Do You Take a Lunch Break at Work?

Here's a Moneyland piece that contrasts two views of taking a lunch at work:

• It's just another office task to cram into some portion of an already too busy workday.


• It's a midday break that can be mentally rejuvenating and, in some ways, more productive than staying glued to your chair.

I actually believe both are right. :)

Here's what I do on most days: I get in early, work, then leave around 10:15 am for my "lunch." I go and swim at a nearby pool, both for the exercise as well as the physical and mental break of sitting so long. When I get back to work I then eat my actual lunch at my desk while working.

Every once in a while (maybe once every other week) I have an actual lunch meeting where I meet someone for lunch to network, discuss business, catch up personally, or something similar.

Throughout my career I've done taken both of the paths above -- taken breaks almost every day and worked at my desk for lunch almost every day (it depended on the job, time of year, and a few other factors.)

How about you? What's your philosophy of lunch at your desk versus lunch out?

Comments

[William @ Drop Dead Money]

My wife and I used to work together. Other than the dead of winter, we used to pack a brown bag lunch and at least three times a week go the Platte River (which has a nice trail the whole length of Denver and suburbs).

After eating the sammies, we'd take a nice long walk, for exercise as well as just connecting in the middle of the day.

[Lance @ Money Life and More]

At my current job I normally eat lunch at my desk. Then a bit later in the day I take an hour break if it isn't a crazy busy day at work. As an accountant, during month end sometimes I don't take lunch breaks so I don't have to stay late at the end of the day.

On my hour break sometimes I'll go to a park and read or go run a couple errands. Lately I've been working on my blog on my lunch break on my smartphone.

[MC]

interesting topic! I am curious how everyone else schedules their time...

I get up at 4 am and eat breakfast while I answer email, review my meetings for the day, and email the people I supervise about their day. I make my kids breakfast and shower and get myself ready for work from 6:00-7:00. At 7:00 we leave the house, I drop the kids off at their school and then drive to work usually getting there around 7:30 or so, but sometimes I swing by the dry cleaners on the way.
I typically do desk work intensively until 2:30, unless there's scheduled meetings or classes that I'm teaching because I focus best in the mornings, except that around 11 am I walk across the street to the cafeteria to get a takeout lunch that I take back to my office to eat. At 2:30 i leave to pick my kids up from school, I drop them off at my house and then head back to work, getting there by 3:00. This is when I typically schedule meetings or other face time with people...because otherwise I get too sleepy at my desk in the afternoon! .I informally drop into coworkers' offices to get their input on something, and this is when I drop by the lab to chat with my people and see how everything is going, etc. I have found that many people will only tell you things in person, not via email, and also they are happier if I spend some time with them chatting about their families, etc.
I always leave by 5:30 to go home. I make dinner while talking with my kids and checking their homework, then we all eat together, hang out, i do laundry and clean, and maybe we watch tv for a while together before they go to bed at 9:30 or so. I usually go to bed the same time after checking my email again, unless i have a due date on something I havent finished, which is pretty often, in which case I stay up as long as it takes to get it done.
Once or twice a year I have really big gov grant applications that i have to write, and I do it by clearing my work calendar entirely for 6 weeks and staying home to write all day....at those times everyone at work has to be content with only communicating with me via email until the project is done. My colleagues typically spend 3 months writing this type of grant, but I have found that I can do it in a shorter time if I am not distracted.
It's not uncommon for me to get only a couple hours sleep on some nights, unfortunately. I dont exercise regularly right now because I have no time, but its a goal! My kids obviously dont do school sports because the practices and travel to games would be impossible, but they are doing very well in school and we do active things together on the weekends. My ex (we're divorced) has the kids a couple evenings each week and some weekends, so that gives me some more time to catch up on work and occasionally have a personal life. I am a tenured professor teaching at a medical school, I also direct a lab that conducts cancer research, and I also do education administration.

[FMF]

MC --

I am exhausted just reading that schedule! You either must have tons of energy or be tired quite often.

[Matt]

We have flex time but your lunch time is one hour(the generally anticipated time frame) . It can be from 11:30 to 1:00 and is up to you.

I don't generally break that rule of one hour but if I am trying to get home earlier then I do shorten the lunch.

Plus if I do not leave then people interupt my lunch so I generally find a place to go eat lunch.

[Joe @ Retire By 40]

I went to the gym at lunch break. I did yoga, cardio, and/or weights. It's good to have a break from sitting all day.

MC's life sounds crazy. Can you really keep this up?

[Luis]

FMF-- I'm surprised you are tired of MC's schedule. How, or should I say when, do you fit in all your blog posts?

[FMF]

Luis --

It's true, I'm busy. But at least I don't have to get up at 4 am every day!

Part of "how I do it all" is that I don't do it all. I have a very supportive spouse and we divide and conquer the various family tasks.

[billyjobob]

I usually take a lunch break at 12 noon. If there is work to be done I stay until it is finished. Then I just go a little later. I usually bring something to work to eat. Sometimes we have sales people that buy us lunch. Otherwise I just go to the grocery store across the parking lot and get their salad bar and maybe some fruit or something. This cost me maybe 2-3 dollars. Mostly I eat at my desk. This is so I can play on the computer or read while I eat. My job is very mellow, so there are many oportunities for me to eat throughout the day if I am hungry. It's not something I stress about at all.

[Keith]

Yes, I take my lunch breaks and am not willing to compromise my long-term health for a few extra minutes of work.

[Jonathan]

I bring a lunch (leftovers from an earlier dinner) and take about 15-20 minutes to heat it and eat it. I take no other breaks throughout the day as I'd rather have a shorter work day. So far it's worked out fine.

[JP]

I eat throughout the day at my desk. I'd rather go home earlier.

[the real JZ]

We have a cafeteria at work (subsidized) a large atrium area for eating and an outdoor courtyard for eating during the warmer months.

I take lunch every day but usually just for 30 -45 minutes. I almost exclusively eat in the atrium regardless of whether I buy lunch or bring my own. It's a great opportunity to get away from my desk, eat (I go into "caveman mode" if I get too hungry and all my brain power is focused on hunting and gathering) and to interact with others from the office/meet with colleagues, etc.

[Squeezer @Personal Finance Success]

I used to eat in the lunch room with everyone else mainly to find out what everyone else was working on, had any interesting stories to tell, etc. However, some drama happened and now I eat by myself in my cubicle.

[Noah]

I take 30 min each day and eat my lunch at my desk. I could take an hour, but I like the 7am-3:30pm work schedule. I'm usually catching up on the news, financial blogs, or watching BMX videos (yes, I still ride a kid's bike as an adult - great exercise by the way). I bring my lunch from home everyday because I'd rather not be forced to take an hour because of the travel time to go out to eat. I'm also an introvert and don't crave the social aspect of lunch.

At my former job I worked through lunch and took an hour break to work out with weights in a basement-like room below the office (dubbed "The Dungeon").

[Old Limey]

When I was working, prior to 1993, our 45 minute lunchbreak was a highlight of the day. Most of us were brown baggers and there were card games going on all over our department. Bridge was very popular but I was in a daily Pinochle game that I thoroughly enjoyed.
My lunch was always a thermos of soup and a sandwich.

[Daisy@EverythingFinance]

I think it's very important to take a small break in between hours of working. I know that when I do, I can look at some problems with more mental clarity. I do take a break, but I make sure to break it up throughout the day.

[susan]

At my previous job I never took a break during the day. So at my current job, I started taking lunch every day (obviously, not when something major is going on). I go to the nearest park with my bought from home lunch and I sit alone in my car and eat my lunch, read a book and enjoy the fresh air, peace and quiet. I need this bit of daily down time from the human interaction at work.

[JayB]

I can take my lunch anytime I want, usually when others and the boss are getting back, this way I avoid them for 2 hours. I prefer to eat later anyway, either 12 or 1, a lot of people in the office go at 11. I used to eat out almost daily, and was always at least $10. My new condo is a mile from work, so I go there and make a sandwich and nap. I have cut eating lunch out to 2 or less times per week, which saves me at least $120 a month! This has been very hard and is a big accomplishment for me.

Lunch is a must for me though, its an escape that I value greatly, I can get enough juice to go strong until about 3 at which point I burn out and begin watching the clock and surfing until 5 if my workload is slow.

In my opinion, 8 hours is too much, I am working on side gigs to turn my 8-5 to an 8-3. My boss is cool with LWOP which is a huge bonus to me.

[Jim]

I usually just work through lunch and eat a sandwich at my desk. But usually once a week I eat out or get something from our cafe. I'm on salary so I can either work longer or cut the lunch. I choose to cut the lunch and get home earlier.

[Jclimber]

I like to get out of the office so I usually go out to eat with a few friends 3 times a week. The other two times I either go running or biking here at work and eat my lunch I brought from home. We have showers here at work so it's very convenient to do exercise at lunch time.

[Tie the Money Knot]

I absolutely believe that taking breaks is important during the day. A lunch break (with no work), along with a very short break in the morning and mid-afternoon are good. I say 45 for lunch, and 5 to 10 each for the other 2 breaks. It helps productivity, and makes for a less stressful/more manageable day I think.

That being said, if there is a ton to do, I might value getting out at a specific time instead of a more manageable day. So, I guess my priority is keeping time commitments, then the lunch break. Or, any break, as your idea of exercise is a great one.

[Kim@Eyesonthedollar]

I try to get out of the office for at least a little while every day. It's good for the mind. When you work on appoinments, you also have a chance to get caught up if things get behind. I can eat really at any time, not necessarily during the noon hour.

[08graduate]

I usually take a half-hour break to sit down for lunch with my coworkers. They're interesting people, so the chance to have a non-work-related conversation with them is welcome.

[Veronica @ Pelican on Money]

I've always brought my lunch to work and ate it as quick as I could. The haste comes from wanting to get more work done not out of any sort of pressure. I actually like the idea of going for a swim at lunch! Where did you go typically and how do you manage to take lunch at 10:15?

[MC]

Yes, I am high energy, and yes, I am often tired. Giving up my lunch break so I can pick up my kids after school is worth it for me, and my schedulemis also worth it because I like my job.

i've been criticized by colleagues for taking 45 min each day to pick up my kids from school...even though I eat lunch at my desk. .the same people usually always go to a sit down restaurant for lunch which takes longer than an hour. Its not a sexism thing...I think they would similarly criticize a man who picked his kids up after school.

I think it is the general cultural idea that while you are at work you must be 100% cut off from your family life, as if work and family life are always at odds. Its ok to have lunch with colleagues, but spending a break in the day with family seems to be frowned on.

If a man takes time off work in the afternoon to, say coach their kid"s soccer, and makes the work hours up later, do they get blowback from others at their job? I would think probably yes, but I dont know.

I admit that due to the criticism, I often disguise the real reason why Im not available for a meeting between 2 and 3 pm, unless its a colleague that i know well. It's easy to just say i have another appointment instead of saying what I'm really doing. As a women I've been told outright many many times in my past that I would never make it this profession if I got married (my undergrad advisor in 1982), or had kids ( my department chair in 1999) and etc. So I know that there are people out there who have trouble believing that a woman with kids can nevertheless handle the workload and be very successful.

[FMF]

MC --

I'm sorry you have to deal with that. I'm sure it would make things a lot easier if the people around you were more understanding.

[Mike Hunt]

MC sounds like she has the toughest schedule. I like the word schedulenami (Sp?).

For me, I almost always work through lunch as I brown bag it every day. This is unless there is a lunch meeting planned which is less than 20% of the time. I usually come to work a bit late and leave early or on time, this is because the round trip commute is about 3 hours each day and also because I'm in a sales role, which requires I am accessible on the phone and email more than just being chained to the office.

-Mike

[Kelly@FinancialBailoutNews]

I usually have to see how I'm feeling to decide to take a lunch break or not. Sometimes its actually worse for my productivity when I leave for a little while in the middle of the day because then I feel discouraged that I have to go back for a while longer, so I'd rather just eat at my desk and work through. Other times its a nice change of pace that lets my mind take a break so it can work hard for the rest of the day. My office is so cold, that sometimes I just need to get out and warm up.

[Laura Weichselbaumer]

I've found it's important to be true to you I/E Personality Type (intro / extro -version) when making breaks. You should feel refreshed afterwards which means accommodating your refueling needs to socialize with others or be alone. A very basic point but easily forgotten. Me, I like to go jogging or take walks. An easy lunch can be done over mails. Out - S.