A tea break somewhere else

The tea break used to involve leaving what you were doing. Now it is often taken at the same desk, with the cup cooling beside the work it was meant to interrupt.

Most homes and workplaces contain places that belong to different activities: the desk chair, the sofa end, the kitchen step or the bench outside. A change of place gives the break a clearer edge and brings a change of pace.

The ritual

The cup goes somewhere you do not normally work. Another chair is enough. The break lasts for the cup, or simply until it feels like time to return.

Variations

The same place can become familiar, or the location can change with the day. Another chair, the doorstep or a bench nearby can each offer a different kind of pause.

More for this moment

Recharge

Afternoon tea, over ice

Turn an ordinary afternoon drink into something worth looking forward to.

Rise

Something of your own

Ten minutes counts. So does five.