Relaxation Tip 3 - Use the "fast charge" to get you through

When you're under pressure to get work done, it's hard to see the value in taking a little time away to recharge.  But it's definitely there.   (David Algeo RobertsonCooper)

This week Jan and I have been preparing display board material for a forthcoming event we are attending  and were on quite a tight time limit to get our kit ready. We had written...re-written... printed... amended... scrapped... re-written... amended... and amended again!  Time was ticking and in this case it was difficult to justify taking time out as we just needed to get the job done.

However we did stop, took a break away from working on the display board for a quick cuppa and a piece of cake and then came back and spotted a glaringly obvious typo right in the middle of the board.  Yikes!  Without taking time away from what we were doing for a "fast re-charge" we might have missed this mistake or spotted it when it was too late to change it.

Algeo suggests taking a 3-5 minute break every 90 minutes which is good advice but I think you need to work out what works for you and it will probably vary from task to task.  Sometimes when we're working on things we really enjoy, we might be completely in the zone and don't want to interrupt the flow.  Therefore, fair enough, keep going so long as you still feel OK and are being effective and productive.  On the other hand, when we're engaged in more tricky or less enjoyable tasks  then using these "fast charge" breaks to get you through could be just the thing.

"Fast charge" breaks are really useful if you're working hard at something but feel like you're not getting anywhere, not moving forward or just feel completely stuck.  You can either keep slogging on with it or, take a break, refresh and then return.  

I bet your bottom dollar you'll have found the answer to the issue after a "fast charge" break.