lunchHow many times have you found yourself stuck eating a sack lunch at your desk?  You aren’t the only one!  Right Management conducted a survey and found that only 1 in 5 employees actually gets away from their desk for their lunch break.  Instead of using their lunch hour to reenergize and decompress, many of these employees are finding themselves having a “working lunch”.

Leaving your desk provides a physical separation between you and work so that you can take a moment to regroup before you continue with your day.  Instead of having another “working lunch”, ditch your desk for one of these ideas to get the most out of your lunch break!

Take Advantage of your City

What’s the fun of living in an amazing city like Seattle if you don’t take advantage of what it has to offer?  Now that summer is here and the sun is out, take the opportunity to explore the city during your lunch break.  Enjoy the sun and take a walk, visit Pike’s Place for some beautiful fresh flowers, check out one of Seattle’s amazing restaurants (Japonessa is one of my personal faves), or pack a lunch to eat on the waterfront.  Not only will you feel refreshed after stepping away, but you will actually get to enjoy the city that you work in!

Exercise

Lace up those running shoes and get some exercise during your lunch break.  From fitness classes to going for a walk, people who exercise are better able to focus at work.  Along with better focus, exercising gives you an outlet to relieve some workplace stress.  So instead of brown bagging it at your desk, get out and get some exercise.

Get to Know Your Coworkers

Stop eating lunch alone!  According to a recent study by Cornell University, eating lunch with coworkers can boost productivity in the workplace by fostering a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.  Typically, we work harder and more efficiently when we are able to work as a cohesive team, and eating lunch with our coworkers will foster relationships that make work more enjoyable.  Make sure to branch out and invite people to lunch who are outside of your department.  By spending this time with people from different departments, you can broaden your understanding of the company.  After all, you are all cogs in the same machine; why not know how all of the pieces are working?

Run Errands

While running errands isn’t necessarily relaxing, it is often unavoidable.  Instead of trying to answer personal calls and emails, pick up prescriptions, and go to the bank during work hours, do these during your lunch break.  By saving errands for your lunch break, you will be able to focus on the tasks at hand and increase productivity during your work hours.  To get the most out of your lunch hour while running errands, pack a lunch that you can eat on the go and map out the best route to take to ensure you complete all of your errands in a timely manner.

Trade in your “working lunch”, ditch your desk, and try some of these activities to get the most out of your lunch break!