The week after a holiday break can be unrelenting in its combination of drudgery (a taste of freedom makes the grind less palatable) and burden (hello to all that work you didn't do Thursday and Friday). We're right there with you.

But instead of following the advice I keep getting on TikTok to stand up and do 10 squats every hour, I've been building in breaks to reset my job mind with longreads unrelated to the task at hand. And so far, it seems to be working! My to-dos are getting checked off and my inbox is back down to a dull roar. Perhaps this little trick will be useful to you, too? If so, here are five recent stories to help you get into the longread break habit.