No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax at least five minutes every hour, you’d be more productive.  – Joyce Brothers

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you are at your best.  No one can give 100% every hour of every day.  Stepping away . . . removing yourself from the stress of the moment . . . makes us better when we engage again.

Think of it like a batter stepping out of the batter’s box between a pitch – that brief moment to take a deep breath, to refocus, and to start again.  In my daily activities, there are times I step out of the box – times I just take a deep breath.  I can’t sit in meetings for long periods of time without moving, stepping out, and refocusing.  I become unproductive.  So, I get up . . . step out . . . and refocus.

Be mindful of how you are spending your time.  Escape the pressure, if even for only a moment, to relax and refocus.  It will make the other 55 minutes of each hour more productive.