Want to take more breaks at work? Science is on your side. Here are four scientifically proven reasons why you should go ahead and take that break. Take more breaks. Not only could you make far fewer mistakes, you might blast through your work quicker and enjoy it much, much more.
You’ll Maintain Optimal Stress Levels
Taking regular breaks of 1.5 minutes increased worker productivity by almost 7 percent
You’ll Be Able to Exercise Stronger ‘Focus Muscles’
After hours of intense concentration on a particular subject, puzzle or problem, we need to give our “focus muscles” enough time to rest and re-cooperate.
- Take a short break every couple of hours from a tough work schedule to keep in good shape physically, mentally and emotionally, which considerably improves our productivity.
Another option is to switch your focus to a soothing or funny video on your computer screen.
Using products like YouTube’s Picture-In-Picture or the recently released PowerDVD 18, which includes a mini view feature, could help you refocus and take a much needed mental rest at your desk.
You’ll Quit Overthinking and Move On
Taking regular breaks of two minutes increased productivity about twice as much (11.15 percent)
- If you want to make concrete logical connections without even trying – simply move on and it’ll likely come to you
- Higher levels of stress correlate with overthinking
You Can Better Regulate Your Emotions
Taking breaks before they are needed is the most effective for your health
- Human beings are naturally emotional and must stay self-critical in order to feel a full range of emotions to be healthy and productive
- To stay emotionally well, it has been found that pre-emptively taking breaks before them are needed can be an effective method to strike the perfect balance at work
