Want to Get More Done? Take a Break!
Do you ever wish you could just get more done? Our natural inclination is to just work harder and longer. And on one level it makes sense doesn’t it? If you want to accomplish more, just get up earlier, stay up later and push through without coming up for air. Show no mercy until that item is crossed off your to-do list.
However, taking a break is actually the smarter way to get more done. In fact, taking several breaks during the day will help you gain clarity in your thinking and increase your output.
Our ability to concentrate and focus is like a muscle. It literally wears out and needs to recharge through short rest periods. You’ve probably experienced mental fatigue before. You mind feels like it has turned to sludge and just thinking takes extreme effort. Your creativity decreases, no new ideas come and tasks that should be easy and quick suddenly seem very difficult.
This quickly leads to frustration. It’s very disheartening to realize that you have been working hard at something for hours with very little to show for it!
The answer is to disengage for a while and turn your mind toward other things – or maybe nothing at all! Your mind and creativity will recharge as you walk away from whatever you have been trying to focus on. And to get the best benefit from the break, add in some movement. Walk around a few minutes, climb a few flights of stairs – anything to exert yourself physically.
The timing of the break is important too. Professor John P. Trougakos is a professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Rotman School of Management. He says that your break should happen before you crash mentally. It’s harder to recover after reaching complete mental exhaustion, so take that break before your brain has turned to total sludge. It will make the recharging process faster and more potent.
It is important to point out, however, that Professor Trougakos acknowledges sometimes we get on a roll and are making such progress that we don’t want to stop.
This is okay. You do not have to force a break when you are in a good work flow. The key is recognizing when your productivity is beginning to slow down. Some days you might be able to work for hours before that happens. Other days, you might need to recharge after just thirty minutes. With practice, you will begin to be more in tune with your body and know when you need to stop for a rest.
Just be careful not to go overboard with the breaks. You won’t increase productivity if you take so many breaks that you spend large amounts of your work time trying to reorient yourself in your projects. Use breaks wisely, and make them work to your advantage. Your brain will thank you!
