How even 15 minutes away from your desk can boost your energy and improve your attention, so you can keep making a difference, without running on empty
By Louisa Daubney, Life Coach and Certified Burnout Coach
When did you last take a lunch break that left you feeling nourished and refreshed when you came back to your desk? If your answer is “I can’t remember” or “It’s been a while”, read on.
Picture the scene. It’s lunchtime. You tell yourself it’s the perfect time to catch up. Things go quiet as everyone else takes a break, so you’ll finally have some uninterrupted time for emails and admin. You’re on a roll, and you ask yourself: why stop now?
So you eat your lunch at your desk, barely tasting it, racing to reply to all the emails that have piled up since first thing, before your next meeting. You’re running on adrenaline but, if you’re honest with yourself, you’re in reactive mode, with little room for the creative thinking your best work needs.
By 3pm, you notice your energy and attention are starting to fade, and you’re having to push hard just to get through the afternoon. You reach for a coffee or a bar of chocolate to give you a quick energy boost to power on through.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
In a 2025 OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK workers, 45% of those who skip a lunch break said they eat at their desk instead, and 59% said they struggle with an afternoon slump, most often at 3pm. Some of that dip is natural, but going without a break can make it harder to bounce back.
This month, let’s look at the break many of us quietly skip, or spend at our desks. Working through lunch can seem like the only way to stay on top of things, but when it becomes a habit, is it really helping, or quietly edging you closer to burnout?
Burnout tends to build up gradually, as work stressors and the pressure we put on ourselves, left unchecked, culminate in prolonged stress that leaves our energy severely depleted. Regular breaks, including a lunch break, can give our bodies and minds the chance to rest and recharge.
The belief behind the desk lunch
I’m sure we all know deep down that we will feel better if we take a lunch break. But what keeps us working rather than giving ourselves permission to take a well-deserved break?
Often, it’s a belief quietly telling us that we need to keep going. This belief can show up in different ways, and you might recognise yourself in one of these:
- “I just want to get this task finished, then I can switch off and relax.”
- “What if someone needs me while I’m away?”
- “If I work through lunch, I can catch up and actually leave on time.”
There will be days when it genuinely feels like there’s no time to stop. But even then, I believe some kind of lunch break is essential. None of us can do our best work if we never give ourselves the chance to press pause.
Sometimes, though, the pull to keep going comes from within. Beliefs like the ones above can be shaped by the internal drivers we explored in my first article: perfectionism, people-pleasing and over-responsibility.
Pause for a moment:
- Which of these beliefs feels most familiar to you?
- Which internal driver might be behind it?
- What might that belief be costing you?
So what actually happens when we do step away?
My lunchtime walk was often the first thing to go when a deadline loomed, but on the days I did go, I came back with a clearer head. Here’s what some of the research tells us.
The power of stepping away for lunch
A short break can improve your attention in the afternoon
Researchers in Finland, led by Marjaana Sianoja, asked 97 office workers to take a slow 15-minute park walk or do relaxation exercises at lunchtime. On those days, compared with their usual lunch breaks, people reported better concentration in the afternoon and less fatigue by the end of the day. What seemed to make the difference was enjoying the break and genuinely switching off from work. So even if you already take a lunch break, how you spend it matters.
And if you worry that someone might need you while you’re away, a clearer head in the afternoon means you’re likely to be better able to support them when you’re back.
Stuck on a problem? Step away from it
Take that task you desperately want to finish before your break. Do you sometimes feel you have to solve the problem before you’ve earned your break? Here’s the irony: stepping away from your desk often helps you find a way forward.
Have you ever noticed your best ideas often come in the shower, or just as you’re drifting off to sleep? When we’re stuck, we can get fixed on one approach. Time away gives our mind the chance to let go and wander, so we often come back seeing the problem differently. A lunchtime break can work in just the same way.
Reframing the belief
So, back to that belief telling you to keep going. Once you’ve noticed it, get curious about it:
- Is it true?
- Is it helping you?
Choosing a kinder, more supportive belief can help you protect more of your energy and attention, the very things that can fade by 3pm without a break.
The belief | A more supportive belief |
“I just want to get this task finished” | “Stepping away may be exactly what helps me solve it.” |
“What if someone needs me while I’m away?” | “I’ll be more helpful to others when I come back refreshed.” |
“If I work through lunch, I can catch up and actually leave on time” | “Taking a break will help me work more effectively this afternoon, so I’m more likely to leave on time.” |
What’s in your control to change?
Once you’ve chosen a new belief, the next step is putting it into practice: choosing how long you want to take for lunch, and taking it. Start with what’s realistic for you: even 15 minutes away from your desk can make a difference, and you can build from there. Make it a break you genuinely enjoy, leaving your inbox, your to-do list and your phone behind.
Three ideas for a 15-minute lunch break
- Step outside for a walk, ideally somewhere green, and notice the sights and sounds around you.
- Eat your lunch somewhere other than your desk, perhaps with a friend or colleague you enjoy spending time with, and actually taste it.
- Read a few pages of a book to give a tired mind the chance to switch off.
Set yourself up to take your break
Good intentions often slip when the day gets busy and everything feels urgent, so it may help to put a few things in place to protect your break:
- Jot down where you’re up to, so it’s easy to pick back up afterwards.
- Tell your team and arrange cover, so you can relax knowing everything’s in hand.
- Plan your afternoon: pick the two or three things that really need your attention, and let the rest wait.
What’s the first step you can take?
This week, add a lunch break to your calendar on at least one day, and spend it doing something that makes you feel good.
At the end of the week, take a moment to ask yourself:
- How did I feel at 3pm on the day/s I took a lunch break?
- What did I gain from taking one?
- Who am I becoming when I take one?
In summary
Short on time? Here are the key points from this article:
- Skipping lunch can feel unavoidable, but it may be shaped by a belief like “I just want to get this task finished.” Get curious about it, and choose a kinder, more supportive belief instead.
- Stepping away, even for 15 minutes, can boost your energy, improve your attention in the afternoon and help you find a way forward when you’re feeling stuck.
- Set yourself up to succeed: choose how long you’ll take, jot down where you’re up to with your work, tell your team and plan your afternoon before you go.
Taking some time to look after your energy and attention doesn’t mean you care any less about your work. I believe it shows you’re caring a little more for yourself, and that’s what allows you to keep showing up, without running on empty.
Take action with a free 20-minute call
If you struggle to take a lunch break but know deep down that it would do you good, this free call is for you. Louisa will help you uncover what’s getting in the way of taking a much-needed break, and you’ll leave with one action you can take straight away.