Taking regular breaks can be helpful to keep you feeling fresh and ready! In fact, The University of North Carolina discusses the fact that during deep work our brains have to work to keep distractions at bay, meaning the same part of the brain that is focusing is the same that thinks logically! Many practices from the Pomodoro Technique to time blocking use breaks to help you reset. That can raise the question of “what should I do during breaks?” To help, we’ve got a few ideas of things we would do during those all important breaks.
Idea 1: Go grab water.
This idea incorporates two recommendations from the University of North Carolina, movement and fueling the body. Getting up and moving can help reset your mind and provide a change of scenery. Plus some fresh air and fresh water could help get the body the fuel it needs for the next 25 minute deep work round!
Idea 2: Clear your notifications.
As we discussed in our article, Productivity Blocker: Notifications, those pesky notifications can be incredibly distracting. You might have been working hard to resist checking for new emails or texts. During your break you could get caught up, respond to what you need to and grab those updates from your favorite Yacht rock band.
Idea 3: Check off progress!
Ok, here’s some fun science for you. Go ahead and make a list of your time blocks and breaks along with some tasks to do during the breaks, regardless of if its studying or just working. Ok, according to this study by the NIH, if you check off all those boxes during each break along with whatever you did during your time block you are more likely to continue and finish all your work/study if tasks get difficult. So you can actually help make sure you keep going when tasks get more difficult later!
So lets answer the question “What should I do during breaks?”
Our answer is, set yourself up for success! Go grab some water and fresh air, clear off those notifications, and check off your progress! You just might find that you make even more progress on that crucial 20% than you expected!
