Corporate Vision Issue 5

CORPORATE VISION / Issue 5 2018 45 , Monkey Puzzle Training for Today’s CEO Six Ways to Get More Out of Your Lunch Hour Sadly, eating lunch at our desks has become something of a norm in the workplace these days. Not only is this unhealthy for us, but it makes for a grimey working environment, covered in crumbs and rotting food particles. Make a change, and start taking steps to enjoy your lunch outside of your immediate workspace. Studies have discovered that opting out of taking some time to have a break from work causes our performance to plummet, so draw a line, and reclaim your lunch hour. You will soon see how this small change benefits you and those you work with. When sat at a desk, staring at a screen for hours on end, our bodies are actually receiving messages to feel low, sluggish and introverted, causing us to invert our feelings and emotions and resist expressing them. This claustrophobic feeling erodes away at us, while excessive sitting puts our bodies under unhealthy pressure, which negatively affects digestion, and joint and muscle function. Even a few minutes per hour to get up and move about can transform how you feel during the working day. The healthy function of our bodies and minds rely on taking regular breaks from work. This is not to say that you should lay about and do ‘nothing’ with your lunch break, but find activities that allow you to rest while simultaneously stimulating your mind. The old saying of ‘sleeping on it’ when something needs careful consideration is rooted in this very principle: the body is far stronger and more capable of performing at its best when it has been well rested. Here are some tips to making more of your lunch hour which will stimulate your mind, body and spirit: Allocate one lunch a week that you will spend in new company. Depending on the size of your workplace, there may be people who you have seen around but never really met or associated with. Take this chance to get to know them, and expand your social circle at work. Businesses whose employees enjoy strong working relationship see far fewer incidents of workplace stress, and generally work more productively. Scientists have verified the various health benefits of practicing meditation and mindfulness, recognising their ability to rejig the emotions, focus the mind and open up the brain’s creative centre. Just fifteen minutes to half an hour can make a significant difference to the pace and mood of your working day. Find a place where you can spend a little while quietly and uninterrupted (if your car is the best place you can find, so be it), and practice simple breathing and relaxation techniques, quietly acknowledging any fledgling thoughts before allowing them to go on their way again. You will be amazed at how much difference meditation can make to your life, both in and out of the workplace. We have already addressed desk-eating, and there are a number of reasons as to why it is so inefficient. The human body does not digest food well when it is experiencing high stress levels, and poor digestion can leave you feeling nauseous for the rest of the day, as well as robbing your body of the nutrients it needs to perform well. So do what you can to relax while you eat. If you find it helps, listen to music or watch a TV show on your laptop. Give your finances a weeding out. Money plays a huge part in the everyday stresses experienced by everyday people, and just a few minutes a day to monitor ingoings and outgoings can work wonders when it comes to quelling these stresses. It may not bring you a new income stream, but the unknown can cause a great deal of fear and worry, and taking control of your finances and knowing what to expect with them can make it much easier to get on with work with a clear head. Take up lunchtime yoga or pilates. These are great ways to get active during the day in a gentle and relaxing way that mean you don’t have to worry about being a frizzy-haired sweaty mess all afternoon. One or two sessions a week can make a big difference, and you may find it takes off and other people want to join in. If this is the case, you may even want to look into bringing in a local yoga instructor who can run the classes for you. Yoga isn’t for everybody, but you may be surprised at how good a form of exercise simple walking is. It is great for getting the body moving and clearing the mind all at once, while also presenting a good opportunity to contemplate things alone. Asking yourself questions that begin with ‘how can I…’ is a decent way to make personal progress and attach solutions to the issues affecting your life; examples include “how can I make sure my opinion is heard?” and “how can I express my thoughts without discouraging others?” Karen Meager and John McLachlan are the co-founders of Monkey Puzzle Training (www. monkeypuzzletraining.co.uk ) and co-authors of Time Mastery: Banish Time Management Forever (£12.99, Panoma Press); a number one best-selling book.