What do you do on your lunch break? Do you eat your lunch alone, away from your colleagues? Or do you power through your short break at your desk, trying to catch up with the work you just need to get done before the day ends?
In this article, we’ll be discussing 4 ways to make your lunchtime more productive whether you’re working a full-time, part-time, or temporary job in Singapore.
1. Don’t Work
Your break time is the perfect time for a break. It is imperative that you take the time away from both your work and the desk to fully recuperate. Yet many employees in Singapore choose to shrug this off and ignoring the dire consequences that come with eating their lunch at their desks. The consequences include:
Burnout: Recently classified as a medical condition, burnout refers to the chronic loss of motivation in an employee, due to extreme stress. Working non-stop, with little to no break is one of the main culprits of burnout.
Learn more about job burnouts in our latest article, “6 Ways to Combat Job Burnout in Singapore”.Work Quality: Whilst working through lunch break might help you power through more tasks than usual. There is one major downside to the type of work you’re producing. The quality of the work produced might not exactly be the best. A lunch break spent away from the desk gives employees time to relax and get their brains refocused for the next half of the day.
Social Value: Your lunch break should also be the time for you to bond with the rest of your colleagues, away from the office. Which is an essential element to team bonding.
2. Exercise
Here at BGC Group, we take the health of our employees seriously. From Body Combat workouts to fun outdoor team bonding sessions, our employees are always game to exercise.
Finding it tough to find time to exercise after work? Sneak in a quick exercise session during lunchtime to get your health on track. Just be sure to plan your time properly, for you to eat and fit in a short yet stimulating workout. Our suggestion is to plan your workout according to the type of exercise you’d like to do.
For instance, if you’re into jogging, you might want to go for a few quick laps around your office area before you eat your meal. Or maybe you feel like it’s an appropriate day to train your arms and back. Hit the nearest gym and get some reps in, before you have a snack before your lunch hour ends.
3. Interact With Your Colleagues
Lunch breaks are a great way to bond and socialize with your peers. Additionally, eating lunch with your peers provide a range of great benefits. Eating lunch together not only builds camaraderie and foster deeper work relationships.
Take the time during this short lunch break to talk about topics that distract yourself from the pressures of work. Or share your work grievances with other members of the department to make yourself feel more relaxed and relieved. This phenomenon is commonly observed amongst firefighters. Apparently, firefighters who eat together tend to perform better when embroiled in a life or death situation.
Getting to know your peers well can also be beneficial to your career. Bonding with your colleagues improves collaborations, encourages favours, and might throw potential promotions and future job opportunities your way.
4. Avoid All Screens
We live in a digital era, where everyone is constantly glued to their phones. However, it’s important to try and stay away from your phone or internet-connected device and give yourself a break.
If you can’t seem to peel yourself away from your portable screens, experts suggest getting up and moving out of your desk area to help your brain differentiate between work and your break. To help boost productivity, you can spend your break doing:
Listen to podcasts: One way to stay connected or entertained without staring at your screen is by listening to podcasts. There are a variety of topics and subjects available to listen to. Some websites that provide free podcasts include Spotify and YouTube.
Keep up to date with relevant career articles: Reading is a good way to absorb different forms of knowledge. One way to get ahead in your career is by keeping up to date with relevant information regarding the new skills needed either in your career or industry. Of course, a good way to stay connected with relevant information is by reading articles written by reputable recruitment firms in Singapore.
Click here to visit BGC Singapore’s blog for more career and recruitment based articles.Watch YouTube videos: Or perhaps you’re looking to make time pass by a lot faster than usual. Watching content created for YouTube might sound unproductive. However, there are different types of content available on YouTube for you to browse through and learn new skills or info from. You just have to know where to look and find good content on the website.
BGC Huddles is a series dedicated to answering hot career questions. Click here to read our blog post. Or visit BGC Singapore’s YouTube channel here.
There you have it! 4 ways to make your lunch hour more productive whether you’re working a part-time, full-time, or temp job in Singapore.
What are some productive ways of killing time during your lunch hour? Let us know in the comments section below!