The lunch break is the most underutilized time in the working week. While we agree that staying at your desk and working through your lunch is not a good idea (studies have shown that it may decrease life expectancy), there are better ways to spend it than just having a boring sandwich in the office kitchen. Read on to find out how to be more productive with your lunch break.
Go for a walk
It sounds simple and maybe you already do it by accident but try going for a walk with no destination but with plenty of purpose. Take in some fresh air, walk at your own pace, clear your mind, enjoy your own company and come back to work in the afternoon refreshed and ready to take on any challenge.
Network
If all the great minds in your city are taking lunch at the same time, take advantage of it. Organize to have lunch with someone in your network or someone you would like to be in your network. It is a great way to get to know more people and depending on your office policies you may even be able to expense the lunch.
Run some errands
Lunchtime can be a terrible time to visit the bank but for other errands, it is a quick and easy way to get things done that would usually delay you from getting home early.
Meet your mentor
One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to have a business mentor. You may be nervous about approaching someone to be your mentor but most people are very open to the idea. Someone probably helped them get where they are too. Meeting your mentor over lunch is a great way to refocus your career and get your creative ambitions flowing.
Hit the gym
One of the most common excuses for not going to the gym is being too busy. Try going for a 30-minute workout during your lunch break. It is a great way to unwind and with gyms popping up everywhere in cities you will usually have enough time to shower and get back to work with a sandwich in your hand.
