I spent several years working for a CPA firm.  When I first started, I was at the bottom of the totem pole.  I was not viewed as someone who had any skills that anyone had any faith in.  I spent a LOT of time pretending to be busy.

It was a little brutal and going to work was not exactly fun.  I found I LOVED it when it came time to leave and go to lunch.  It was a break from all of that pressure to “look busy” so I wouldn’t get fired!

Fortunately for me, I started that job at the end of December, right before tax season.  I only had to “look busy” for about a month and then they had to rely on me whether they wanted to or not.  It didn’t take long for me to settle in and find myself with so much work to do that I didn’t feel I had time for lunch.

Many days I would work right through lunch.  On most of those days I would grab a few pieces of candy from the office candy dish and that would be my lunch.  A little sad, I know.  But I was so busy I didn’t want to stop working.  I knew if I left the office, when I got back I would be sluggish and off my game, so I just kept working.  I didn’t want to lose my groove.  In addition, I was getting paid by the hour and they didn’t mind paying me overtime, so if I “skipped” lunch I got paid time and a half for that extra hour.  Who doesn’t want a little extra in their paycheck?

When summer rolled around we no longer worked long hours, yet I still found myself skipping lunch.  I wasn’t getting overtime pay anymore, but I just didn’t want to leave and lose my groove.  I just couldn’t break free from the office!

On the other hand, the partners in our CPA firm ALWAYS took a lunch.  The observance of a lunch break was almost a religious affair for them.  They each had their own schedule and they almost NEVER veered from that course.  One of them went at 11:30; another was at 11:45; a couple of them went at noon – on the dot!

During tax season, they were just as busy and I was.  They were probably even busier.  They worked long hours into the night and on weekends.  Yet they NEVER missed lunch.  In fact, a couple of them took time to workout at the gym 2 times a week – DURING THE WORKDAY!

The staff around the office all welcomed the break while they were out having some “me time”.  But, we would never do such a thing for ourselves – there was just too much to do.  As I look back on those days, the wisdom of the partners’ examples comes ringing through.

Think about it, do you realize how busy it gets at a CPA firm during tax season?  That is when most of the work is done.  A year’s worth of work in just a couple of months.  Even if a client files an extension, a LOT of work has to be done just to determine if a tax payment should be included.

It is a bit like a zoo with a lot of grumpy, sleep deprived, stressed out gorillas.  There are deadlines every day.  There is always something needing to be done and needing attention.

The atmosphere of a busy CPA firm during tax season is no different than the atmosphere of any place where you might work.

It doesn’t matter what you do for a living or where your place of employment is.  You might work in a busy office or warehouse.  Maybe you work construction or retail.  Perhaps you work in sales and you take someone to lunch every day and you are thinking “this doesn’t apply to you” (by the way, if you think that, you are about to find out you are wrong).  Maybe you stay home all day taking care of your children or an elderly parent.  It just doesn’t matter.  The atmosphere is always crazy.  There is always something needing YOUR attention.

We all have crazy lives with numerous responsibilities weighted upon us.  And THAT is why you need to take time for lunch.

Here is what I learned from the partners at the CPA firm…

During the day it is important to take care of your physical body.  Yes, you need to eat lunch and a healthy lunch at that.  And yes, you can do that sitting at your desk or on the fly.  And yes, that technically meets the physical nourishment criteria of lunch.  And yet, it is VERY important.  But that alone is not enough.  That is not taking time for lunch.

I learned you need something more.

Occasionally I would sneak home for lunch and take a 20 minute power nap.  I would always set an alarm so I wouldn’t sleep too long.  I would lie down on my bed, close my eyes, and immediately drift off.  I was able to let go because I knew it was only for a few minutes and I had an alarm set and I knew it was ok for me to be away from work.  Almost every time, I would wake up about 15 seconds before the alarm.

WOW!  It was amazing.

What a difference that made in my afternoon.  I took time to recharge; to focus; to relax and let go; to do what MY soul needed.  I would wake feeling refreshed and energized.  I would go back to work full of get-up-and-go.  I would feel creative.  I would work more efficiently and effectively.

So the lesson here is that it is OK to take time for you.  Not only is it OK it is absolutely necessary AND it must be done DAILY and in the MIDDLE of the day.  Take time for lunch.  Leave the world behind and recharge your soul.

Going to lunch with friends or clients can be fun.  But it does not fit the bill.  You still need to take a good 15 minutes for yourself.  Take a snooze in your car.  Take a walk by yourself through the mall.  Visit a park or sit in a coffee shop.  Do what recharges your soul.  Take time to ponder or just “let go”.

As the partners in the CPA firm did – religiously – take time for lunch every day!  And you will find you are more effective in every way!