Rethinking the word pause

Play and pause are probably the most commonly used buttons all over the globe. And although we practically beg to press pause if we have to go to the toilet in the middle of a movie, for example, it is quite hard to know when to press it in our own life. Since we are very young we are taught the importance of being productive. We are told there is no time to waste. Consequently, our idea of pausing while working differs from the one related to our free time. 

This being said, a study has proven that “nearly 40% of people say they only occasionally, rarely, or never take breaks during the workday. Nearly a quarter (22%) of people feel guilty or judged when they step away from work at midday. 43% of employees say more breaks at work would boost their personal happiness, 37% say regular breaks during the day would improve their health. 1 in 10 employees never take a break away from their desks — and 70% eat while they work at least once a week.” But did you know that “the most productive workers engage in job-related tasks for 52 minutes, then take a 17-minute break”?

With these concepts in mind, Virtualmind wants to bring a new definition of pause with the aim of proving that an improvement in your free time has a direct impact on your performance. We understand that pausing while working is difficult, but we also know that it is really important. So we started thinking of ways to encourage our collaborators to make more pauses. That is when the concept “Active Pause” crossed our path for the first time.

Active Pause is a brief interval during the workday where we train our body, stretch our muscles and relax tensions. We do this through different techniques and exercises that help us correct and improve our posture, prevent stress, and improve our focus, among many other benefits. It is usually around 20 minutes long and it lets you recharge your body’s energy to carry on with your daily tasks. The best part is that no equipment is needed, just the willingness to distract your mind from work and channel your energy into something positive. Every class is recorded and can be accessed by our Virtualminders whenever they want. 

Ever since Active Pause sessions began, we noticed an improvement in our collaborator’s well-being. Leading us to reach the conclusion that nothing is what it seems and when you have big goals it is key to think big! To wrap things up, I would like to say that having an open mindset and daring to find new insightful solutions will definitely take you places.