About two weeks ago, I posted this in a few places:
Dear Lazy Plus,
For a few days now I’ve started to take regular, 5-minute breaks during work. They are literally 5-minute breaks, with a timer running on my phone. I make a cup of tea, take a few sips, and di-ding! I’m heading back to my desk.
Thing is, there’s only so many times making tea is enjoyable. Or any beverage, for that matter.
I’m looking for something else to do in these 5-minute breaks. Ideally, something that isn’t staring at my phone, or involving any kind of screen. One thing I tried is juggling 3 balls. I’m not very good at it, which is great, because I feel that I’m improving slightly. But I’d like to add more activities. Any ideas?
Here’s the compilation of answers I’ve received:
- Music room [I play bass]
- Take a 5 minute nap on a bean bag
- Doodle
- Stairs
- Rubik’s cube
- Meditation (breathing, etc)
- Do nothing, just relax, maybe reflect on what you did since the last break and why what you’re going to do next matters
- Juggling a squash ball [I was offered instructions on how to do it]
- Basic wrist / arm stretches
- Go strike a conversation with someone on another floor
- Origami. Yodeling. Bonsai. Learning to play the xylophone. Chemistry experiments. Psychological experiments.
- Push-ups. Skipping rope. Chin-ups. Hold a pillar bridge/plank for 5 mins. Balance things on your head. Meditate. Journal.
- Take up smoking [plus a suggestion of a smoking companion, haha]
- Do two things with a Mobius strip. Do one thing with a piece of knot theory.
- Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing, five minutes of that a day will revolutionize your life.
- Work on doing impressions.
So far, the easiest thing to do, was striking a conversation with whomever happened to be around the micro kitchen. I’ve talked to several people who I’ve just been passing in the corridor without even a greeting. Now I know their names and a little bit about them. It was satisfying. It will take me time to try out the other ones.
Maciej Bliziński 