BREAKS

Mom taught me the benefit of taking a break in what I was doing when I was eight years old. I had received my first adult, three-hundred-piece, picture puzzle as a Christmas gift. After I had spent most of the morning trying to put together the three red and blue hued parrots, I began to cry in frustration. I couldn’t find any more pieces that fit. Mom said, “Go do something else for a while.”

I drew a picture of a house and colored it. When I returned to the card table, the correct pieces practically jumped out at me.

When I worked in an office, we had a 15-minute, coffee break in the morning and again in the afternoon. I think it was a combination of walking across the street to the shop, drinking coffee, conversation with my three co-workers and leaving the paperwork for a while that made me feel refreshed when I returned to my desk.

Entertainment also takes breaks. At dances, the musicians take an intermission. Plays are performed in three acts. Concerts give performers an interlude. That down-time also gives attendees an opportunity to buy refreshments and souvenirs.

As a writer who works at home, I’m a firm believer in the saying, “Apply the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.” But taking a break from time to time helps, too. It doesn’t have to be food or drink–it can be a household chore. I’ve found doing laundry is a good accompaniment. It only takes a few minutes to throw clothes into the automatic washer or move a load to the dryer. Even folding a batch doesn’t take long–the break time is limited. Then, it’s back to the computer. Often a word or idea that I couldn’t think of is right there waiting for me.

Do you incorporate breaks with your work?