7 Advantages of Taking Breaks
Many people believe – consciously or unconsciously – that a break is a reward for hard work – or worse, that needing a break is a sign of weakness. But your effectiveness and efficiency will improve if you take regular breaks. You can work more intensively and for more hours each day if you give yourself a break at least once per hour. You won’t just get more done, you’ll be happier and less stressed, too.
Learn about the many advantages of taking breaks:
You’ll get more done. Try a little experiment. First, spend a day attempting to do nothing but push through and work for the entire day and note how much you accomplish. The following day, focus on your work for 30 to 45 minutes (set a timer and turn off distractions) and then take a 5-minute break. Notice how much more you accomplish.
This applies to physical activities as well. High intensity interval training over 20 minutes can do more for your fitness than slogging it out on the treadmill for an hour.
You’ll feel much better at the end of the day. While performing the previous experiment, notice how you feel physically and mentally at the end of the day. You’ll feel nearly as good at the end of the day as you did at the beginning if you take breaks. Without breaks, you’ll feel exhausted.
The quality of your work will improve. Our ability to hold information and focus is finite. Your mind will begin to wander at some point. The quality of your work is compromised when your focus begins to wane and you’re reading the same sentence over and over. And the quality of your work is compromised when your focus begins to wane and you’re reading the same sentence over and over.
Taking regular breaks is an effective way to ensure the quality of your work doesn’t suffer.
Breaks provide opportunities for evaluation. It’s important to regularly assess if you’re working effectively. If you put your head down and never look up, you can find yourself losing perspective. A break is an opportunity to get up on the balcony and take a broader view of the situation down on the dancefloor.
Taking a break can lower your stress. It’s important to intermittently disengage from any activity that causes stress. Your ability to work is compromised as your stress rises beyond a certain level.
When you’re in fight or flight, you’re less able to think clearly and to problem-solve creatively. Taking a break helps you re-set out of the limbic stress response and re-engage your pre-frontal cortex.
Breaks help promote creativity and prevent boredom. It can be more effective to regularly dis- and re-engage with goals rather than focusing on them for long periods of time. That a-ha insight won’t come when you’re exhausted, poring over a spreadsheet for hours in a row. Avoid spending too much time on one task before taking a break. You’ll maintain a higher level of interest and enjoyment in your work.
You can use your breaks to get other things done. Imagine how much you can accomplish with 8 or more 10-minute breaks each day. You could spend those 10 minutes performing an exercise or two, meditating, staying in contact with friends and family, tidying up, or practicing the guitar.
A break is a change in activity. Breaks don’t have to be spent daydreaming, though that’s not a bad way to spend a break.
You might be wondering how long a break should be and how frequently they should be taken. The research varies but for most people, the ideal break schedule is a 5-minute break every 30 to 45 minutes or 17-20 minutes every 60-90 minutes. Ninety minutes seems very long to me, though. My preference is 40-45 minutes. Experiment and see what works for you.
As a general rule, tasks that require more brainpower or muscle power require more frequent breaks.
Remember that I’m talking about short breaks during a typical day here. You will also need longer periods of rest and recovery – Iike I took last week.
Breaks are enjoyable way to add hours to your day. Your output will increase and you’ll also enjoy your free time more since you won’t be exhausted. Make it a priority and enjoy the benefits!
Until next week,
Take care of yourself and others
Madeleine
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