Get up and leave…or at least go for a walk

Today’s national Leave The Office Early Day. No, seriously. So if you’re reading this, stand up, grab your bag, and walk out the door. After all, it’s a holiday!

Or not. I mean, you should probably clear the whole thing with your boss first.

But the idea behind the day is to encourage workers to step away from the computer or cash register or jackhammer–whatever your job entails. (Again, use common sense. Surgeons shouldn’t leave in the middle of a procedure and servers shouldn’t walk out of the restaurant while their customers’ orders wait in the kitchen.) As we’ve talked about here, people aren’t using their vacation time and plenty are feeling burned out. A respite from the toils of work can keep you fresh.

But if you’re like most people who are grateful to have a job and don’t want to blow it by waltzing out midday, here are some ways to stay try to keep your sanity while at work.

• Try not to multitask for an hour or two.
  Not everyone can step away from e-mail or the phone if their jobs depend on it. Instead, decide that for an hour you’re going to work on a single task. No personal e-mail, no unnecessary calls, no Internet browsing. It might seem like you’re taking the fun away, but you’ll realize that fewer distractions mean you’ll get projects done more quickly. Then you can use that extra time to relax a bit.
• Look at your company’s vacation policy.
  Some companies don’t let you roll over vacation time or there’s a limit to how many hours you can accrue. If you’re going to lose it, talk to your boss and try to find out how to work it in your schedule. Maybe you don’t have the time, money or desire to take a trip. So maybe  make Fridays half days or take off every other Friday. That way you’re not out of the office for too long and still get much needed rest.
• Take a break
  This might seem like a “duh!” comment (if people still said that). but it’s true. Once you get working, it’s easy to let the clock tick away without looking up to see what time it is. Before you know it you’ve gone three hours at your desk without much movement. Stand up and stretch; walk around for a few minutes; go outside; do push-ups; dance in a conference room (that’s empty). Do anything to literally get away from work for a few minutes. Your brain, eyes, back, etc. will thank you.