There have been those busy weeks where I have completely lost touch with the news of the world. Listening to the news during commute time has been replaced with teleconferences, and scanning the headlines on my phone has been replaced with scans of my calendar to figure out where I need to go next and if I have time to get my third cup of coffee. Sometimes all you need is a Point One break- 0.1 hour or 6 minutes off from the billable hour to get a quick news catch up on what is happening in the world.

Catch up with the biggest headlines of the week and the craziest stories in a fun way by listening to the last segment of the NPR program Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me called Lightening Fill in the Blanks. Guests of the program are given a prompt with a word or phrase missing about the latest news. In the time it takes to walk from your car to your office, you can get caught up on the latest happenings and a few needed laughs as the guests make light of some of the more ridiculous news stories.

As a working mom, one of the things I frequently put off is organizing all our family photos and mementos into scrapbooks or albums. Like many people, I am guilty of taking countless photos and then doing nothing with them. I always vow to take time over the weekend to have the photos printed and organized, but with work and the hectic present, it can be hard to take a moment and appreciate the past. Sometimes all you need is a Point One break- 0.1 hour or 6 minutes off from the billable hour to scrapbook some family memories.

Thankfully there are products like Project Life and A Beautiful Mess Scrapbooks and photo printing/mailing services like Costco, Shutterly and MPix that make scrapbook sessions quick and effortless. I can just slip photos into the plastic pockets, glue ticket stubs to pre-cut paper inserts and scribble comments of my favorite memories. Simple scrapbook sessions are a great way to take a quick break from the billables plus cross something off your to-do list. Plus, if you’ve ever finished a scrapbook or photo album, you know how strangely satisfying it feels. 60 page merger agreement drafted kind of satisfying.

There are those days where the work load is so heavy, that a trip to the gym just can’t be made. It’s those days in particular that I know a few minutes of cardio would make a huge difference in my productivity and my mood. Sometimes all you need is a Point One break- 0.1 hour or 6 minutes off from the billable hour to rev up the heart rate.

An easy solution is what I call the stair challenge where I see how many flights of stairs I can take in 6 minutes. Most days I use the internal stairs at a leisurely pace without changing out of my heels. Then there are the days where I lace up my sneakers and use the external stairs as my own personal Stairmaster. Either way, when I get back to my office I always feel better and I find myself looking forward to the next stair challenge day to see if I can make a new personal best.

Coffee is a priority for me.  A good cup of coffee can mark the start of a great day or provide a necessary afternoon pick me up. Here are my go to places in Palo Alto when I am in need of a caffeine kick.

Old Faithful Coffee Stop

When I am looking for a reliable pick me up, I turn to Philz Coffee. Philz has become a Bay Area staple and for good reason. The coffee is personalized, smooth and strong. The Philz in downtown Palo Alto has an order ahead option which means I can bypass the long line of fellow Philz devotees during the early morning rush. Favorite brews include Ecstatic Iced, Jacob’s Wonderbar and Itz the Best.

Best Iced Coffee

My favorite iced coffee can be found inside a running store. Zombie Runner on California Avenue sells not only running gear but some of the best iced coffee around. Their cold brew is made by chilling the coffee rather than adding ice to hot coffee which means not only is the coffee not watered down, but you get more of it.

Sit Down and Relax

Sometimes I like to get the first hour of work done in a coffee shop rather than in the office. Mornings like these call for a soothing espresso blend. Coupa Café in downtown Palo Alto serves coffee from Venezuela as well as Venezuelan chocolates and comfort foods. Favorites include their Venezuelan latte and Venezuelan style Americano, both of which go perfectly with an order of arepas (white cornmeal griddle cakes).

Cofee In a Pinch

For those moments when I don’t have a lot of time to spare but I am in desperate need of some coffee goodness, I head to the local McDonalds drive through. The coffee is quick, hot (although not too hot, thanks to some famous litigation) and in my experience, some of the smoothest large batch drip you can find. Although McDonalds has expanded their coffee offerings to compete with coffee chains like Starbucks and Peets, my favorite is still their basic black drip coffee.

We’ve all been there. Hours spent in front of our computer drafting or participating in a conference call. You need a break but the task at hand does not allow you enough time to leave your desk. Sometimes all you need is a Point One break- 0.1 hour or 6 minutes off from the billable hour to recharge and do something non-work related.

Google Feud to the rescue. In the time it would take to do a single time entry, you can play a few rounds of guess the search term before restarting the billable timer. Fair warning, the game can be addictive and leave you wondering what strange things you have queried into Google.

Funders and Founders has a great chart on how to never give up on becoming an entrepreneur. It includes tips like stay alive, persist and fake it. I find that these tips are almost identical to those I give when mentoring young lawyers. The hours are long and the learning curve steep but take a tip from your startup clients and learn to never give up.