Do you ever feel like it’s all too much? Every Thursday, I share one action, habit, or project you may want to undertake in order to improve your health, happiness, and sense of well-being.

PROJECT OF THE WEEK

Make Time For Movement in Your Day

To be clear, I want to separate out movement from exercise. There are innumerable benefits to exercise and even more varieties to choose from. While I have my personal opinion on what works best for me, this is not my area of expertise. I support you in doing your own research and seeing what is best for your long-term overall health.

Don’t be busy, be productive.

So what does movement mean?

Movement is as simple as standing up and moving around. It can be taking a walk around the room you are working in for one minute or doing 10 jumping jacks. It can be doing 3 flights of stairs after each Zoom Meeting or taking a 15 - 20 minute walk outside after eating lunch.

Why add movement into your day?

Movement will help you focus. We often make the mistake of thinking that taking a break will cause us to go off task and get distracted. It's almost always the opposite. Having scheduled breaks will help you to remain focused longer and improve your overall productivity.

Common Thinking Error

I have worked with a number of clients who genuinely believed they were being more productive by not taking a break, and just working until the task was complete. It was true that they had found a way to finish a task that they often procrastinated, but it was at the expense of accomplishing anything else meaningful that day. By not taking any breaks, especially a break with some movement, they were completely spent once that task was complete.

Working together, we developed a plan that broke down their challenging tasks into single-action steps. As part of the plan, we included breaks with movement in between certain steps. This allowed them to complete the task and continue on with other tasks during the day.

Before getting started, we should define what counts as a “break”.

Breaks are critical to productivity. However, it's important to define what counts as a break. Or maybe more importantly, what does not count as a break. Checking your email, or returning a voicemail, does not count as a break. An effective break is setting aside a predetermined amount of time to give your brain a chance to rest and reset. While there are many options for you to choose from, as far as what type of breaks work for you, the simplest and most effective option that I have found is to move.

Getting Started

Below are some strategies to help implement this habit into your daily routine:

Step 1: Decide when you want to take your breaks.

Below are a few examples:
- At the end of all your Zoom calls.
- Breaks during Focused Work:
  - If you plan to work on a long-term project, you may want to work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break and do this for 2 hours OR you may want to work for 50 minutes and then take a 10-minute break and do this for 2 hours. Keep in mind both how long your attention span is and how challenging the project is that you are working on. It's always easier to get started, if you are planning on working for a shorter time span.
- Mid-Day Break
  - Many clients have found it helpful to plan a 20 minute walk outside, following having lunch. This will greatly reduce the afternoon slump.

Step 2: Decide how long you want your break to be.

I have found that it's beneficial to start small. It may be too hard to plan for a 5-minute movement break after each Zoom, when you are first implementing this new habit.
Remember, one minute counts! The grocery chain, Wegmans, offers a one-minute stretch break at the top of each hour, for employees and shoppers!
As you implement this strategy, and begin to see the benefits, you will likely want to extend your breaks. One strategy is to change your scheduled meetings from one-hour meetings, to 50-minute meetings. This will allow you to take a 5-minute break and then have 5 minutes to prepare for the next meeting.

Step 3: Decide what you are going to do for your break.

Depending on how long you plan on taking a break for, will determine what your options are.
Below are a few options:
- 10 Jumping Jacks
- 10 Pushups
- 10 Pullups
- Dancing to your favorite song
- Riding an Indoor Bike
- Walking the Stairs
- Walking Outside
- Taking a Bike Ride
Whenever possible, take your break in a separate room than you are working in. This will help the brain switch to break mode faster.

Step 4: Set an alarm to remind you to take your predetermined break. Label the alarm with both what you are going to do for your break and the amount of time you set aside.

The benefit to setting an alarm is that it provides the infrastructure for the new habit, without adding any burden to your brain.
Below are a few examples of how to label the alarm:
- Do 10 Jumping Jacks
- Do the stairs for 5 minutes
- Take 20 Minute Walk Outside

Happy Spaces’ Tips & Tricks

I highly recommend setting a timer for the length of your break.

This will allow your brain to relax, knowing the alarm will go off when it's time to refocus on the next task.

A Note from Happy Spaces

The goal is to add value to your life. If you think this project will add value:

Estimate how long you think it will take. I would recommend doubling the time you estimate.
Look at your calendar over the next week and pick a date and time to get started.
Make an appointment on your calendar for the estimated time.
If you estimate that completing this project will take longer than one hour, I recommend doing it over multiple days. This will support you in getting started!
Prior to starting this project, take a few minutes to make a step-by-step list of EVERY action you need to take to complete this project.
It's not all or nothing. You can choose to implement only the parts of this project that add value to your life.
An Accountability Partner can be a great support in following through on your goals and commitments.

We understand how challenging it can be to implement new habits and systems. For additional support please go to HappySpacesBySarah.com.

Creating a life you don't need a vacation from! ®

Sincerely,

Sarah Weingarten

Meet Sarah

Growing up as the oldest of nine siblings in Upstate New York, I learned to use organization to create sanity among the chaos. Today, I work together with individuals, families, and small businesses to create habits, systems, and spaces that support their needs, goals, and dreams. Clients often refer to our work together as "life-changing" and "better than decades of therapy". What I love most about my work is the lasting impact it has on real people's lives. Nothing makes me happier than hearing the many success stories of clients I have worked with.

Make Time for Movement in Your Day