Tea Time?

What is the role of a short break during the workday? I’m speaking of, for example, tea time, and other time honored traditions that are a natural part of the day in many countries. In the United States, we have evolved to prefer efficiency and limited breaks. Smokers, in fact, are often the only workers who receive a few minutes break to leave the building and have a smoke.

So on my way home from ASCO I purchased a tea kettle and six cups and saucers with the idea of having an afternoon tea a few times per week with colleagues. Today marked the inaugural tea time. It lasted 10 minutes and was delightful. Three colleagues joined me in my office and we had a productive conversation about our revamped oncology fellowship (in light of the new ACGME curriculum requirements), the changes our section faces as we expand into a new research building, and ways to foster growth in several new faculty arriving later this summer. All in all a productive, enlightening, and relaxing 10 minutes that re-energized my brain for the remainder of the afternoon.

I’m convinced that these short breaks are intellectually refreshing and also important networking opportunities, as they afford a chance to talk about a variety of clinical and research topics in a relaxed setting. And, perhaps, tea time will serve as chemoprevention for colon cancer for the participants.

A tea time resource:

Team Time Traditions: http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=518

And here is an article discussing various tea time traditions in different parts of the world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_(meal)

Enjoy!