Stop Neglecting To Take Breaks

Imagine this scenario: you arrive at your office with a mile-long to-do list. A quick glance at your phone reveals that you have several voicemails waiting for your attention. And you don’t have to check your email to know you’ve received several new messages, each representing a minor emergency. It’s going to be a busy day. You consider squeezing in a quick lunch between afternoon meetings. Or, as an alternative, you can eat something during one of your scheduled conference calls. But breaks? No way. There’s no time. That’s the situation a lot of people find themselves in. Day after day, they’re so busy at their jobs that they ignore their breaks. And life outside the workplace is often just as hectic. A study by executive placement firm Right Management found that fewer than 20% of employees in the U.S. take an hour lunch. According to a survey conducted by staffing firm OfficeTeam, 29% work without taking a lunch at all. We think we’re too busy to take breaks. But in reality, that’s rarely the case. Our days are harried because of overly-ambitious to-do lists (see Day 3), our tendency to say “yes” to others (see Day 6), our inclination to procrastinate (see Day 10) and other bad habits. Additionally, many of us find that continuing to work is more appealing than taking a break. We don’t want to forfeit our hard-won momentum. The problem is, working without breaks decreases your productivity, making it more difficult for you to get things done in a reasonable time frame.

How This Bad Habit Hurts 

Your Productivity Working without taking occasional recesses makes you less efficient in six ways. First, you’re more likely to experience boredom as the day progresses. As you probably know from experience, boredom erodes your ability to focus. Diminished focus translates to reduced productivity. Second, you’re less likely to reflect on the headway you’re making through your to-do list, and how it affects your goals. You become so immersed in the minutiae of your day that you’re unable to see the big picture. You’ve no doubt heard the expression “he can’t see the forest for the trees.” It describes the effect I’m referring to. Third, your brain doesn’t get a chance to rest and relax. That erodes your cognitive resources. That, in turn, impairs your creativity and ability to concentrate on the task at hand. Fourth, neglecting to take breaks hampers your ability to commit important information to memory. Scientists have learned that the brain consolidates data and stores them in memory while we rest. Connections are made and memories form as our neurons communicate with each other. This process doesn’t occur - at least, not as efficiently - while we work. The result? Poor data retention. The fifth way ignoring breaks hurts your productivity involves a psychological effect called vigilance decrement. At its simplest, it states that the brain’s ability to focus deteriorates with each passing moment of continued attention. The more time you spend on a task, the less you’ll be able to focus on it. Your brain experiences the law of diminishing marginal returns. Sixth, working sans breaks increases the likelihood you’ll “run out of juice” - both mentally and physically. It’s no coincidence that workaholics often crash, suffering fatigue, back aches, stomach pains and other ailments. If you’ve been neglecting taking breaks, now’s the time to make a change. Following are five actionable tips you can put into practice today.

Action Steps 

1. Schedule your breaks. If you don’t schedule them, you’re unlikely to take them, especially when you’re juggling numerous projects and tasks. Commit to taking a short break - 5 or 10 minutes should suffice - according to a predefined timetable. For example, you might decide to take a 10-minute break after each 50-minute work session. Experiment with various work/break schemes. One popular approach is the 52/17 method. Work for 52 minutes and take a 17-minute break. Research shows that ultra-productive individuals stick closely to this routine. Some folks enjoy working in 90-minute blocks. They work for 90 minutes and then take a 20-minute break. I find this schedule doesn’t work well for me. I start to lose focus at the 1-hour mark. But I encourage you to try it. Another popular approach is the Pomodoro Technique. Here, you work for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break. I prefer this method to others. I’ve even written an action guide describing how you can use it to streamline your workflow (you can find more information at the end of thisarticle ). Try different approaches and choose the one that helps you to maximize your concentration.

2. Create a list of things to do on your breaks. That way, you’ll feel as if your breaks have purpose. You’ll enjoy a specific benefit by taking them. For example, use the time to make dinner reservations and doctor appointments. Return calls from friends and family members (tell them you only have a few minutes before you have to return to work). Take a quick walk, grab a cup of coffee and listen to your favorite music. Read that magazine article that caught your eye days ago. Do a few simple exercises to get your blood flowing. Brainstorm ideas for a date night with your spouse. If you have things planned for your breaks, you’ll be more inclined to take them.

 3. Create a list of things to refrain from doing on your breaks. Include activities that are tempting, but can impede your productivity over the long run. For example, if you’ve spent the last two hours working on your computer, don’t spend your break checking social media. Give your brain something else to do, preferably offline. If you intend to eat something during your break, don’t eat sugary snacks that will wreak havoc with your blood sugar levels. Grab something healthy. The goal is to have a simple list you can refer to whenever you take a break. It will serve as a quick reminder of the activities you know will cause more harm than good.

 4. Shed your guilt. Many people feel guilty about taking breaks. Saddled with a heavy workload and others’ expectations, they’re unable to justify taking time off to rest. In most cases, the guilt they feel is completely unreasonable. If you normally feel like you’re doing something wrong by taking short recesses, it’s important to identify the reasons. Only by doing so can you address them objectively and adopt healthier habits. For example, does being idle for a few moments cause you to feel restless? If so, practice doing nothing until doing so becomes more comfortable. Do you feel ashamed taking a break when others need you to do things for them? If so, evaluate whether others’ expectations are impractical. Remind yourself that taking a few moments to relax every hour will improve your focus and productivity.

5. Set an alarm. If you decide to use the Pomodoro Technique, set the alarm for 25 minutes. That way, you’ll be able to focus on the task in front of you without having to check the clock to make sure you take a break. The alarm will tell you when to do so. I use a standard kitchen timer. You can also use your phone. Or if you work online, use your browser. Visit Google and type “timer 25 minutes” without the quotation marks. The important thing is that you use an actual timer to count down the time.