Take a Brain Break with Quick Games to Play at Work

We all hit that wall at work. You could be having trouble perfecting a presentation, crafting copy for a client, or solving the latest technical issue.. Instead of picking and despairing at that particularly stressful or difficult task, it’s helpful to take a break. Here are some recommendations for games and activities you can play to find the renewed energy to finish that tough task and move through your day.

Taking breaks can help you work better

Taking a break is not only popular advice to revitalize your brain, it’s a truth backed up by science. Studies have shown that your brain’s effectiveness is increased when you pause between continuous activities. So next time you feel the need to take that break, do so with the knowledge that you’re only helping yourself.

Use breaks to your advantage

You may not even be specifically thinking about the task causing you problems, but you should use that break to solve or complete a game and gain the satisfaction of a completed task. You might not always have the time, but it’s important to view that 10 or 15-minute respite as an advantage in finishing your work.

Increase benefits to your brain

Just as it’s been found that breaks increase the brain’s effectiveness, it’s also been discovered that not having a break can decrease mental and physical health. In fact, a study at the University of Warwick directly linked happiness and productivity. The study asserted that those who were less stressed were about twelve percent more effective at tasks.

The benefits of playing games extend far beyond mood. Games that require both logic and visual comprehension can challenge both sides of your brain and can lead to better logic and attention capabilities. This means playing games on a break lets you be able to take the steps to complete the other issues that are affecting your day.

Icebreaker games

Depending on your job, they might frown upon how you spend your break, but that’s where icebreaker games come in. These easy-to-play games and activities allow you to lighten the mood and learn a thing or two about your co-workers. Here are some examples of icebreakers you can pull out the next time you’re with a group at your desk or in the break room.

Two truths and a lie

You may have heard of this one before, but it’s a classic for a reason. This easy-to-learn game asks a person to come up with two true sentences and a lie about their lives. Then the group tries to separate the truths from the fibs.

It’s always fun to see who tries to blur the line with their truths, and you’re guaranteed to have a wow moment when someone reveals the answers. Just remember that you’re in an office and not at a bachelor or bachelorette party, so keep things PG-13 at the most.

Never have I ever

Never Have I Ever is another go-to that you might not have pulled out since your last sleepover or college party. This game asks the participants to come up with a series of mild prompts that the rest of the group will answer. While going around the room, each person will raise their hand and hold up five fingers. As prompts are given people put a finger down if the statement is true for them.

Some HR-friendly sample questions could be:

Never have I ever talked to my pet in a baby voice

Never have I ever binged an entire tv show in a weekend

Never have I ever taken a day off work when I wasn’t sick

Never have I ever won an award

Hot seat

Instead of going around the room, you could also focus on a single person for a game called, Hot Seat. If you’re chosen to be in the hot seat, the rest of the group will throw a series of questions at you which you can answer or pass on. The questions are entirely up to the players, but try goofier questions or a touch spicy for extra fun. You might not be able to hide that first crush on Leo in Titanic if you’re put on the spot.

Teamwork games

If you or your group is less interested in answering questions, another possibility for activities is teamwork games. These games offer another way to get closer with your co-workers, become better communicators, and understand the ways that others approach a problem.

Charades

It might sound less obvious to pull out a couples or friends-focused game like Charades at work, but it’s a great way to practice teamwork. It puts the group on a level playing field as one person fixes their body into a strange position while another person tries to guess what they’re doing. Like the other games here, make a set of ground rules or banned words to avoid any awkward situations.

Tower building

Another creative outlet could be to create two to four-person teams to construct a small tower from materials around the office until it falls over. Sugar packets or pretzels may not be the most sturdy base, but you might find an ingenious solution you never imagined with the combined group’s brainpower.

Group counting

Regularly used by improv groups to improve concentration and synchronicity, this game of patience and focus, asks a group to stand or sit in a circle and sequentially count to twenty (or ten if that’s more manageable). The catch is that only one person can say a number at a time and it can’t follow the order of your circle. If more than one person speaks at the same time, you’re required to start over.

Games to play on your own

If there’s not a group available to play games with or you prefer to spend your time alone, there are also solo options for your break. Here are a few games that you can play to give your brain the refresh it needs.

Typing challenge

Games and websites that can test your typing abilities are great work-friendly options. If you want something simple, there are a variety of free typing tests that will calculate your words per minute. If you want something more interactive, you can look into a variety of games that use typing as the central mechanism.

Nitro Type is a racing game where you can face people around the world, while Z-Type is an R-Type clone that translates the popular arcade shooter into a typing challenge.

Geoguessr

For those who are more geography-inclined, Geoguessr is a great option. Dropping the player into a random location of Google Streetview, the player is given three minutes to pin on a world map where they believe they are. There’s a free challenge available every day, or you can pay to get access to more puzzles.

Solitaire

If you love card-games, there’s always Solitaire. Whether you want to track your stats on the leaderboards or break your record, 247 Solitaire is the premier location. One of the first Solitaire sites, this platform offers nine different Solitaire games with thirteen seasonal variants.

Designed by passionate people who started it as a side project to refresh from their day jobs, this game offers a full suite of online options supported by a team that will make sure you have the best possible experience.

Make sure you’re taking breaks

You’ve heard about several exciting ways to take a break by playing games with others or on your own. However, the key here is that you need to take breaks. Sometimes a Solitaire game is all you need to refresh your brain and find the motivation to finish whatever you need to do.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.