If you are lucky enough to have a job, and have been working from home for the past six months, you may have forgotten that you still have a lunch break: time that belongs to you, to do with what you will. Stepping away from your desk or workspace to do something different is an important part of claiming that time. But what should you do? Here are a few suggestions to help re-energise your days.
Phone a friend – or make a new one
Being separated from colleagues has stripped us of a lot of routine human interaction. Your lunch hour is often a convenient time to reconnect with old friends, says Clare Evans, a time management coach. “Often, we’re too busy to make the time in the evening, but a quick catch-up can get you back in touch and talking,” she says. Otherwise, you could challenge yourself to speak to a stranger while you are in a shop or a cafe. “Just have a chat as you grab your lunch, even if it’s the classic British opening gambit of discussing the weather,” says Evans.
Visit your favourite tree
Don’t pretend you don’t have one. The key is to go outside, away from your computer screen, and if you combine it with exercise, so much the better. Susan Saunders, the author of The Age-Well Plan, says: “Seeing a tree combines so many of the habits that contribute to longevity: being outdoors in daylight, vital to keep our circadian clocks ticking accurately; exercise from walking; a chance to savour the moment. And even one lonely tree provides us with a little green space.”
Move – if only for a few minutes
You already know you should exercise, but it is especially important now that a lot of incidental activity has been stripped from our daily routines. Your lunch break is a chance to make it a daily practice: even minutes will make a difference over time, and it does not have to be a chore. Rachel Conlisk, an instructor with the Birmingham-based organisation Creative Active Lives, says a lunchtime spent Hula-hooping to music is the highlight of her day. “It’s brilliant exercise and always cheers me up and de-stresses me. I’m sure it’s the only thing keeping me sane.”
Tackle the junk drawer
Natalie Ward, the founder of a maternity sportswear brand, says she was inspired by the Netflix reality show Get Organised With The Home Edit to begin sorting out her house in her lunch breaks. “I started with the kitchen and am working my way around the house: cupboards, drawers, wardrobes. It’s so therapeutic.” You might even be able to fit in a run to the charity shop.
Watch that prestige TV series
Evans says a half-hour episode of TV is the ideal length of time for a restorative break from work. “Just don’t get tempted to binge watch,” she says. By pacing yourself with a series, allowing anticipation to build for the next day’s instalment, you might enjoy it more. At a rate of one episode every weekday, you would finish The Sopranos in about four months. (For a break from screens, you could instead read a book. At five hours a week, you would finish War and Peace in two months.)
Do some good
Saunders suggests spending your lunchtime writing to an MP about a cause you care about (not least for the well-being boost that philanthropy will give you). The Anti-Racism Daily e-mail newsletter, written by Nicole Cardoza, details a daily step you can take to tackle racism and white supremacy. GuideToAllyship.com is a similarly practical resource, by Amélie Lamont, a product designer.
Learn to speak Italian, or play the piano
Spend your lunch break doing “something you normally never have time to do – learn a language, write a book, research your genealogy,” says Grace Marshall, a productivity expert. If you have always fancied playing the piano or another instrument, take a tip from Marshall. She has been fitting in a lot of violin practice. “It’s amazing how those daily half-hours add up.” Sarah Wheeler, a leadership coach based in London, says she has been spending her lunchtimes brushing up on her French and Spanish with the website Duolingo. Combine it with the time you save by not having to commute and you could be spending 10 hours each week on gaining a new skill, boosting your brainpower and memory.
Get a head start on dinner – for tonight, and next week
“Prepping food is surprisingly relaxing, and a great way of zoning out from all that brain work,” says Sam Gates, the author of The Batch Cook Book, out next month. “My all-time relaxing food prep job is making cute little round things like meatballs or bite-size falafels, like a child playing with Plasticine, while listening to my favourite podcast. They’re ideal for making at lunchtime because they need time to firm up in the fridge, and they also freeze really well, so you can make a huge batch and use them for several meals.” You could also knead bread dough for proving through the afternoon, peel or chop vegetables (or slow-cook meat) for dinner that night, or make muesli or overnight oats for breakfast tomorrow.
