Purpose: To create shared awareness of the beliefs that can make taking breaks feel risky – for example, the fear of appearing lazy or unprofessional – which can lead to a high-paced workday without natural pauses and, at worst, to behaving like a headless chicken.

(The metaphor “headless chicken” is based on the fact that a chicken without a head can still run around for a while. There’s plenty of movement – but no direction. In working life, we use this image to describe days when the pace is high, tasks are numerous, and there are no pauses or transitions to help us regain orientation.)

Time: 15–20 minutes
Materials: Post-its and markers

How to do it:

1. When do you become a headless chicken?

Briefly discuss when the workday starts to feel hectic and overwhelming – for example, when there are many shifts, few transitions, back-to-back meetings, or the day ends without proper closure.

2. Bring break-related prejudices to the table
Everyone writes 1–2 post-its completing the sentence: “If I take a break, I might fear being perceived as …” For example, lazy, unprofessional, disengaged, not busy enough, someone who doesn’t take their work seriously. Collect the responses and notice how familiar they are.

3. Who taught us that?

Discuss where these beliefs might come from – for example, from school, university, previous workplaces, or industries where being busy was associated with status.

4. From headless to wise chickens

Agree on one shared sentence that describes what breaks mean for your team. For example: “For us, breaks are part of the work.” or “Breaks help us work smarter – not less.”

5. Finish with a shared question:

What is one small, concrete thing that could make breaks feel more legitimate in our team?