By Phillip Stephan
I wish I were writing this from the comfort of my home, but, it is Friday night at 5:30 p.m. and I’m still at my desk at the office. In the legal profession, it is safe to say that many of us find us at our desks more often than we would like to be, and sometimes, we are at our desks unnecessarily. A practice that I try my best to implement is to allocate the spaces I inhabit for particular purposes — for example, if I am relaxing at home in my living room, I prefer to keep that space reserved for relaxation and not for working. The notion of compartmentalizing spaces is a useful technique for many purposes, but the primary goal of such an exercise is to establish a mental association with why you are spending your time at a particular place and what you have come to that place to do.
When I am at the office, my goal is to do what I think most of us come to the office to do — to focus on my clients, my co-workers, and to understand that this is my time to focus on those professional tasks that are best accomplished when I am sitting at my desk. However, even during a day at work, it is important for us to integrate mindful practices that will help sharpen our focus and stay attuned to staying healthy — some of those practices include stretching, standing to break up long periods of sitting, and keeping your time at the office to reasonable stretches of time to avoid burnout.
Yet, when it comes to the sustenance I need to fuel myself through the day — a main component of staying healthy and well — I too often find myself utilizing my desk as a lunch table, thinking it will save me time and help me get through my work sooner. It seems like a logical choice, right? I would say definitely do not take my word for it — the topic has been addressed by several outlets, including the Washington Post, Bloomberg, and Entrepreneur. Citing scientific studies as well as the opinions of psychologists, organizational behaviorists, and physicians, the conclusions are clear — eating at your desk tends to decrease your productivity, lessen your enjoyment of the day, and physically exhaust you more than removing yourself from your desk to reward yourself for the time you have put in already with a well-earned lunch break. Although you may feel like you are missing an opportunity to do more work, consider the other benefits that come with giving yourself a break — your brain and body get the opportunity to re-charge and you can also take the opportunity to get some exercise or take care of a personal task you may otherwise not have done. When I examine whether I am productive when I have my lunch at my desk, I can confidently say that I am focused on my food, not my work.
One of the things I have learned about wellness is that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work — for all I know, what works best for you is to eat lunch at your desk and power through your day. I want to acknowledge the foregoing is more of a goal rather than a rigid structure — your particular circumstances and preferences will drive how you choose to attack your day, and sometimes eating at your desk may be a necessary choice. When I do choose to eat at my desk, I try to give myself another opportunity for re-focusing and taking an opportunity to refresh. That can be as simple as taking a walk outside, getting a coffee with a colleague or friend, or breaking up your day with a workout. The ultimate goal is to ensure balance remains a priority, however you may choose to accomplish that goal.
Phillip Stephan is an experienced litigator, with transactional experience representing entrepreneurs and established companies. He is an Associate Attorney at Neil, Dymott, Frank, McCabe & Hudson, APLC. He served as Chair of the SDCBA Business and Corporate Section from 2018-2020.