Lunch Hour

We always hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day: you start your day right, get that metabolism going, have energy to stay active physically and mentally…and on and on. You know the drill. When I wake up in the morning, half of the reason to get out of bed is to get breakfast. (If I know there is nothing good in the kitchen waiting for me, well, I might as well just sleep a bit longer…) Anyway, I may be an anomaly as I find it shocking that anyone will skip this meal—and forgetting about it? I just don’t even believe you.

But, I am starting to think that it may not be the most important meal of the day. What I mean to say is, aren’t all meals important? With so much emphasis on breakfast, I think we are overlooking the importance of another meal: Lunch…And actually taking that mid-day break to enjoy it.

Here’s an example of my day at the moment: Get up, breakfast, run, (throw a shower in there—don’t worry!) get to work at 8:30am…work…leave work hopefully by 6:30… wait a minute… Lunch? Oh ate that at my desk…in front of the computer…while working. Isn’t there something wrong with this picture?

Failing to pause work to take lunch, or even worse skipping the meal all together will hinder productivity on the job. While I pride myself in multitasking, it is important to remember that it is not always the best option. I have found that eating lunch at my desk, I really don’t get as much work done as I think I do. I mean, I am pausing every few moments to take a bit. I am working more slowly with less focus, I give myself leeway to check my email a few more times… in general, I would say the hour is not spent productively working, nor am I spending the time to focus on my lunch, enjoy myself, and give my brain a break!

I realize that it is so much easier said than done. At the office here, everyone takes a lunch, so you feel that you are able to take that break without making an excuse. On the other hand, when hardly anyone in the office takes a real break for lunch, if you do, well you feel like a slacker and like you need an excuse to leave the desk. It’s one of those work dilemmas that we all face… and those of us that has a boss who takes lunch, or a boss that’s not around can count ourselves lucky!

As I write this, I am in Latin America for a few weeks. And you know what? My schedule here is: Get up, run, (yes, again, that shower!), breakfast, at the office at 8:30, work, around 12:30 break for the hour lunch eat, sit, relax, chat with colleagues, work, leave work at 5:00, and then… whatever!

People here couldn’t understand when I said that in the States, most time we eat at our desks, rushing through lunch, plus working long hours into the evening. Taking the hour for lunch, by either leaving the office and eating out, or even bringing lunch and getting up from my desk to go eat with others in a different location, is so much better! I take a break, socialize, am able to relax for a little bit and when I return to work after the hour, I focus better, and get the same work done with more attention! A win-win, if you ask me.