The Power of a Micro-break

I’ve never been a chef, but I used to share a lot of traits with the chefs I coach. One of them is the culture of pushing. Pushing hard. Pushing through. Pushing myself.

It’s easy to believe we’re being productive when we never stop. But our brains aren’t machines - they’re more like fuel tanks. The harder we go, the faster we run dry. And no one does their best work on fumes.

It’s taken me years to unlearn those habits. Even now, I have to force myself to step away for a few minutes. But when I do, I return clearer, quicker, and more present. For my work and the people around me.

That’s the value of micro-breaks: short, deliberate pauses of one to five minutes that let the mind rest and reset.

One hospitality founder I coached began stepping outside at 2 p.m. every day for five minutes. It sounded small, but it changed the shape of her afternoons. She found she was calmer and far less likely to snap under pressure.

Another kitchen team I work with started taking ten minutes after service - before the clean-down - to sit together and have a drink. They were sure it would slow them down. But it did the opposite. They now finish at the same time, sometimes earlier, and in a better mood as they leave. The break didn’t cost them time - it gave them energy.

As we head into the busy season, we’re spending the next few weeks exploring resilience - what helps us sustain energy when the pace picks up.

Micro-breaks are a simple, powerful place to start.

👉 Try it: Take five minutes today to stop, step away, and give your mind a moment to breathe. You might be surprised by what comes back when you do.