help one jot. Creativity works best when your mind’s empty; you might find that taking a step back from your work generates a whole load of new ideas or solutions to problems that have been annoying you all day.
If you’ve ever suffered from writer’s block, you’ll know that staring at a screen, trying to force out creativity doesn’t help one jot. Creativity works best when your mind’s empty; you might find that taking a step back from your work generates a whole load of new ideas or solutions to problems that have been annoying you all day.
You can tell your boss there are many reasons for taking regular coffee breaks throughout the day. The personal well being gained from the social interaction involved can have far reaching benefits, not least for productivity and improving working relationships. If he doesn’t buy that, you can always turn snitch and report any fake illnesses.
Author Bio:
Have you found a spark of inspiration in the break room? Share your thoughts here.
Have you found a spark of inspiration in the break room? Share your thoughts here.
Terence
Martin is a student and an aspiring novelist. Having done a lot of research
into the human mind, he intends to make it the subject of his thesis. He writes
for Applied Workplace.
