Whether you are working from home or the office, at TVL we can not stress enough the importance of balance when it comes to work and personal life. As a VA, you will constantly be challenged by the urge to work on new and exciting projects some days, while others you might find it difficult to pick up the laptop. By physically scheduling breaks into your work days, you are prioritizing yourself, as well as ensuring you have enough time to manage all your necessary projects, while staying sane. We have compiled a list of work breaks you can implement into your schedule to balance the work hours in your calendar.
Active
Taking an active break in your day is a great way to boost your productivity. Whether it’s at the beginning of your day, in the middle or at the end — just getting your body moving will get those endorphins pumping and be a great way to relieve stress in the process. Active breaks do not need to be hour long commitments, even just a 15 minute walk to the store to grab your coffee, or a 30 minute walk with your dog before you leave for work in the morning can start your day off even better than before!
Some ideas for active breaks are:
Yoga
Walks and runs
Spin class - Peloton offers 5-90 minute spin classes
A few flights of stairs at the office
Walk your pet

Brain Off
Brain off breaks are more challenging for many people to take. They find the disconnection from screens to be a difficult feat, especially in this day and age where we are physically and emotionally attached to our iPhones. These breaks are possibly the most crucial for our mental health as they force us to focus on the now, and be present and alone with ourselves. Popular brain breaks include:
Meditation
Naps (say no more– a scheduled nap is all we need)

Fun
Learning to schedule fun into your day can be daunting because it seems so backwards from what society tells us to do. We are programmed to be as productive as possible, as by scheduling time to be “unproductive” our brains do not quite comprehend that. However, this is very important when it comes to creating and maintaining that work life balance we mentioned earlier – yes working is important, but so is living. Some of our favourite “fun” breaks are:
Spending some time with friends or family
Having conversations with your coworkers not related to work
Playing video games
Reading a book (not one you need to read, but one that you want to read)
Playing with your children or pets

In essence, all these breaks are crucial to establishing a well-balanced routine in your everyday life. As a VA, this balance is especially important because you don’t get the typical work schedule — instead, you have to make your own. While this is often considered a perk, it can also be a task, especially if you struggle with procrastination, or with learning to say ‘no’. Practice scheduling these three types of breaks into your schedule in the upcoming weeks and see how it affects your daily life. What symptoms do you notice? How is your work affected? How is your personal life affected? For a subtle start you can start by adding one every day in the first week, then increasing to two the second, and finally three in the third week.
For more information about time management, VA tips, lifestyle content, and more, be sure to check out our social media pages! If you have any questions about the TVL VA course or about becoming a VA, please feel free to contact us using the form on our website.
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