The Working Lunch is Killing your Productivity. Stop It Before Its Too Late

The Working Lunch is Killing your Productivity. Stop It Before Its Too LateThe Working Lunch is Killing your Productivity. Stop It Before Its Too LateEmployees who take their work seriously strive to do their best in the workplace. They often work overtime, willingly take on extra projects and rarely take longer breaks. They do working lunch.However, recent research shows that working hard is very likely to have a profound negative effect on your productivity. Contrary to popular belief, it isnt that effective and its definitely not healthy, either.Without taking sufficient breaks from work, your mental well-being, overall work performance and productivity begin to suffer. In fact, overworked employees often deal with chronic stress that can easily lead to job burnout.Regular breaks are instrumental in helping employees take a deep breath and recharge for the rest of the workday. So if youre one of those employees scarfing down lunches in their cubicles, you seriously need to conside r taking a proper break. Lets do the mathA recent survey by Tork shows that proper lunch breaks are becoming an endangered species. Step by step, they are falling prey to the recent trend of working lunches.With only one-third of employees being engaged at work, the disappearance of regular breaks is alarming news.Fresh thinking needs fresh air. Multiple studies prove that work breaks boost employee productivity, satisfaction, engagement, creativity and wellbeing.Nearly 20% of employees worry their bosses will think they are less hardworking if they take regular lunch breaks - which actually 22% of North American bosses doCourtesy of TorkSo what makes lunch breaks so special? The true lunch break is indispensable and its absence has been shown to lower productivity, increase fatigue and cause tension in the office.The Tork survey found out that employees who dont skip their lunch breaks feel more engaged and productive. Being able to enjoy their daily oasis of calm, they feel more refreshed and ready to get back to work.Courtesy of TorkAnd its not only about your lunch. There are many reasons why you should leave your desk at least several times a day.Regular breaks have research-backed health, wellness and performance benefits. Here are just some of themBreaks boost productivity. While this might sound counterintuitive, but breaks are the best way to reclaim your focus and energy. A refreshing break is also the ultimate weapon to battle that dreaded unproductive, mid-afternoon slump.Breaks boost creativity. Long meetings or exhaustive conference calls can drain you completely. But letting your brain rest for a bit can get those creative juices flowing again. The lunch break will help you find perspective on challenging projects and come back with fresh ideas. Breaks improve your mental well-being. Workers need time to recharge. Dont let workplace stress occupy your mind by allowing yourself some time to let off steam every now and then. Your mental well-bein g will thank you.Breaks are a good time to develop healthy habits. Besides using your breaks to have a bite, you can also exercise, meditate, or engage in some other type of a self-care activity.Breaks can help create stronger relationships with your colleagues. Inviting your coworkers to bestattungs a lunch is more than just a good excuse to hang out with your colleagues. Its an ideal time to get to know people who work in the same office as you do and build a sense of community.READ THISThese 7 Tips Will Help You Deal With an Overly Demanding BossHealthy break ideasThere are manytypes of activities you can use your break for. However, spending your break time practising poor health habits, smoking, or scrolling through social media wont yield any good results.So how can you make sure each of your breaks should be meaningful and healthy? Here are several useful ideasTake a walk. Fill your regular breaks with physical activity and invite your colleagues for a stroll. Two 10-minute w alks each workday are sure to keep the fatigue away.Snack healthy. Explore your company kitchen and break rooms. They should offer some healthy snacking options like fresh fruit, veggies and nuts.Work out. Regardless of whether you have an onsite gym, you can do some stretching to help blood circulation. If you need to reclaim your inner peace, bring a mat and do a little joga instead. Find your quiet spot. Not all breaks need to be filled with activity. Feel free to retreat someplace to clear your mind and recharge. You can also use this time to read a bit or listen to some relaxing music.Courtesy of TorkWorking lunch is awful. Lets make the lunch great again.You might have thought that ditching your lunch break was a sign of dedication to your job. But it seems thats not the case and, apparently, such habit can bring you nothing but despair.The truth is that employees who value their daily lunch breaks have higher job satisfaction, are more likely to continue working at the same c ompany and recommend their employer to others.Even Singapores stock market understood the break is simply indispensable and decided to bring it back. So I guess its just about time to revisit the concept of productivity and start to enjoy our meals facing something else than our laptop screens.Bon appetitShare Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments

Five Steps to Good Job Search Follow-Through

Five Steps to Good Job Search Follow-ThroughFive Steps to Good Job Search Follow-ThroughSend thank you letters. These should be personalized, so get the proper name and title of everyone you meet collect business cards with each interview for this reason. You should write a follow up thank you to everyone you meet, not just the fruchtwein senior person or the person with whom you had the best rapport. This is your professional face forward so be sure to write an engaging and thoughtful response, and of course, to check grammar and spelling.Return calls in a timely manner. Same day is ideal and no longer than next business day is acceptable. If you are going to be away longer than that, leave some indication on your outgoing voicemail. If you dont want to leave vacation plans on a home machine, direct callers to a number where you can be reached if its urgent. (If you decide to take cell phone calls on vacation, make sure you can be professional on the call. Otherwise youre better of f letting it go to voicemail.)Respond to requests for additional info in a timely manner. If they ask for references, be prepared with a list that includes titles and contact info. If they ask for a writing sample, forward one within the timeframe requested. Keeping the hiring employer waiting shows a lack of interest or diligence or both. If you suggest an article the interviewer should read, forward a copy or the hyperlink. Make it easy for them to hire you.Be punctual in all meetings. Leave extra time to get through the building reception, especially in this era of heightened security. Leave extra time to fill out any paperwork at the HR reception area. Leave extra time to get lost, for train delays, for traffic, for extra breaths outside the building.Send indirect thank you letters. Thank everyone who gave you a lead, advice, any ounce of help. Let them know exactly what happened as a result of their gift to you. Let them know what happened at the end of your search. Even if the y didnt give you the lead that leuchtdiode to your ultimate job, they helped move you forward and therefore deserve to hear from you.Caroline Ceniza-Levine is co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.sixfigurestart.com).

3 reasons to keep your money separate from your spouse

3 reasons to keep your money separate from your spouse3 reasons to keep your money separate from your spouseWhen I first got married, I thought my spouse and I were supposed to be attached at the hip in all things. Over time, I found that I needed more breathing room than the close embrace of early love allowed. For me, that meant separating my money from my wifes.Every good marriage is based on an awful lot of separation, Steven Nock, a professor of sociology who studies marriage at the University of Virginia, told WebMD. People need to have a separate life and existence to feel validated as individuals. They cant live solely as somebodys partener.For many couples, this happy separation extends to their finances, as well as their social lives.Our money separation felt harsh at first. I had decided to pay down some debts and improve my financial IQ, and I knew I needed a separate checking account to learn money management. To my wife, this seemed like a slap in the face. Over the yea rs, however, our separate accounts have given us both the freedom to have a little fun with our own money, while still being financially accountable to each other.Ladders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.Im not alone in wanting to maintain separate finances from my spouse. TD Banks 2017 Love and Money Survey found that 51% of the couples they surveyed combined all their finances, while 34% kept some money separate and 15% didnt share money at all. The trend is stronger among millennials 29% of couples under 34 have no shared accounts.There are a number of reasons why married couples are joining the trend and keeping their finances separate from their spouses. Heres why.1. Two bank accounts are better than oneMingling your money can add stress to your marriage, too. If you and your spouse have divergent spending habits and financial priorities, you can either fight about it or give each other some space to be different.You might be happier if you didnt know how much money went to piano lessons or that cute little Kate Spade backpack. Thats certainly true for some couples.2. It doesnt have to be all or nothingSome couples take a yours, mine, and ours approach to personal finances. Each spouse has a separate account, and both contribute to a joint account to pay household bills.My wife and I have come up with a version of this approach. We each have our own checking account as part of a jointly-owned credit union account. We have a joint savings account for reserves and another that we both contribute to for mortgage and property taxes.In a pinch, either one of us can access the others checking account. Over the years, when one of us has made substantially more money, its been easy to transfer funds to support the other.Best of all, I dont have to weigh in on the new bike helmet she wants, and she doesnt get to have an opinion about how many dresses I need to own (a lot). We can look at each others accounts if we want to, but we generally dont.I talk about money with my wife, and we make big financial decisions as a couple. But we stay in our own lanes for the day-to-day stuff. I think thats the secret sauce for a happily married financial life.3. Some of your finances are unavoidably intertwined - such as sharing a home togetherThere is a lot to be said for joint bank accounts. If one spouse dies, joint accounts usually give the survivor immediate unrestricted access, according to legal website Nolo. If your accounts are separate, then youll probably need documentation that proves you have a right to the money, and you might have to go through probate before you can touch the funds, Nolo reports. This can add stress to an already stressful time.Joint accounts also foster financial transparency. According to the TD Bank survey, 13% of respondents said they concealed some part of their financial lives from their spouses. Millennials were much more likely to have undercover money (30%) than couples over 55 (4%). Secrets included clandestine bank accounts, and undisclosed credit cards and student loan debt. Worse yet, 35% of respondents said they had no plans to ever share their money secret with their spouses.Financial cover-ups can send a marriage onto rocky shoals when they come to light. A recent Dear Sugars column had a term for this financial infidelity, which associates hiding financial information as a form of betrayal to your partner.Even if you keep your finances separate (in fact, especially if you do), theres no way to avoid talking about money with your spouse. When you live together, your financial lives are unavoidably intertwined.When my wife and I first separated our bank accounts, we tracked how much each of us spent on household items such as utility bills and groceries. I was surprised to find that I contributed just as much by purchasing household supplies and food as she did by paying our fixed expens es for things like car insurance and the electric bill.Over the years, weve renegotiated who pays for what, as our financial and living situations have changed. What hasnt changed is our commitment to sharing financial information with each other and making big money decisions as a team.This article first appeared on Business Insider.