Here, there, everywhere! And that means the Holiday season is about to pounce. Did you know there are only SEVEN full work weeks left in 2017? The rest are sprinkled with holidays and time off to celebrate. But of course we’re not as naive as to think that the remaining weeks will be a walk in the park. As most of us know, this is by far the busiest time of year for us. If ever there were a time to kick hustle into full gear, it would be for the remainder of the year.

That being said, it’s important to keep burnout well at bay during this time of year. I thought I’d take this opportunity to draw attention back to the 10-minute break. Though for Ops it’s semi-mandatory and even scheduled into daily itineraries, a lot of us over here on the office side of things often forget or skip this break. Here are 3* reasons why you should recommit to the 10 minute break:

1. In very simple terms, the brain has two “modes.” The “focus mode” and the “diffuse mode,” and in short, they’re not supposed to stay in the focus mode for extended periods of time. Our brains were wired to be vigilant to ensure our survival, and can easily become unfocused and inefficient if forced to be in “focus mode” for too long. Good news is that it just takes a short break to reset the mode and refocus.
2. The “diffuse mode,” is also known as the daydreaming mode. Studies have actually shown that during daydreaming, more parts of the brain “wake up” and becomes active as your mind wanders, sparking creativity and fresh ideas. In contrast, keeping your brain in focus mode limits your inventiveness and originality.
3. And lastly, taking a quick break here and there throughout the day helps us to refocus as we come out of the weeds of the project and reevaluate priorities.
4. *Bonus Reason in one word: LOVESAC

     It was the above question that inspired today’s loop. Last week while Kevin, Courtney, and I talked about Halloween and our thoughts about costumes, Courtney mentioned that she makes her costumes each year. I let her know that I do the same and that although I am not quite sure on who or what I am going to be this year, that I still eagerly look forward to the whole costume-making process. To this response, she then asked me, “What’s your proudest costume?” As I stood there thinking about the answer, I contemplated whether I should tell her or show her. Luckily, it didn’t take me long to realize that a loop devoted to the answer was going to be the best way to go.

     Which brings us here. The pictures below are that of my 2014 Halloween. Any guesses on which one I am? Come on, take a guess. Yup, you guessed it, I’m the one with the big head! Just kidding, I’m Timmy or as he would say, "TIMMY!!!" (For those of you who don’t watch South Park, Timmy is the one in the wheelchair.) That year, my family wanted to go with a group theme and we must have gone through dozens of group characters before we finally voted that South Park fit us the best. We had mainly struggled to find the ideal group because of my mobile state; I had surgery on my left foot earlier that month and was using crutches and a wheelchair (a wheelchair for whenever I knew I was going to be standing/walking for a long period of time) to get around…hence why we voted South Park the perfect fit. And although those heads were a bit of a challenge for us, we all loved how they turned out at the end. That Halloween, my family and I cohesively turned our Halloween image into a reality…easily marking it the proudest and most entertaining Halloween yet.