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Small-business owners saw it coming, survey says

NEW YORK — Small-business owners were bracing for tough times even before this month’s economic upheaval, according to a new survey.

The Wells Fargo/Gallup survey, which polled small-business owners three months ago, said its “optimism index” was at 45, its lowest point since the quarterly survey’s launch in 2003. The index’s peak was 114, from December 2006.

Nearly one-quarter believe the economy is in “severe recession,” 45 percent think it’s a “mild” recession, and 28 percent think the economy is in a “slowdown.”

Take a work break every now and then, expert says

NEW YORK — The superworker stays glued in his chair for 12 hours at a stretch. Meals are protein bars stowed away in his desk. Bathroom breaks? Mr. Company First runs to the bathroom and back. Walks outdoors are out of the question.

All wrong, says Dave Willmer, executive director of staffing company OfficeTeam.

“Most people and most executives would say you tend to be more efficient if you break your day down, as opposed to working an entire day straight,” Willmer said. “You’re able to remain a little bit more focused.”

While a 30-minute or 45-minute lunch break in the middle of the day is nice, many people can’t manage that, Willmer said. That’s OK. Taking a five-minute break or a short walk, optimally outside, once every three hours, can be enough. Doing so helps refocus concentration, physically re-energizes the body, and helps bring down stress, he said. All that helps increase productivity.

Associated Press