You should know that it is well within your rights to have at least an hour break from your job. While many others would prefer working through lunch, especially with a deadline nearing, studies have shown that it’s not healthy and in turn decreases life expectancy. Even if you do take that lunch, don’t just stand by the office pantry and sip a drink or eat a sandwich. Be productive! And here are ways to achieve it:

Eat Out And Enjoy Your Food

Work can wait, your body can’t. Don’t just eat a sandwich or worse, starve yourself just because you want to impress your boss by finishing your deadlines early. Your lunch break should be about having lunch. Treat yourself to something nice or try something that fits your diet regimen.

Take A Quick Walk Around the Block

If you’re not too keen on eating – although we don’t recommend it, you can go for a short walk with no destination in mind. You will find that you start appreciating your surroundings and everything that’s happening around you even more. And if you’re feeling good about it, new ideas may just appear right in time for that brainstorming session scheduled for later.

Make Connections

There’s one other good thing about joining other people for lunch – connections. Take advantage of the time you spend with your circle of colleagues. You don’t necessarily have to talk about your life experiences, but you can also get insight from them and maybe a few little tips to help you get over your difficulties with some aspects of your work.

Get Your Errands Done

If you have other important stuff you need to buy or do, then you can use your lunch break to run errands as it is an effective way to get things done ASAP. You will no longer need to make a few pitstops after a long day at work. Talk about coming home early to your family… or pets.

Work can sometimes be stressful so you should use the little window of time you have to breathe, regroup and boost your mindset mojo by doing what matters to you. This is the only time during your workday that you get to be the boss. So, make the most of it.