When you get focused on a task at your contracting business, it is easy to forget everything else until you are done. But breaks are important, especially on long days. With this information, you’ll understand why you should take breaks, and the best ways to do it.

You’ll Be Safer
On a construction site, focus can be a great thing. It can also be a dangerous thing, particularly if you are so lost in your work that you lose the ability to acknowledge your surroundings. Not everyone has this concern, but if you do, it’s an even better reason to take breaks. You don’t have to switch to something else every 15 minutes, of course. But it’s a good idea to break up your flow at least once every couple of hours to check in with yourself and the site. If you’re ever working alone or far away from others on the job site, you’ll be glad you did.

You Won’t Burn Out on Tasks
Any task can turn into burnout if you do it often enough and long enough. Some people thrive in the kind of environment wherein they do not stop until they are done. But for most people, that’s the quickest path to disaster. Even if your brain understands that you’re trying to get something done, your body doesn’t. As such, you may notice that your body is responding in negative ways, such as:

• Distraction
• Burning muscles
• Stiff joints

Your body will remember these effects long after you finish the task. And the next time you try to do it, you’ll be more likely to experience them. By taking a break before you reach this point, you short-circuit that whole problematic spiral.

You’ll Avoid Overusing Muscles and Joints
Of course, there are many things that can go wrong with repetitive tasks that aren’t related to your ability to focus. Many people in jobs that require a lot of manual labor end up with repetitive stress injuries. It’s a common problem for professional athletes, as well. Those long work sessions that never seem to let up put additional pressure on your muscles and joints. Over time, if you do not give yourself the opportunity to rest and recuperate, you’ll notice that what used to be an occasional pain becomes a daily one. In this case, you’ll want to take a break well in advance of starting to feel these negative effects.

You Can Look at the Big Picture
As a contracting business owner, you’ll probably have a lot of your own work to do while you supervise others. You may find that it’s difficult to tear yourself away from what you’re doing to relax or refresh. But even if you aren’t very successful at that, you need to take breaks to supervise the people who are working with you. It’s a smart idea to end your task at a good stopping point, sure that your station is safe, and take a look at everything else that concerns you on the job site. You may be more likely to spot problems, and you’ll have an opportunity to see progress as it happens.

You’ll Have Better Focus When You Return
If you’re having trouble focusing on a task, sometimes taking a break is just what you needed to hack your productivity. Lots of people find that they struggle to pay attention to their work at certain times of the day. And instead of recognizing that as a natural stopping point, they end up punishing themselves for failing to produce. Instead, those times give you a golden opportunity to take a break guilt-free. You can take a break, knowing that you’re not wrecking your focus or losing momentum, and return to the task refreshed and ready to keep working.

One of the most important parts of your construction workday is your break. When you learn how to use them, you’ll have a better week. To learn more about what you’ll need to have a successful career in construction, contact CSLS today!