I'm not dead yet

Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here. I'm still putting together the posts on what the Bible teaches about work and how our culture goes against so much of it.

Oh yeah, and today's my 30th birthday. They say the mind is the first to go.

TST: Take a Break!

The Bible tells us to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:15-17), so I'm going to be posting tips every Tuesday on things you can do to save time. Unlike most resources, we all get the same amount of time, but we have to decide how we're going to spend it. If you have anything that you do to save time that you'd like to share, just let me know and I'll add them to the list.


This weeks tip might seem contrary to the theme of Time Saving Tuesdays, but I think you'll find it fits in nicely: Take a break.

Recent studies have found that people that take regular breaks and/or naps perform better while working. People that do not take breaks start to break down and underperform due to burnout and exhaustion. I've got plenty of material below for your reading pleasure.


First, the New York Times did a study of 61 people that found that those taking a 2-hour nap did "significantly" better at repeating verbal, perception, and motor-skill tests from that morning than those given caffeine or a placebo (article summary here, full paper study here). What we tend to do is use caffeine as a substitute for rest, and our bodies weren't designed for that (yes, this is an instance of the pot calling the kettle black).

Second, Lisa Belkin with the New York Times (hmm . . . maybe the writers at the NYT are trying to tell their bosses something) writes here in response to the recent surveys that have found that the average American workers wastes 2 hours per day at work on the Internet. However, instead of taking the road of "see how technology is tainting us", she instead talks about how taking breaks helps us get things done (she also talks about what workers used to waste time doing before the Internet).

Third, you can read a nice summary of recent research in regards to the benefits of napping provided here by the Ririan Project. They do a good job of summing it all up, so instead of just reposting what they've already written, I'll just send you there. Plus, it's in Top 10 style, which is always nice.

There are two major problem with taking breaks and naps. The first is people abusing it (I've considered picking up smoking just so I can have twice as many breaks). The second is overcoming the desire to stay on break when you get back to work. Well, Glen over at LifeDev had a good post here (via Lifehacker) with a tip he uses to get out of the rut: get ready for your next task BEFORE you take your break, so that when you come back, you can get right back into it.

Are you a perfectionist and need to know how to optimize your naps? Well, have I got some stuff for you! First, you can view this chart by the Boston Globe which summarizes the how's, when's, and why's on taking a nap. It's a handy chart you can print out if you really want to. Prefer text to graphics? The Guardian takes those charts and graphics and turns them into text here (via Lifehacker).

Stay tuned, because later this week I'll have a post on what the Bible says about taking a break.

Everything's Amazing, Nobody's Happy

Here's a video that made the rounds a few months back that really speaks to the American mindset in regards to technologoy. Enjoy, and yes, I'll have some more posts in the coming days.

Oh yeah, and if you watched the first video posted, I apologize, they changed the video from the address I pulled it from, so this one is verified as correct.

Everything is so amazing and nobody is happy... from fbg00 on Vimeo.