When I served as a hall director – sometimes even now – I often would fall prey to working through my lunch hour, scarfing down my lunch while scanning emails, putting the finishing touches on a committee document to guide a process, completing a student of concern report, or meeting with someone – the list goes on. I can seldom remember a time where I sat down and did something on my “lunch break” that was purely for my own enjoyment, or development. Which then led to the pattern of needing to fit all of my personal – and professional development – in my off time, during my 5-9 pm.
As I moved into a leadership role at my current institution, I was also given the gift of being paid hourly, versus being salaried, paired with a workplace culture where the lunch hour is largely taken, and respected. As such, I started taking my lunch breaks and using them in ways I never had before. In addition to eating my lunch, I started viewing my midday breaks as a precious power hour where I could invest in myself, instead of just grinding through my workday to-do list. While I sometimes still struggle to keep this time strictly for me, I’ve also learned a lot in the past two years to hold this time as sacred. If you struggle with how to preserve your lunch hour and use it as an extension of your 5-9 pm, here are some tips and tricks I’ve used to reclaim my time and use your lunch hour as your new power hour.
Cross something off of your personal to-do list: If you’re anything like me, the only thing I love more than a to-do list is crossing something off of it. Keep a running list of tasks that take an hour or less to complete and use your lunch hour to complete them. Some ideas for how I like to use this time: Track and update a personal budget spreadsheet, place a grocery delivery order, make that doctor or dentist appointment you’ve been putting off, start the initial planning of a trip or vacation, update your resume so that when you’re ready to make your next career move you’ve already got an up to date one, research your next professional development opportunity. And, don’t forget to eat your lunch.
The best power hour is usually a social one: Grabbing lunch with a colleague is a great way to get out of your office, but an even more intentional way to build your network and invest in yourself is to grab lunch with someone you’d like to do an informational interview with. Some of my best power hours have been Zoom calls or lunch dates with leaders within the field, mentors, or colleagues on campus that aren’t necessarily your friends and confidantes. Using my lunch in this way has allowed me to learn more about functional areas in the field that I don’t know as much about and has often led to successful collaborations and partnerships later down the line. Use your lunch break to connect with someone new or set up future opportunities to connect with colleagues both in and outside of your institution.
Use this power hour to engage in some self-care: In addition to eating your lunch, some of my favorite ways to force myself to leave my office midday involve doing things that I can’t necessarily do in my office. One of the most beautiful things about living on campus is that you have a myriad of resources at your fingertips, all within close range, including your home. Some of my favorite ways to spend power hour to re-charge, reset, and use my lunch hour for me: Take my dog for a walk around campus, go home and make myself a fancy coffee, watch the newest episode of The Pitt, go pick up or drop off mail and packages, go grocery shopping, call a friend, and/or respond to a voice memo. Yesterday, I used my lunch hour to research my new sourdough-making obsession.
The new power hour involves a lunch and learn: One of my favorite ways to take a break from my to-do list and work tasks is to engage my brain in a different way. In addition to eating my lunch, I sometimes use this power hour to listen to a podcast, read an article, or watch a webinar of sorts. Sometimes these articles and podcasts are higher-ed related, and sometimes they are the New York-Times opinion column – I keep a running list in my notes app whenever someone sends me the link to an article or a podcast recommendation, and when I feel like engaging my brain in that way, I pull from that list.
Sometimes, in the work we do, working through your lunch hour is inevitable. However, our lives don’t stop from 9 am-5 pm. From a recovering res lifer who used to regularly work through lunch, here’s to prioritizing personal needs and re-investing in yourself, one power hour at a time.
