You must be thinking that how "taking breaks" is related to management or programming at all. Well, if your answer is "yes" for the questions, I am going to ask, you will figure out the relationship.
- Do you think your project will go haywire if you stop thinking about it for a second, as you are involved in each and every detail of the project?
- Do you think, in your team nobody is as skilled as you are for the work you are doing?
- Do you blame poor design of office chair for your frequent neck and back pain?
If you are a technology specialist in your team, or a manager, or on top of your group/team, you may prefer to work alone. Because, you think, you possess a very different skill or experience, that nobody else possesses. Believe me, reality may differ!! Reality may be, you don't want to share, what you've learned by putting so much of hard work. Or, you just don't want to give up your place. Whatever be the reason, it's not good for the business, it's not good for the organization. Most of all, it's not good for you. Your burnout rate is high.
To earn trust of your team, colleagues, or bosses, you need to be energetic. And to be energetic you need to recharge yourself. Otherwise a lethargic attitude will work like a slow poison and slowly kill the chances of success. Again, looks like, loss is yours.
By now, you and me should be on the same page that taking break is required for better business, better organization, and better you. By taking break I don't recommend that you stand up from your seat, walk slowly to the coffee dispenser....still thinking about the issue at hand....grab the coffee....and come back to your seat. Break mean, an escape from your current mental state or may be surroundings, and feeling more empowered and optimistic. A short walk at work and may be a cycling trip on weekend may clear your head and help to recharge you.
To enable yourself to take break, you need to trust your team, you need to plan sharing your special skills, you need to delegate more. To empower yourself, you need to empower your people.
And don't forget to teach this "Art" or "Science", whatever you prefer to call it, of taking break to your team, friends, dear and loved ones.
Regarding the first concept that employee usually don’t want to share because of their self-interests and that it’s not good for an organization, I have little different perception
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2) For the person who is getting knowledge from senior and who is starting handling high level tasks directly actually gets left out from the “EXPERIENCE” part of learning. Learning by experience truly gives you more confidence and internal happiness when there is time to implement. Shortcuts are learning for short period only. Believe me taste of “shahee paneer” will be different if you make it on your own although the recipe is same.
The above points are in context if we are planning to share knowledge with subordinate and in the case when employee is not sharing because of fear of security of his own place.
But if we talk about knowledge sharing at same level then if it is done without the feeling of competition than that can be nothing other than “the BEST”. For the enhancement of knowledge sharing 3 C’s are recommended
1) Culture
2) Compete to achieve goals not within employees.
3) Commitment
Refer to http://www.skyrme.com/UPDATES/u64_f1.htm
On the subject of taking break I too agree that this increases employee’s efficiency and hence organizations’. And format of break also affects the efficiency. But I don’t strictly recommend that employee should not think about the issue nor do I say that he should only think of the issues. There shouldn’t be any constraints to the mind during break and it would definitely be better if the behavior is not consistent during breaks. Let your mind get free and light which can be either by discussing the issue with someone or by socializing with people. This is, as I feel, another way of sharing knowledge where an employee gets to know about various problems and probable ways of solving them. I again stress that behavior should not be consistent and it should be like breaks are only meant for official discussions.
Recharging is best option for rejuvenation during work.
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