Founders are generally balancing a multitude of duties in the fast-paced world of business startups. It can seem like there is never any time to stop when managing teams, resolving technological issues, and growing the company. But as an entrepreneur and company leader, I've discovered that taking a midday break isn't an extravagance; it's a need. Making time for a midday break could be one of the most important choices you make for your business and your health if you're serious about running a successful startup. Let's investigate why.
The Importance of Midday Breaks
Being a business founder is all about hustling, yet working nonstop through the day without a break can result in burnout, bad decisions, and decreased output. According to studies, taking regular breaks—particularly throughout the middle of the day—can help fight off the mental exhaustion that accumulates during the day.
Why midday? Because most people experience a drop in energy at this stage. Around midday, your adrenaline starts to wear off that was released in the morning. Your creativity dwindles, the cognitive function becomes less effective, and the remaining work for the day might start overwhelming you a bit. Instead of persevering, a midday break can serve as a reset button. It can offer you the physical and mental clarity to face the second part of the day with renewed vitality.
The Benefits of Exercise During Midday
If you include physical activity during your midday break, the advantages of this break are increased. Exercise has advantages for startup founders that go beyond its evident positive effects on physical health. Exercise has a significant impact on creativity, problem-solving skills, and mental wellness, particularly during the second half of the day.
Exercises like a 30-minute yoga class, a fast run, or even a brisk stroll will help you decompress and produce endorphins, which will naturally enhance your mood. For an entrepreneur, a day is filled with important decision-making. The improved mood will help you with that.
Over the years, many have noted how exercise can benefit the mind. A study published in Harvard Health noted that consistent physical activity can help in attention to something, memory enhancement, as well as increasing creativity which are vital skills for an entrepreneur. Increased exercise helps in increased blood flow to the brain and thus more oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the organ that is involved in crucial tasks of decision-making and problem-solving, which an ‘entrepreneur’ would often face.
Practical Examples and Testimonials
Numerous prosperous business owners and executives swear by the outcomes of incorporating midday breaks into their daily schedules. The creator of Virgin Group, Richard Branson, for example, regularly stresses the value of exercise, even throughout the job. Branson has talked about how he finds that playing tennis or windsurfing gives him the energy he needs to continue being productive.
In a similar vein, Arianna Huffington, the creator of Thrive Global and The Huffington Post, promotes taking both physical and mental breaks during the day. She talks about how taking even a brief break helps her refocus, get perspective, and come back to work with new ideas.
These immensely successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders and their examples should inspire you now to take a break.
Overcoming Resistance: "I Don't Have Time for a Break"
One of the biggest obstacles for any entrepreneur is to think that there is not enough time. Most of the time, new business owners believe that all their time should be spent on their business. Well, they are not alone. Even I used to think the same way. But here's the truth: not taking breaks is counterproductive.
Think about it: spending time correcting the mistakes that you have made because you were overwhelmed—is this productive? No. Does not this waste your time? It definitely does. That is why a midday break is not time wasted—it’s an investment in your productivity for the rest of the day.
The break does not need to be long. A 15-20 minute break is enough to give a much-energised feeling. The key is to find a balance and view this time as a necessary element of your workflow, not a disruption.
Flexibility and Adaptation
We are well aware of the characteristic of flexibility that is hallmarked when running a startup. We, too, should respond similarly and ensure that midday breaks are incorporated into our routine. For instance, sometimes, it all boils down to just a five-minute stretch, a walk, or a workout session.
Midday breaks don't have to look the same every day. Instead, you have to listen to your body and mind and give them that reset in whatever form that may take. You can choose some different activities like physical movement, meditation, or even a short nap.
The Science Behind Exercise Breaks
In addition, the body of scientific evidence demonstrating the benefits of taking breaks during work is growing, particularly those involving physical activity. Research conducted by the American Psychological Association explains that taking breaks throughout the day helps one sustain their focus and avoid decision fatigue in general. Therefore, in the long term, it leads to increased productivity and performance.
In particular, it triggers dopamine and serotonin discharge mechanisms in the nervous system, thus improving mood and enhancing cerebral activity. Research at Stanford University has shown that physical movements can increase creative thinking by up to 60%. Creativity is significant for a founder of a startup not only in creating products but also in solving problems and innovating in leadership roles.
Being active in the workout room during break time stimulates chemical discharges in the body that provide relief for reducing the burdens of stress and anxiety that could be associated with the high-pressure environment of a startup. By decreasing this tension, you can approach problems from a clearer, more composed thinking place.
Implementation Tips
That's true, you need midday breaks, but how do you do that in your busy schedule? Here are some very practical tips:
Mark on your calendar: You can use an application for your time management, or your phone will remind you to take a break. Treat it like meeting the piling board, and schedule it into your day. In my time management course, I help the students by incorporating a time slot for a midday break that can effectively help them. This is derived from my personal experience.
Plan Ahead: Take out your exercise clothes or yoga mat before work, so you're ready to jump right into the activity you want to do. At this post-50 age, I am now regularly doing exercises at the Heartfulness Fitness Centre, and I quite enjoy it!
Breaks will be Easy to Fit In: If the thought of long breaks seems overwhelming, start with five or ten minutes. Once you get accustomed to the rhythm, slowly increase the time.
Incorporate the team culture: Encourage the team to break time as well. This may make a workplace more lenient and productive, making your workers feel their welfare counts. Having some team lunch or even a cup of coffee with them can help them find some respite.
Alternate Activities: Alternative activities can prevent midday breaks from feeling monotonous. Try different forms of exercise, meditation, or even journaling during your breaks. As a practitioner of Heartfulness meditation practice for more than three decades, I find meditation to be rejuvenating. Even a 20-minute long Cleaning meditation session can freshen me up internally.
Conclusion
Founders love to brag about hustling but there is always a difference between hard work and smart work. Having an exercise break at midday, or even any break for that matter, has proven to be a quick fix in refreshing both the mind and body, hence keeping you productive, creative, and focused over the course of the entire day.
Being entrepreneurs and leaders, we owe it to ourselves, our team, and our organizations. That midday break does not only revive you for the rest of the day but it revives your business.
