How do you measure the success of your work? Is it the to-do list you checked off or your contribution to increasing sales? Is it a completed personal project or a milestone you reached together with your team?

Most of the time, we judge our professional success solely by the fruits of our labour. Yet measuring success should involve more than just the finished product; it should also include the way we got there and how we felt along the line. Can we still count a project or task as a success if we are completely drained and stressed out, with hardly any strength or motivation left to tackle the next challenge?

Just as important as reaching your goals is that you use your resources in a sustainable way. Only then can you keep up your performance and productivity at work in the long term. We would like to introduce you to 3 exercises that you can do every day both to activate your brainpower and get you through your working day feeling relaxed.

Don't worry, this really isn’t about adding more to-do's to your list. Rather, it's about taking small time-outs in between all your tasks. Such breaks are important, because if there's one thing that hurts our productivity over time, it's a brain in overdrive.

The secret of productivity: taking breaks

You've probably heard it a million times, and yet we can’t say it often enough: stress can damage your body and mind. That's because stress puts your body in a state of hyper-alertness, which has a significant impact on your productivity. Interestingly, this is not only in a negative sense, because short-lived stress triggers a surge of energy that actually increases concentration and performance. What happens is that the brain releases neurotransmitters and the hormones adrenaline and cortisol are produced – a process that only becomes harmful if it lasts for a longer period of time. In fact, elevated cortisol levels can affect our health, for example by making us more susceptible to infections.

That's why it's so important that we relieve stress in our daily work routine. The best way to do this? Take more breaks. Paradoxically, the thought of doing less may stress you out at first. Perhaps you're afraid you will get less done, or that you won't be able to handle your normal workload. However, taking breaks in the form of mindfulness exercises has been proven to improve memory and reduce stress levels – and those happen to be the most important factors for working productively. Why don’t you give it a try? We will start with one of our favourite visualisations, the eagle’s perspective.

1. Exercise: Eagle’s perspective

The eagle’s perspective practice is a classic mindfulness exercise. Using your own imagination, you can take on a different perspective for the duration of the exercise or open your eyes to the bigger picture if you feel you are getting lost in details.

All you need for this exercise is a few quiet minutes to yourself. If possible, adopt a comfortable posture, either sitting or standing. Close your eyes for a moment, take a few deep breaths and let the power of your imagination lift you up into the sky.

Imagine that you are looking at yourself from above. At first, bring your attention just a few inches above the crown of your head. Then move a little higher – high enough for you to see yourself from head to toe. Simply notice yourself sitting or standing there. Perhaps you can also see the street or your desk, depending on where you are. Now move further up into the sky and keep looking down: at yourself, at your situation, at your workplace and also at all the tasks down there. You are up here now, able to look at those tasks from a distance. From your eagle's perspective, ask yourself some of the following questions: How does it feel to have taken a step back? Does everything still have the same urgency? What is needed for you to successfully complete your work?

Maybe a new insight or idea suddenly occurs to you. Or perhaps you realise that you actually need a longer break. Notice what kind of impulses arise in response to the questions you have just asked yourself, without judging them. Simply observe them from a distance. Then slowly make your way back down, descending bit by bit, until you arrive at yourself again. Take another deep breath in and out – and then return to your work.

2. Exercise: Create space for yourself and others

Working on a team with other people can be really challenging. After all, teams bring together many different personalities, work styles, opinions and skills. Reflecting on your role and those of your co-workers can be helpful in navigating teamwork. Are you the calm type who prefers to let others do the talking? Or are you rather impulsive, brimming with ideas and eager to express your thoughts? This exercise will help you create and hold space for yourself and others.

Again, settle into a comfortable seated posture. Relax your shoulders and gently close your eyes or direct your gaze just a few feet in front of you, letting it become soft and without any particular focus. Take a few deep breaths to tune in with your body and invite your mind into this present moment. See if you can lengthen your exhalation to let your body know that it can relax.

Now, picture your team as a group of actors. Let each individual team member pass before your inner eye and notice which roles you associate with them. Surely there is a director, someone who takes the lead. Other team members act more in the background, taking care of the set design and overall structure. Others may do the script writing and provide the information needed to complete a task. Who are the team members who know the tools to solve particular problems or who can break down rigid ways of thinking through their creative and chaotic mindset?

Observe all the people in your team and take deep breaths in and out, focusing your attention especially on your chest area and the spaciousness that comes with each breath. Notice that everyone has their own realm of influence and action, including you. Now ask yourself: What part do I play? What impact do I have? Continue to breathe calmly and feel how your chest expands. This is your space, your possibility to create. Make yourself aware that there is room – for you and for all your co-workers. There is room for you to express yourself, to let others be, and there is room for you to speak up and express frustrations when you need to. Breathe into this space a few more times, before finally letting the images fade away. Bring your attention back to your surroundings and see how you feel during your next interaction with your team.

3. Übung: Mobilise the body

If we feel physically unwell or even in pain, this will automatically affect our productivity and performance. Nevertheless, we are used to accepting and sometimes even enduring physical discomfort. You probably have had afternoons when you just can't seem to sit at your desk anymore, when your neck is tense and your body feels stiff. Instead of sitting it out until the end of your working day, get moving! If you notice that you are tense, the first thing that can help is a classic: take a coffee break. Get up for a moment, give your body a stretch and take a stroll to the canteen or kitchen at your workspace. Grab a glass of water, a cup of tea or have a quick chat with your colleagues. This will take your mind off things and get your body going. If you can, you can also crack open a window or step outside to take a few deep breaths of fresh air.

Even right at your desk, you can do simple exercises that help you relax and relieve stress from tense muscles and tendons. Sit upright in your chair with your legs hip-width apart. Start with some light shoulder rolls, five in one direction and five in the other. Then place your hands loosely on your thighs. Turn your upper body to the left and remain in this position for three deep breaths. If you like, you can move your head along and look over your left shoulder. With your last exhalation, twist through the middle towards the right side and repeat the stretch, this time looking over your right shoulder. With your third exhalation come back to your centre. You can repeat the exercise as often as you like. This twist not only increases the flexibility of the spine but also helps your body to release accumulated toxins.

If you want to give your back an even greater stretch, you can also spread your legs a little wider, bend forward and let your head hang down between your knees. When doing this, remember to really relax the back of your neck, perhaps gently nodding and shaking no. If you are uncomfortable doing these exercises in front of your colleagues, you can also retreat to an empty meeting room or break area.

There are countless ways to de-stress your daily work routine. The key is to start thinking of relaxation as a natural and inherent aspect of your job and your own productivity. Breaks are an important part of success and play a decisive role in the quality of your work, as well as in your well-being. Give it a try and you will find that "doing nothing" can make all the difference.

Looking for more mindful breaks? You can find many more exercises for the workplace in your 7Mind app: Get started with 7Mind