Are they a bit silly? Yes
Will they help you reset? Yes
Let's be honest… if you're a Practice Manager, "taking a break" often means opening a different spreadsheet.
Between phone calls, staffing issues, suppliers, finances and the endless stream of emails, it's easy to spend an entire day staring at a screen. The problem? Your brain wasn't designed to work at full speed for eight hours straight.
The good news is that even a couple of minutes away from your monitor can help you reset. Here are five quick ideas you can do without even leaving your desk.
1. The Mug Challenge ☕
Stand up and make yourself a drink - but here's the challenge: don't take your phone with you.
No emails. No Teams. No scrolling. Just the revolutionary act of making a cup of tea and looking out of the window for two minutes. The world will still be there when you get back.
2. Stretch Like Nobody's Watching 🙆
You don't need to roll out a yoga mat.
Roll your shoulders, stretch your neck, stand up, reach for the ceiling, and loosen up your back. Sitting still all day isn't doing anyone any favours.
(Just maybe check nobody's walking into your office before attempting the dramatic overhead stretch.)
3. Play Desk Bingo 🎲
Pick one thing you've never really noticed in your office and count how many you can spot.
Blue pens. Coffee mugs. Fish-shaped stress toys. Post-it notes. Hand sanitiser bottles.
It's surprisingly good at forcing your brain to focus on something completely different for a minute or two.
4. Give Your Eyes a Holiday 👀
Every so often, look away from your screen and focus on something in the distance for around 20 seconds.
It sounds ridiculously simple, but your eyes will thank you after spending the day jumping between patient records, invoices and Outlook.
5. Celebrate One Win ⭐
Before diving into the next task, stop and think about one thing you've already achieved today.
Maybe you've solved a staffing issue, found funding for a project, sorted a delivery problem or simply made it through Monday.
Practice Managers spend so much time moving on to the next problem that they rarely stop to acknowledge what they've already accomplished.
You Don't Need an Hour...
You don't need a long lunch break or a walk around the block (although both are great if you can manage them).
Sometimes all it takes is two or three minutes to stand up, move around and remind yourself that you'll be far more productive after a quick reset than by battling through another hour glued to the screen.
So go on... the emails can wait for two minutes. We won't tell anyone.
