I’ve worked in many different contexts – as a researcher, architect, and consultant; in many companies, many offices, and at many desks. And in almost every work environment, whether it was a small business or a Fortune 100 corporation, people either ate lunch at their desks or skipped lunch altogether. I’ve done it. I’ve also not done it, and gotten looks or teased about having the audacity to go out to lunch once or twice a week. Turns out we all would have benefitted had I gone out to lunch even more.
There’s endless research and evidence that indicates why it’s disadvantageous to eat al desko or not eat lunch at all. Google “eating lunch at your desk” and you’ll find thousands of blog posts and research articles with the facts.
Most articles will give you five to ten data-backed reasons to stop eating at your desk. I’ll give you 11,000 more.
Taking a real lunch break will help you:
- Maximize your creativity, innovation, and flow.
- Increase productivity and performance – this means you’ll do better work in less time.
- Increase job satisfaction.
- Improve and increase social connection.
- Decrease stress.
- Reduce distractibility.
- Decrease long-term health risks like heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
- Reduce food-borne illness (keep your keyboard cleaner than a toilet seat).
- Minimize weight gain.
- Reduce headaches and eye strain.
- Minimize back and joint soreness.
- – 11,011. Take back 11,000 hours of your life.
Eat lunch away from your desk and reclaim five and a half years of working hours. Instead of giving even more of your life to your employers, use those hours to recharge and relax. Give them to yourself. Live your life. Optimize your physical and mental health. Be conscious of what you’re eating. Do something fun. Talk to people. People watch. Go for a walk. Sit out in the sun.
It’s a win-win.
♥ Anna
11,000 hours assumes working forty hours per week, fifty weeks per year, for forty-four years, with one hour lunch breaks. You might be on track to giving away considerably more hours than that.