Take a holiday … at your desk

Remember back in high school and college when you had a winter break to look forward to? You may not have two weeks off of work this year, but you can take a holiday right at your desk. In order to stay productive throughout the day, it’s crucial to take small breaks so you can return to your to-do list refreshed. Here are a few things you can do to get away from your work for a moment:

Hit up YouTube
YouTube offers the perfect virtual vacation. You can learn about a new topic, discover the latest from your favorite video blogger or get a good laugh with a fail video. No matter what you watch, it will get your brain thinking about other things besides what’s going on at the office.

Write a letter
Take a break from typing at your computer for a more traditional form of communication: letter writing. While birthdays and promotions are the perfect opportunity for you to say congratulations, you don’t need a specific event in order to write a letter. Thank you cards can be used to thank your mom for everything she’s done for you over the years, or you could send a note to your significant other for an unexpected surprise.

Check out a live webcam
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to fly to Hawaii last minute? Well, in some ways you can. There are a number of live cams on the Web that allow you to check out the beach in real time. You may not be able to lie in the sand, but you can admire the turquoise blue water as it crashes onto the shoreline. I feel more relaxed just imagining it. Hawaii isn’t the only destination you can visit virtually – with the click of a mouse you can be in the middle of Times Square or an African safari. Type your destination into Google followed by the phrase “Web cam” and see what comes up.

Plan a vacation
You may not be able to take a real vacation at the moment, but you can plan for one, which is almost just as exciting. Take 10 or 15 minutes to research various locations and see where you might like to explore next. After you’ve booked your vacation, use that break time at your desk to create to-do lists of things you need to stock up on before your trip.