Taking breaks is something that can actually be tough – right? I mean, we all enjoy having some time off or finishing up for the day, but sometimes it can be hard to pull yourself away from the project you are working on!
Does this have an impact on your productivity?
I say yes, and while I personally don’t have hard analytical data to back that up, I can say that based on my personal experience I get A LOT more done when I work in 25-45 minute stints followed by 5 to 10 minutes of break time doing something like going for a short walk, doing some work around the house, or otherwise disengaging from my work.
This is a great way to start making use of the Pomodoro technique – but let’s also see what other people have to say about taking breaks.
Take regular breaks: Set alarms on your phone to remind yourself to get up, stretch and perhaps make another cup of tea. Ideally, you want to have a five-minute break every hour.
Have a full hour for lunch: It doesn’t matter what you do during that time, just make sure it doesn’t involve work.
Get outside once a day to recuperate: It’s easy to feel cooped up if you work from home all day. Switch on your alarm and vow to go outside at some point to stretch your legs. Find a local park if the weather’s nice and take a book. How to survive (and escape) working from home as a creative freelancer | Creative Boom
Those 3 are great ideas and something that I try to do with the exception of the lunch break. I usually go for a run around lunch time so I end up taking more than an hour between running and eating.
The regular breaks are basically what I was talking about at the beginning of the article and you can use something online as well like the “egg timer” found here.
https://twitter.com/drrabiakhan154/status/773476785875017728
Well – there you go! Science-based guide to breaks.
Taking breaks in the morning, as mentioned in Step 2, is tough for me, but I make myself do it.
Why is it tough? It’s when I’m at my most productive and I can put my head down and just GO. However, to end the day feeling better, I still try and get up at least a few times and work standing up for 20-30 minutes as well as taking a 5 minute break a couple times between 7 am and 11 am.
Hopefully this helps convince you to get up and at least move around more during your day and to take more breaks to actually increase your productivity and mental + physical health!
