A typical smoker will probably take 3-8 cigarette breaks from work to be outside for 5 minutes. This is highly beneficial, except for the cigarette part.
A break from work to be outside will allow you brain, breath, and posture to take a break from the grind. All of this should increase your well-being, focus, productivity and all that good stuff we care about.
I know that you've had the experience of not being able to solve a problem during your entire work day, only to step in to the shower and have the solution popping up in your head. This happens because of two things, because you allow your brain to catch up and do some async processing, and because you change you physical location.
What I'm advocating here is stupidly simple. Take a cigarette break. Cigarettes force you to be outside, and not have a hand available for typing. This forces you to not take your work (keyboard) with you, and to do a simple breathing exercise (smoking) while looking at something that is NOT work.
This comes at a cost, the cigarette, which I don't smoke (and neither should you).
So you remove the cigarette. The problem is, now that you're outside, have both hands free, and nowhere to focus, you will gravitate towards your phone.
So, remove the phone. Now you have nothing, which can be uncomfortable and you'll worry about looking like a psychopath.
Which leads us to the final recommendation. Take an object that requires little to no focus, that will keep your hands busy and your mind free for five minutes. Coffee or tea are good options, they will take some 5 minutes to ingest. Water or other drink also works. Maybe a fidget spinner or something like that could also do the trick?
And that's it. A 5 minute break, to do or consume something mindlessly, without taking your phone. Just looking at the horizon, the city, cars, people, nature, whatever. You HAVE to be outside (or at least a place physically separated from work), and you should do it 3-8 times a day.
You will move faster and not break your brain.
Godspeed
Top comments (11)
Interesting idea to take 'cigarette breaks' without the cigarette. Giving your brain a break, changing the physical environment, and stepping away from work for a few minutes seems simple, but it's really effective. I've noticed that when I distance myself from the problem, the solutions naturally come to mind.
💯
I'm trying to juggle with my 5 min Pomodoro breaks.
note: start smoking tomorrow, without fail.
this is exactly what i figured out after 12 years of smoking. when i quit 30 days ago, the hardest part wasn't the nicotine — it was losing the ritual. that 5-minute walk outside, the pause, the change of scenery. my brain was addicted to the break, not just the chemical. now i do the exact same thing but with coffee. same door, same spot, same 5 minutes. the only difference is what's in my hand. the productivity hit from never taking breaks is real — i used to think smokers were "wasting time" but they were actually the only ones stepping away from the screen. everyone else just stares at the same tab for 4 hours straight
Once you're a guy in your late 50's, you are already taking plenty of bathroom breaks!
I completely agree that stepping away from your work for a few minutes can really help clear your mind. I used to take quick breaks just to scroll on my phone, but I found that stepping outside, stretching, or even doing a short walk helps much more. It resets my focus without feeling like wasted time.
One thing that worked for me was replacing my usual coffee break with a short vape session. I tried a GeekBar recently, and it was a nice way to take a break without the harshness of cigarettes. Plus, the different flavors keep things interesting.
i love when a post is totally making sense and bring value in learning something new about self improvement.
Excellent Bro. You are the Kindness Guru. I mean it in the right sense. While I never smoked, this will definitely help few Techies switch to a meaningful Break.
At times I called these my Valorant breaks, but I agree that going for a short walk works much better