We often think of breaks as time-wasting and forms of procrastination – guilty pleasures to be avoided for as long as possible, then eventually enjoyed with a blanket of shame. That’s what toxic productivity culture has taught us, to feel guilty about taking a break from our work. However, breaks are actually really beneficial to your productivity!
- Restores focus
- Prevents burnout + fatigue
- Reduces stress
- Replenishes motivation
- Increases productivity
- How to take breaks productively
Restores focus
Breaks are really helpful in restoring your focus on an arduous task. We have limited attention spans, so we can’t focus on a task for longer than a few hours before our attention starts to drift off. Because of this, taking a break every hour or so is important to reset your attention span and get ready to do more studying.
Prevents burnout + fatigue
Another benefit of taking breaks is that it prevents burnout. Long study sessions without breaks will cause you to lose energy and drive in the short term, and cause burnout in the long term. Because of this, it’s important to break up your study sessions into shorter intervals with little breaks sprinkled in between sessions.
Reduces stress
Breaks benefit your mental health in more than one way. Studies show that taking breaks can increase overall work satisfaction. This is likely because a big workload is stressful. While we can deal with short bursts of stress, we aren’t made to deal with long periods of stress. That’s why you need to take breaks frequently!
Replenishes motivation
Doing work or studying for long hours without a break is enough to zap anyone’s motivation. It’s really important to take breaks in order to keep your motivation high throughout the entire study session. Without this, you’ll start to resent your work and lose motivation, therefore decreasing your productivity significantly.
Increases productivity
Another benefit of breaks is that they can increase your productivity. Because breaks can improve your attention span and restore your motivation, this increases your overall productivity as you’re more willing to get work done rather than procrastinate. As well as this, your productivity won’t be negatively affected by stress and burnout.
How to take breaks productively
While taking a break, it’s important to do something not study- or work-related, so you’ll use a different part of your brain. As well as this, set a timer so that your break doesn’t last too long. Finally, try to be active or move around during your break!
