Being able to enjoy your work, is great. Especially when you love what you do, enjoying your work is easy. But then again, we all have off days.
Pleasure breaks
Especially for those days, I have something great: pleasure breaks. The principle is really easy and scientifically proven. When you take regular breaks, your productivity rises. How often you should take a break, that is where the experts’ opinions vary. As a rule of thumb it is best to have a break after 90 minutes of non-stop working. Then you need a break A pleasure break.
What is a pleasure break?
A pleasure break is more than a normal break. It ensures you are having fun during your break. You take a break to do something that you really like to do. It is a double whammy: reloading (because you are taking a break) and enjoying yourself (because it is a pleasure break) at the same time.
Okay, you in?
Write down 15 things you like to do for fun. This can be things during work and after work.
It can be things that almost do not take any time (like singing along and getting into the groove with your favourite song) or some that take longer (like catching up with a good friend). It can be guilty pleasures (eating a snicker bar for lunch) or healthy pleasures (going for a run). Cost money (an evening in your favourite spa) or be free (a walk on the beach). Just write 15 things down, you like to do, during work and outside of work.
Planning
Plan at least 5 of these things in. Schedule them in your diary. Even when they are things you love to do outside work, the effect will be that you reload and get refreshed to work. Make sure that you treat an appointment with yourself like a meeting with the CEO of the organisation you work for or your ideal client. You keep your appointment, by no means will you move it and you’ll make sure to keep the space and you show up.
What if your pleasure break was already planned?
If you have already planned things that bring you a lot of pleasure – wow! My compliments. Great that you are enjoying life. But look out for this. I have also done this exact same exercise recently. When writing my list of 15 things I love to do; I noticed it contained several things I already do on a regular basis. Sometimes even weekly. Something that gives me pleasure when doing it. Furthermore, I don’t really give it a second thought or perhaps I sometimes just see it as ‘something I need to do’.
An example: Every Monday I pick up my daughter from school. To stimulate her to (learn how to) read every day, she got to say what reward she wanted. She chose to go to a coffee shop every Monday after school. So this is in my diary, and when we are there I thoroughly enjoy it. And to be honest, I also think -almost every Monday- shoot I need to leave soon to go there. I am not thinking: Oh great I get to spend time with the person I love most and we are just going to have fun for an hour or so. Before doing this exercise I did not even realise how many pleasure breaks I already have in my life. I don’t appreciate these enough.
Go for the triple whammy
So if you want to enjoy your pleasure break more thoroughly, this is how you do it:
- Schedule time in your diary and really look forward to what is coming
- Enjoy the break itself
- After the break, think back and enjoy the memory
A pleasure break! I am curious to learn what you’ll plan for the coming week. Do share it with me. I do wish you a lot of fun at work and enjoyment in life!
Yvonne Dam is an online life coach and career coach who helps busy, ambitious people to enjoy life. She helps them to focus on what matters in their lives and careers, in order to make more money and achieve more freedom! After feeling trapped in the corporate world, Yvonne decided to do more of what she loved and found the more she chose to do what she wanted, the happier she became. Yvonne is passionate about coaching and sharing her expertise with you so you can be liberated to fully embrace life. Ready to pause your busy life for a moment and download some happy vibes? Get my FREE eBook and feel happy!
Yvonne has a vast coaching experience from executives to teams to ambitious business owners.
Through her personal and business coaching programs she has helped dozens grow their businesses while drastically reducing their working hours.
And when Yvonne is not coaching, you can find her indulging in beach walks, and a sparkly glass of champagne.
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