Discover why taking breaks is good for you. Understand how your health and productivity can benefit from regular pauses.
Taking breaks is good for you, your efficiency, well-being, and health.
Even if it’s only for a couple of minutes, the benefits of walking away from your desk are too many for you to ignore them.
I wish I knew them back in my years in the corporate world.
At first, I thought it was a thing for smokers.
They needed to get their “vitamins” to function.
But since I don’t smoke, I didn’t need to go outside every hour to “recharge my batteries.”
Years later, all employees from my department participated in a change management project.
Then, the coaches suggested us to take a short “power break” in the afternoon.
How to boost your productivity and success with regular breaks. #coaching #journaling #MindfulPlanning Click To TweetAlmost everyone did it.
Not me…
Yep. That WAS yours truly!
While my goal was to be as efficient and effective as I could, the results were far from it.
Why breaks are important
According to a study from the University of Illinois, “brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods.”
After some time, the brain registers constant stimulation as unimportant, and all our awareness goes down the drain.
If we insist on doing the same task without interruption, our performance decline drastically.
Time is still passing, but instead of accomplishing things, we only waste energy.
What researchers found out was that having participants take two brief breaks from their primary task allowed them to stay focused during the entire experiment.
The Pomodoro Technique
There are different ways you can add breaks to your daily routine.
You can always find an alternative that fits your needs, activities, and environment.
If including pauses in your day is something new to you, have in mind you’ll need to make it a habit first.
The method I apply for myself and always recommend to my clients is the Pomodoro Technique.
How to boost your efficiency with the Pomodoro Technique. #coaching #mentorship #MindfulPlanning Click To TweetPomodoro comes from the Italian for “tomato.”
It traditionally uses a kitchen timer (who never had one in the shape of a tomato?).
I use Tide, an app available for both iOS and Android.
The method consists of 4 super simple steps:
- Choose a task
- Set the timer for 25 minutes
- Work on the task until time is up
- Take a short break (5 minutes, for instance)
Repeat it four times and then, take a longer break (between 20 to 30 minutes).
Easy, isn’t it?
And you’ll feel the positive effects in no time.
Taking breaks increases your success
Whatever your Goals are, they require specific action steps.
You need to perform them on top of your current activities.
That means it’s necessary that you create space in your current schedule to be able to perform these new tasks.
To make it possible without adding more stress and overwhelm to your life you need to make the most of your time.
That’s when taking regular breaks come in handy.
In other words, if you want to be more successful, you need to consider using pauses to your advantage.
Before you go
Can you answer the following question in the comments below, please?
Have you already tried the Pomodoro Technique before?
