It seems that lunch is often seen as a relatively light and unimportant part of the working day for many people. However, it actually hides more harm than it looks.
Do you usually give yourself a real break, or just hurry to eat and drink at the table, or even work so hard that you skip meals? Do you like to be alone or invite your colleagues to enjoy lunch? Do you often combine customer appointments or invite business partners to lunch?
Regardless of your answer, there are a few things to keep in mind during lunch to avoid potential harm and make the most of this meaningful time. Let CareerBuilder.vn learn just 7 habits early mistakes have been removed to create a healthy working days real and positive energetic nhé!
1. Completely launched lunch time
You can easily recall the days when you really wanted to skip lunch to start working when there were too many tasks to complete urgently. But that is not the most effective option.
Lunchtime – and recess in general – provides people with the conditions they need to rest. Extremely good breaks for productivity and creativity. So you really don’t need to hurt yourself by skipping lunches.
Fulfilling the lunches is very good for «emotional health», helps improve learning ability and prevents «decision fatigue». After a long morning by putting all the energy to work and make many different decisions, willpower and your ability to reason can begin to decrease. Rest helps restore energy and put yourself in the best state to complete the remaining tasks of the day. Skipping lunch can cause you to «pay the price» on later days.
2. Speaking too much
Working lunches give you the opportunity to interact with others. Just remember that listening is just as important as sharing. Absolutely great if you want to give this time a sense of excitement, fun or show a little ability to attract and the charm of yourself. But still pay attention to show your interest in others on these occasions.
Always be an active listener in business conversations, whether they take place at official events or in a comfortable space when combined with lunch. Listen to all the ideas and stories shared by others, and then ask the questions you need to develop an exchange circuit.
Demonstrating that you are good at listening and caring for others at your business lunch meetings is a great way for you to maximize your personal communication potential . If you talk too much, you will miss your chance, even ruining your working relationships and personal reputation over time.
3. Do not attempt the language
The messages we transmit through body language are more noticeable than others. Advice on codes of conduct when attending interviews , meetings, events is always focused on practicing. However, these subtle nuances are sometimes easily forgotten or you become caught off guard in building your image at times of rest and relaxation.
Remember that the way we behave will convey the message to others. Body language can make you look like a closed person, or show you as a trusted colleague. So, relax and enjoy lunch, but don’t forget to control the types of signals you emit around through body language. Sincere, pleasant eye contact coupled with occasional smiling can help you advance in relationships.
4. Eat lunch alone
Taking breaks allows you to engage with your colleagues in the best way, more than anything you can do for the rest of the day. This is always true no matter how many hours you work in close collaboration with others. «Downtime» has another meaning. Lunchtime gives you the opportunity to free yourself and create loads of laughter. Not only does it help reduce stress, laughter also promotes communication and team bonding.
So, when you refuse to have lunch with other people, instead sit down for a meal alone, the things you lose are actually more than the delicious food to enjoy. You have given up the opportunity to strengthen your relationship with a colleague. Do not forget that having close teammates by your side will bring various benefits to your career, this is true for everyone.
5. No preparation for lunch
Healthy habits, like eating a balanced diet at noon, have effects that far outweigh the physical benefits. Certainly, it takes a lot of effort before you can adjust your eating habits again. But persevere, the reward for eating well will be greater than the cost you spend.
Preparing healthy meals can be a lot of work, but in the long run, the right diet will save you time and bring tons of health benefits. Healthy lunches can help improve mood and even boost memory. On the other hand, pursuing a diet with a high glycemic load can cause depression and fatigue over time. Meanwhile, high-carb (high-carb) lunches can pull energy down and make you feel drowsy in the late afternoon .
6. Make your pressure additional
Lunch is the time to get out of the busy pace that you always maintain during official work. So don’t do anything that makes you feel stressed at times like that. For example, the idea of going out to lunch to «change the wind» is very good. But if there is not enough time that you try to force yourself to do so, it will only add pressure to yourself and the people involved.
Avoid making plans that can make you more tired and stressed during your lunch break. If not your «relaxing lunch» will backfire.
7. Lunch as one
Coffee break gives us the opportunity to connect with new people, but it will be easier if you change the time, place, object and lunch sometimes.
There is a lot of potential for communication and networking during lunchtime, regardless of whether you dine in the cafeteria or congregate in a corner. Just make sure you don’t do exactly that every day. The existing relationships will deepen as everyone goes through moments of fun, and you can also build new connections.
Keep an eye out for networking opportunities during lunch break. You don’t know when a new customer or future partner will suddenly stop by your table. Sometimes, you can also chat with higher people or colleagues from other departments during lunch. Don’t miss out on these natural connection opportunities, the advantage of which is that it feels more comfortable and less defensive than the formal approach.