30/5 or 50/10

Breaks are important, even if you’ve got deadlines or are in the midst of a great creative flow. You still need to move your body, step back from what you’re doing and make sure you’re eating and staying hydrated while you’re working.

The typical rule of thumb is the 50/10 rule - for every 50 minutes of work, you break for 10 minutes. Its so common that those Apple Watch users know the “stand up” alert they get at 10 min till the top of the hour. But, newer studies are showing that for our health, a 30/5 rule may be more beneficial.

But what constitutes a break? Yes, walking away from your work to clear your head is great, and grabbing a coffee or a snack is also wonderful. But, the best thing you can do is to stand up, walk around and get your blood flowing for 5 minutes. Standing outside for a little or walking around on a nice day is a great way to step away and impact your well-being.

And if a full 5 minute break won’t work? Can you walk around while you take a phone call? Do some chair stretches to get some movement in? Work from a standing position for a while so you’re not feeling too stagnant? This is a way to be creative, and make sure that you’re taking care of yourself.