Are you busy non-stop all day long? How many times this week did you manage your time so that you actually took a lunch break? We are not talking about the quick snack at your desk or the microwaved food in the lunch room.

The Public Service Commission in Nova Scotia has instituted a campaign to change this behavior. They have designated Healthy Workplace Coordinators who encourage staff to start taking lunch breaks again. The concept behind this is that when you work to exhaustion, you spend more time getting less done, a loss of productivity. Then you become stressed. Exhaustion and stress form a good path to illness. The coordinators encourage their groups to get out of the office and eat lunch with a friend or take a walk.

Test this yourself. When you take the allotted lunch hour, you are usually invigorated and get more done in the afternoon. If you’re not taking a lunch break, start by trying it a couple of times a week. Compare your afternoons, with and without the pause, to evaluate the benefits.