Geek-Cube: Lunch and Breaks

I know breaks aren’t required in other states, but in California, an employer is required to give you two breaks in an eight hour shift and a minimum thirty minute lunch. The sad fact is that more people rarely use their breaks for an actual break time. I’m guilty of it myself, taking those precious fifteen minutes to make up lost productivity when I went to the coffee vendor instead of working on time. Yes, your breaks and lunch are your time, but they also serve a purpose, and that is to give the worker a chance to relax and breathe and to let the stress of work go.

The first and most important rule of proper use of break time is leave your desk. I can’t say how many times I had my little break sign up in my cubicle and people still came by with questions or work for me to do. “Oh, you’re on your break, but this is quick…,” they’d say. It doesn’t matter how quick it is. It’s taking you off your break early. So now what? Where does one go to get away from the old cubicle? Well, while I’m no expert, I do have experience, so here’s what I do.

 
Breaks
My usual break-time activity is walking. I’m lucky enough that my best buddy works in the same place I do, so we take our breaks at the same time and walk around the block. The unspoken rule is really not to discuss work, but to talk about other things that are fun to us. There are times when I’ll walk alone, too. Sometimes the walk is a simple dash to the convenience store to buy Vitamin Water. Among the benefits of walking during breaks is that I feel more alert, usually have more energy for the day, and was out of the building where no other coworkers could find me.

Of course, it might rain, or walking may not be your thing. Sometimes it’s fine to go hang out in the break room or sit outside the building and read a good book or play something on the GameBoy or PSP. My friend and I would sometimes head to the nearest Starbucks to sip on lattes and chat about whatever came to mind. When a nearby shop had free Wi-fi, I’d bring my laptop in and surf the web in the break room, or do the same thing on my iPhone. The possibilities for the technologically-inclined are definitely numerous. Again, the thing to keep in mind is that getting away from your desk is the best thing to do.

 
Lunches
I know way too many people who work through their lunches. Maybe it’s that productivity thing or maybe just a workaholic attitude. Whatever the reason, it’s still a bad idea to stay at your desk during lunch. That’s not to say you can’t eat your lunch at your desk, but when the actual lunch break is upon you, please go somewhere else. For me, I’d run errands sometimes during lunch. If I felt unproductive, I would go do my homework as I’m still in college. I’d make phone calls that needed to be made during the day. Those aren’t the best ideas, but they did get me away from my desk and helped me feel productive.

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to have lunch where you can sit down and enjoy it. It’s even better when you have friends to go to lunch with you. I’m very chummy with some of my coworkers, so we’d take lunches together. Sometimes we’d have a potluck lunch, sometimes we’d go out to eat. Going out to eat, while generally expensive and less healthy, is still a great way to get away from the office and calm down during a stressful day. If your lunch is quick, then the rest of the time can be spent chatting, reading, or playing games. One thing I used to do from time to time was head over to an arcade that’s about ten minutes away from my work and play Dance Dance Revolution. If I didn’t feel like being active, I’d play another game. When my husband worked near me, I’d go visit him at work once I made sure his lunch time was at the same time as mine.  The common thread here is that I left the building, or at least left my desk.

 
Make sure others respect your break.
This doesn’t mean to lord your break times over everyone else. There are little things you can do to make sure that if someone comes by your desk and you’re not there, they understand that you’re on your break. I used to make two little signs bound with ring clips that said “break” and “lunch”. I’d just flip it over depending on whichever time it was. I made sure my in-box was clearly labeled so people could put important documents in it while I was gone, and I always made it a point to check it when I returned. If I was ever working on a big project, I would email my supervisor to let him know what time I’d be out on lunch that day. When I left for lunches and breaks, I’d make a mention of it to my neighbor or the team lead. I even have a magnetic dry-erase board I kept outside my cubicle for messages. It might seem like one step too many, but it really has saved me some trouble from time to time. Just make sure that when your lunch and breaks are over, that you really do have that line of separation.

With all of that said, the well-armed geek can regularly have a relaxing and fun break. Bring a good book or gaming device. I always had my iPhone available for playing games or surfing the web. If you’re tired, there’s always taking a car-nap listening to some tunes. Whatever you chose to do, just remember that break time is your time. Use it wisely.

 
Geek-Cube is a weekly column about integrating your geek life with your work environment.

About Jamie

Jamie DeVriend is a multi-format geek. She loves video games new and old, pinball, Marvel comics, Asian Ball-Jointed Dolls, obscure things, Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. An Alabama native, she now lives with her equally geeky husband and sizeable cat, and goes to college while doing occasional freelance design work.

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