Make Your Working Lunch More Productive

I can’t count the number of times that I’ve gone without lunch because I felt too busy to stop and grab even a small snack. It can be difficult, especially while in college, to find time for seemingly trivial things like lunch when classes and work are demanding your attention. So, we go without lunch every once in a while to increase productivity… no big deal, right? But are we really increasing our productivity and maximizing time by skipping lunch?

Turns out, it’s not all that efficient to skip lunch to work. We end up with less energy, less motivation, and overall instead of increasing efficiency we end up increasing our irritability. Here are some tips for making your working lunch an efficient one:


To keep yourself from going insane with hunger and to keep your strength up, you need to eat. Even a small snack can help stimulate your body enough to keep you from getting cranky or withering away. Stick to something healthy too that will keep your blood sugar up and give you energy, instead of weighing you down like a salty bag of chips.


This is the time in your day you have reserved to take a breather, so do it. Take a short walk—the exercise will keep you from getting restless and irritable. Give your mind at least a short break from the madness of work even if it’s just while you walk to get your food. Clearing your mind for a bit can help you gather a newfound focus on what you need to do when you return.

Make a SHORT List

Once you have gained this focus, think about what you need to get done. Don’t plan on getting all of your tasks accomplished during this short time, but rather make a list of what absolutely needs to be done and be realistic in what you can accomplish during your break. Focus ONLY on this list and these projects.

Don’t Answer Your Email/Phone

You will be amazed about how much you can accomplish if you stop letting yourself get distracted by new emails or calls with more projects to work on.  Since it is your lunch break, you have an excuse to not answer your phone or email. Who says you’re at your computer/phone during lunch? They can wait during a normal day when you take a lunch, so why can’t they wait now? Don’t break your focus just get it done.

You can have a successful working lunch if you follow these guidelines. The best part is, I wrote this blog during my working lunch using all of these tips. The truth is in the pudding… if I can do it, then so can you. So grab your lunch and head to your desk, it’s going to be a productive lunch!

One response to “Make Your Working Lunch More Productive

  1. I’ve always found this to be good advice. To remove myself from my cubicle mindset, I sometimes tune in to Good Morning America online during my lunch break and just kick back or take a walk around the wing.

    (Found you via LinkedIn)

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