The Coffee Break. Is It the Next Thing to Go?

One tired HR woman, I quickly opened my copy of this month's Harvard Business Review to take a closer look at the article, Coffee Breaks Don't Boost Productivity After All.

What? Are coffee breaks counterproductive?

In the companion interview, Boost Your Productivity with Microbreaks, Charlotte Fritz defended her finding that taking short breaks during the workday doesn't revitalize you - unless you do something job related and positive, such as praising a colleague or learning something new.

I read through the article and the interview and what struck me more than her findings on coffee and microbreaks, which I agree with BTW in terms of my self and my workday, is the idea of mentally disengaging from work.

"We have that time where we really engage in the work intensely, but then other times that we really let go of it."

Letting go is where I lose it. I have a hard time shutting down at the end of the day. During the work day, not a chance. It's a marathon from the start to finish and no cup of coffee (even with all the co-worker praising in the world) is going to give me the recovery I need.

Charlotte says she wants to "keep focusing on the idea of recovery at work. . . really looking at the things that we can do within the workday that help us keep or stay energized."

Recovery during the work day so I can come home with energy to spare is something I can get behind and I'll be waiting - with coffee in hand - to see what she finds. In the meantime . . .

What do you do to recover during your work day?

A Lesson in Aging: Day in the Life Sunday

I don't know when the comments stopped, I just know that I don't hear them anymore.

Whether they came at the kid's elementary school functions, after describing my 9+ years in the military, or discussing the latest hot flash situation, I often heard one the "wow, you-definitely-don't-look-your-age" comment in one form or another.

Not anymore. No more fishing for compliments or hoping for the unexpected comments. They are not coming.

Wiser <but still slightly bummed>, here are a few things I've come to know over the years:

• You have to keep me and my face away from orange. If you give me a blush mosaic with even a touch of orange in it, my cheeks will look like a pumpkin.

• Metabolism really does slow down after 40. Long gone are the days of eating what I want when I want. I want my personal trainer back!

• The sun is not your friend.

I remember the lazy teen summers on the beach with surf, sand and baby-oiled skin. Yes, baby oil. Sunscreen? SPF? Pshaw!

I'll always have the hit the beach before the sun comes up and don't leave before it goes down Daytona Beach memories but I don't want to wear them on my face.

Timeless beauty, beautiful at any age, feel young = be young, it's what's on the inside that counts, yada, yada . . .  all well and good for the big picture of life but for the here and now, I want to look the part too.

Enter my new favorite skin care line, DermaDoctor. It's amazing to watch my complexion even out and the sun spots fade away. Too bad we can't burn fat and build muscle as easily, eh?

What one product do you swear by?

Photo credit: iStockphoto