Embrace your inner slacker

Embrace your inner slacker. Taking brief, frequent breaks at work is a good thing, providing improved energy and well-being. Workers who get up and walk around the office, talk to colleagues or do something else they enjoy have more stamina and fewer aches and pains, reports HealthDay News of research from Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business in Waco, Texas. It's all about recharging. Unlike cellphones that run optimally until their batteries die, people "have to charge more frequently before we deplete all the way," said lead study author Emily Hunter. Although Hunter's team was unable to pinpoint the exact number or length of breaks to be taken for optimal benefit, they did discern that the timing of the breaks is important. Basically, a morning break is ideal. Those who took a few minutes away from their desks earlier in the day had more energy and motivation to work later in the day. They were also better able to concentrate and experienced fewer headaches and less eyestrain. And while the study doesn't show a cause-and-effect link between frequent workday breaks and higher productivity, it does demonstrate a cause-and-effect association between breaks and higher job satisfaction, reduced emotional exhaustion and greater efforts by employees to undertake work above-and-beyond their job description. What boss wouldn't like that?