With so much to do in a few hours, working and eating at the same time seems like a stellar idea to kill two birds with one stone.
But is it?
Not everyone has the luxury of taking a break to eat. And this is further complicated by the fact that not all companies have a set lunch break time where all tools are put down for everyone to enjoy their sandwich.
And for this reason, more and more companies are seeing the need to create proper eating areas with the right ambiance to encourage employees to have lunch.
Policies should also be enforced to discourage desk eating which may lead to unpleasant odours or cause damage to equipment or important documents at the office.
Whether you are for or against eating at your work station, here is why you should skip it altogether.
i.You’re sitting down for too long
It is not uncommon to hear that some people work for 15 continuous hours or more in a day. And sadly, this involves a lot of sitting down looking into computer screens.
And when you get home, chances are you will be spending most of your time seated watching TV. Before you know it, you are walking less and spending most of your time sitting down.
This is unhealthy. You need to walk and stretch. Use your lunch break to walk and enjoy some natural light outside.
ii.You risk spillage
It is almost impossible to eat a cookie or a juicy apple without creating a mess. And this is why some companies strongly prohibit eating at the desk because inevitably some crumbs or drops of fruit juice will end up where they are not supposed to.
And if you happen to be those people who do not clean up after themselves, this may lead to a dirty working station and may soon attract insects or even mice.
This is also not a good professional image.
iii.You will burnout
Those few minutes away from your machine to catch your breath and grab a cup of coffee really do come in handy.
This helps you to take that much needed break to decompress and refresh. This helps you focus more when you get back to work.
Failure to do so is a sure way to get a burn out. Switch off your work mode and work with achievable targets then reward yourself by taking a break and going for a walk.
iv.Increased stress
The reason you hate your job could be because you are doing it all wrong. Yes, work can be stressful and this is why you need that lunch break to disconnect for a few minutes.
This will help you feel much better and will show in your productivity.
Take some time to recover by going outside to enjoy your pasta and maybe take a power nap if you can to recuperate.
v.Brain fog
The reason you really need to go outside to eat and enjoy some sunlight is to pump fresh blood and oxygen into your body.
Sitting at your desk all day will not have a significant impact on how much progress you have made. Fact is, there is only so much you can do in a day and taking that break will not eat into your working time.
Once the energy in your body is used there is nothing you can do and you will become less effective as your brain starts to function at a much slower rate because it needs a break and some rest.