Bryan Buckley

Terra is a hard driver. She’s up early and at it late. She never takes breaks and actually prides herself because of it.

During every possible break given in a meeting or conference, she’s working. Her brain is always engaged and her can is always seated.

Her philosophy is “who has time for a break?!” and she actually looks down on those who do. She would never say they are lazy but she does question their work ethic. Is Terra right? After all, you’re on the road to work and crank out as much work as possible.

Or is there a reason to take a break?

This is a major pushback for road warriors: the topic of a break. Terra is not alone in this area. But Terra, give it a break already?!

I know what you’re thinking: “I barely have time to go to the bathroom let alone pause for lunch. How could I ever have time for a break?”

Well, you never “have time.” You always “make time” for things that are important. Believe it or not, breaks are important and they matter.

FOUR NATURAL PUSHBACKS TO TAKING A BREAK

1. I Don’t Have Time to Take a Break

I’m behind before I even start my day and will only fall further behind if I stop and take a break.

I will literally lose more time if I stop. I have TOO much to do and NOT enough time to do it. How could I even consider stopping for a break?

2. I Feel Fine So Why Stop and Take a Break?

Those of us who are locked in and get “in the zone” can easily push back on this one. This is especially true for those of us who love what we do.

3. I Forget to Even Take a Break

If it’s not something we do regularly, especially when traveling, it’s easier to just do a drive by and miss a break even if we want or need to take one.

4. My Travel Schedule Doesn’t Allow Me to Take a Break

This used to be me. I never took a break on the road, and the main reason was I never scheduled it. When I started padding my schedule by just 15 – 30 minutes once or twice a day, the results were outstanding.

The problem is, most road warriors rarely take a break, and IF they do, they do it wrong. How do you screw up a break? Let’s start with what a break is first.

I DEFINE A BREAK AS: MOVE THE BODY/REST THE MIND.

If people choose to take a break at all, they do the opposite – they rest the body and move the mind.

They stay seated and move from one screen to another (computer to phone for social media or personal email).

Aka: they screw it up. They’re not moving because they remain seated and their mind is not resting; it is engaged in something else, such as social media or email. They miss an opportunity to leverage the power of energy that a break can give you IF it’s done correctly.

A true break is designed to move the body – stand/stretch/walk – MOVE! Resting the mind means to stop concentrating and let it roam free. Breaks mean running the car but on idle, to use the high- performance car analogy.

A break is productive only when you disconnect from the work you are doing and indulge in any other activity that takes your mind off the task at hand. The reality is, we have to see the benefit to actually stopping if we’re going to gain anything out of a break.

 

THREE VITAL BENEFITS OF A BREAK

1. Your Mind Gets to Rest

I don’t know about most people, but the moment I begin my day, my mind is going, and I don’t want to admit it doesn’t stay sharp all day. The reality is my mind begins to fade, especially being around people on the road all day unless I do something about it.

That’s exactly why taking a break to give your mind a rest is so vitally important.

It’s good to push your mind, but if our goal is to stay sharp and productive, we need to consider a mental break. We can only focus for so long before quality begins to decrease. If we’re honest, we’ll admit this truth. Resting the mind is exactly what is needed to become more effective and to increase productivity.

What does resting the mind look like? Well, it doesn’t look like moving from one computer tab to another, from CRM to Twitter, from computer to phone. It means allowing your mind time to roam and not concentrate so it is free to engage in something else without intense focus.

2. Your Body Gets to Move

One of our biggest unknown challenges is being sedentary. Most of us sit almost the entire day, especially when we travel. We’re in a rental car or rideshare to the conference room to dinner and then we crash on the bed.

We are not designed to sit around all day, and it’s definitely not helpful for your creativity or productivity. Getting up for a few minutes gets our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain. We NEED to get our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain to be at our best.

On the road, breaks are often hard to do especially if you’re with other people or in meetings most of the day. But often times, you just have to take the initiative.

How many times have you been in a situation where someone said, “Can we take a quick break? I need to… (Get coffee, to go to the bathroom, make a quick call or return some messages)”?

This is the timeout in sports you’ve been looking for, but use it wisely. Often, people just sit there and completely waste the break to move the body and rest the mind.

They stay seated on their can and check social media or talk about absolutely nothing.

Not you, road warrior.

Exit stage left and go for a walk. Change locations. Move the body and rest the mind. Leave the building if you can. At least, walk around within the building. Often, I take a few stairs and at least step outside. In this way, I’ve moved and taken in some fresh air and scenery.

3. You Come Back More Focused

This is where taking a break actually increases your productivity. We don’t want to just do our work; we want to do our best work, and that’s what happens when we’re focused and creative. When blood is flowing through my body and oxygen to my brain, both have had the break they need to come back more focused.

It’s amazing how people can screw up a break and are worse off after a break. Not you, road warrior. You’ll come back sharp and ready to knock out the rest of the time.

 

SIX WAYS TO TAKE AN ENERGY-GIVING BREAK ON THE ROAD

1. Stretch break
2. Water break
3. Bathroom break
4. Snack break
5. Breathe break
6. Walk break

These may seem obvious, but so often, we’re simply not doing them. We’ll choose six excuses.

Think creatively about how you could add them into your travel day. If you think you don’t have ANY time for a break, consider the following with examples of how to use the six different types of breaks.

Your goal: Be an over-achiever and combine break types.

 

THREE LENGTHS OF BREAKS ON THE ROAD

1. MICRO – Think Seconds/Small Length

We may not have time for anything longer at the moment or we just need a quick hit of the benefit of a break, and that’s exactly why we should take micro breaks throughout the day.

Here’s a stat for you: a 30-second micro break can increase your productivity up to 13% and a 15-second break from staring at your computer screen every ten minutes can reduce your fatigue by 50%.

Types of micro breaks:

* Breathe break – Take in oxygen to the brain.
* Stand break – Simply standing and walking that sedentary body will do more for you than you think for such little effort
* Stretch break – take that stand and move it to a stretch to get some additional blood flowing. You’d be surprised what a simple, calculated stretch will do for your energy.

 

2. MINI – Think Minutes/Medium Length

Micro is seconds; mini is minutes. You can sneak a good little breakin within a few minutes.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) research reveals that taking mini breaks that range up to 5 minutes can improve mental acuity by about 13 percent. That’s GREAT ROI for just five minutes!

Types of mini breaks:

* Bathroom break – If you’re drinking water, this is a natural by-product of your hydration donation and the benefit is you add a walk break to get you to the bathroom. Brilliant!

 

3. MAX – Think Unplug/Large Length

* Water break – Again, if you’re drinking water, you’re going to need a refill, and this is the time to do it.

This couple of minutes’ break does more than you realize and is worth the quick stop. Often, this is a natural upgrade from the micro breaks, but the biggest bang for your break buck is a…

If you’ve been concentrating for a while, at some point in your morning and/or especially in your afternoon, you need a max break.

How often have you found yourself pushing through the mid- to late-afternoon and everything just seems to take you twice as long and the quality is half as good? The solution? A max break. This is a true un-plug.

I’m not talking an hour or even 45 minutes; 15 minutes is a great place to start with a max break. You can often maximize a few different types of breaks:

* Walk break – This is a true “move the body/rest the mind” exercise. While you’re at it, throw in a stretch break at no additional charge.

 

BREAKING THIS UP

According to the book Rest, a true break from work – the kind that allows what sociologists call detachment, the ability to put work completely out of your mind and attend to other things – turns out to be tremendously important as a source of mental and physical recovery from work.

I realize breaks may be a change of mindset for you, but if you begin to simply change how you view a break, whether given or self- imposed, you will experience the benefits of moving your body and resting your mind as you get the full benefits of a break. Take a short walk and change your environment for a few moments to catch your breath with the goal of coming back refreshed and ready for another round.

 

THREE-POINTERS

1. A break is defined as “move the body/rest the mind.”

2. Implement as many of the six different types of breaks as possible on the road: stretch, water, bathroom, snack, breathe, walk.

3. Implement as many of the three different lengths of breaks as possible on the road: micro = think seconds and small length; mini = think minutes and medium length; macro = think unplug and large length.

Here’s my reality.

I don’t like missing out on things. If I hear of something, I want to be a part of it. I like to be involved and have experiences, especially on the road.

But I’ve found this type of thinking can and has led me into trouble when I really want to eat healthy while traveling on business.

 

 

I’ve found I simply cannot always have both. Insert “ARGH” here of course (and that was a mild four-letter word for those keeping track at home or should I say, on the road?)

So what is this tension I create on the road called?

F-O-M-O 

It’s been defined as the Fear of Missing Out.

It’s not to the extreme of a fear of snakes, heights, or even death but becomes very real to me when I feel like I’m going to miss out on something on the road.

Let me give you an all too often example.

I take a partner or customer out to dinner and the “price is no option” becomes front and center.

So, that means appetizers, the best steak, the dark chocolate dessert, and wine. And oh do I like and know wine.

Let the games begin or to some, the freak show of gluttony.

But herein lies the problem.

Do I HAVE to eat or drink everything in front of me? In the actual moment, it sure feels that way and hence, FOMO!

 

THIS IS BECAUSE I’VE BELIEVED THE FOLLOWING FOUR ASSUMPTIONS:

Assumption One – IT WON’T BE AROUND LATER

I fall for this all the time. If I don’t “jump right in”, the appetizer everyone wants will be gone. Or I need to get one of the first bites of dessert.

And worse for me, what if I don’t stay close to the wine?! You know, there’s always the person who gets the good wine poured into THEIR glass to be polite and here’s the kicker, they don’t even like wine! travesty I say!

Oh, the problems I need to solve in advance.

I simply assume that it won’t be around later if I wait or it’s a one time offer.

 

Assumption Two – I CANNOT HANDLE THE PRESSURE OF THE TEMPTATION

This may be self-imposed. I can believe the press ahead of time before I even show up so why even try.

After all, I’m going to give in anyway, right? No self-defeating attitude or justification there, eh?

Or it’s the company of others who are the friends you should’ve avoided in high school who always said, “come on, one time won’t hurt you.”

But if I plan on going in to cave, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

The truth is they really don’t care THAT much and if I’m prepared for a couple of seconds of “pressure” (if you can even call it that), you’re almost always home free.

But it makes for a great excuse ahead of time and increases FOMO.

 

Assumption Three – I FEEL LIKE I NEED IT

Before the meal, I feel like I could take it or leave it. But in the moment, oh how the mind can convince me that I absolutely need it. And just one bite or sip.

Then just “one more”. Then another. Then I’m ordering another appetizer / another dessert / another glass-is, okay, bottle of wine.

The problem is “just one more” becomes the gift that keeps on giving for me.

I don’t NEED it. I WANT it. Big difference. And this “seemingly overwhelming want” can fade so quickly.

Once I come to terms with this difference and get to the point of take it or leave it, you would be surprised what you actually need.

I’d like it but don’t have to eat or drink it.

 

Assumption Four – I WILL REGRET IT LATER IF I DON’T DO IT NOW

This is my Achilles Heel in my former four-letter word of FOMO. I feel like I’m going to regret not having that killer appetizer or once in a lifetime glass or bottle of wine.

In the moment, I make a bigger deal of it that it really is and as a result, I regret it before dinner is even complete.

I MUST partake because there is no other option, right?

I sure can’t rely on everyone else at the table to make the decision for me!

This is because I’ve not considered that regret is self-imposed and has been created by me and only me.

I may miss “wondering” what it was like, but very few things with food or drink do I ACTUALLY regret. It’s all about perspective.

So, how do you change your four-letter word on the road of FOMO?

The average person on the road looks at the menu and says these four words: “what should I eat?”

How does THAT usually end?

It then leads to a downward spiral choice of another possible four words:

• What’s the easiest choice?
• What’s the quickest choice?
• What’s the largest choice?
• What’s is the tastiest choice?

Here’s the problem.

These seemingly innocent and simple four words put you in reaction mode.

Your willpower is the absolute lowest in these moments and as a result, so are your food choices.

We’re simply in the FOMO mode dropping THAT four-letter word and it leads to, well, weight gain, low energy, and even lower self-confidence/

But what if you chose four letters that were proactive and offered few to no regrets?

I want to challenge you to adopt another four letters that you train yourself to ask every single time you have the opportunity to eat something, anything.

 

We need to change your four-letter word from FOMO (fear of missing out) to MTHC.

 

Make the Healthiest Choice

These are Four Words That have the Power to Change Your Nutrition Regrets on the Road.

Make the Healthiest Choice

What if you said those four specific words every time you were about to eat? How much different would the results be AFTER you eat whatever you chose to eat?

 

Here are Four Ways to Maximize the Use of the Four Words:

 

1. PLAN AHEAD

We can avoid what is easiest, quickest, etc. by simply planning our meals ahead of time.

If you’re going out to eat, again, plan ahead. This can be done in two ways:

• Offer to do intel if you’re going out to eat. Come back with a couple of choices that you know you’ll be fine with either way
• Look at the menu ahead of time. Almost every restaurant has their menu online or you can call in advance.

For example, I was out on business last week and taking a group out for dinner. I volunteered to look at the restaurant choices while I went out for a run and at dinner, I knew in advance exactly what I would order at the two best restaurant choices.

By planning ahead, I was able to make the healthiest choice. This can be done, nutrition fans.

 

2. LET SOMEONE KNOW AHEAD OF  TIME

You cannot assume others have the same definition of healthy as you.

This is critical for me on the road. Many of my meetings are over one of the three major meals.

The reality is you have more say and influence than you realize but must speak out. This is on you ultimately.

Lastly, if you’re at a restaurant and have chosen to truly adopt these four letters MTHC (make the healthiest choice)  it’s okay to ask for the server to work with you.

I do NOT suggest just ripping the menu apart and leaving the server as your enemy.

I DO recommend saying something similar to this:

“Hey Lauren, would you be willing to work with me on the menu and what I order? I’m on a pretty restricted diet trying to get my girlish figure back, and it would mean a lot to me if you would help me in this area.”

I’ve yet to have one server balk for a second on a question like this because I’m asking for their help.

Often they go over and above and even go as far as asking the kitchen if they can alter off the menu for you. What a difference!

 

3. BE READY FOR THE LESSER OF THE EVILS

Sometimes there are no true healthy choices. A lettuce-based salad with two vegetables (always one paper-thin cucumber and two, count em, two grape tomatoes) with a piece of dried grilled chicken is your healthiest choice.

And this could easily allow you to justify going for broke and ordering whatever you want. Careful nutrition fans.

I struggle when there are limited options and I’m on the road because I do NOT like feeling hungry.

And when I do, I’m far more likely to make a bad choice the next time because my only criteria becomes portion size! Holy Over-eating, Batman.

But if I know going in, it’s going to be slim pick ins on my choices, I refer back to #1 go in with a plan.
If I’ve done my intel and I’m prepared, it will allow me to either supplement on the front end or back end. This is what I mean.

I can choose to have a healthy snack before I go in to take the edge off or I can eat something healthy after dinner. You have these choices and they will avoid an all-too-often nutrition regret.

 

4. BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE NOW FOR A BETTER LATER

This is the line I need to memorize and have front and center. I need to ultimately be willing to sacrifice now, whatever I feel like I am going to miss or regret, for a better later.

And this for me is staying in great shape which is the ultimate challenge on the road. So, as a result, I need to be willing to sacrifice the short term for the long term.

And when I do, it’s worth it because I’ve demonstrated self-control and thinking of my preferred future more than my immediate gratification.

It’s always worth it in the end. I just need to get to the end. I can and you can too!

 

Let’s Land This Plane…

Warning: this is a process. Change your four-letter word from FOMO to MTHC takes time.

It also takes determination and dedication to have these four new letters of MTHC become natural before you eat each meal or even snack.

I’ve found that not continuing the pattern and making the 2nd mistake (excellent post by James Clear) is absolutely critical to getting back on the nutritional wagon.

Engrave “Make the Healthiest Choice” in your mind.

When I first started implementing this strategy, I wrote MTHC down on a 3×5 card. I put it on a Post-It Note on my hotel inside the door and even on a fridge if I had one.

 

 

Make small Post-It Notes with the acronym MTHC as reminders everywhere. How about the hotel bathroom mirror as you’re staring at that out of shape person who seems to follow you to every hotel – Get serious, Road Warrior.

Remember, only YOU control your nutrition, so take responsibility now and escape your average in this area.

Implement these new four letters with your very next meal. Then the next meal. Then the next…