Taking Breaks is Beneficial to Your Productivity
The saying, “Work smarter, not harder” is well-known, but what if taking regular breaks actually helped us work smarter? In spite of the seeming paradox, taking a break can ultimately increase your productivity.
As a small business owner, you are aware that taking breaks from your work area helps prevent burnout. However, taking regular breaks can also enhance focus and concentration. When we encounter a task that we are unable to make progress on and are feeling stagnant, we can rejuvenate our mind by taking a pause. Consequently, we return with renewed energy and determination to confront the situation once more.
This article will examine the ways in which including regular breaks into their routine can improve productivity for small business owners and entrepreneurs. By comprehending the significance of taking regular intervals from work, and recognizing how this practice can enhance your capacity to concentrate, you can optimize the productivity of each break.
The Importance of Taking Breaks
When faced with a complicated problem or an overwhelming workload, it is common to rationalize that there is insufficient time to allocate for breaks.
However, studies have discovered that engaging in a period of rest can yield significant advantages for both your well-being and productivity. Studies have demonstrated that taking micro-breaks, midday breaks, and lengthier breaks all have a beneficial correlation with both wellbeing and productivity. Regularly taking breaks might enhance your performance.
A study conducted by Korpela, Kinnunen, Geurts, de Bloom, and Sianoja (2016) revealed that engaging in midday breaks and mentally disengaging from work leads to heightened levels of energy and reduced fatigue in the workplace. Moreover, after one year, it was discovered that it enhances vitality and boosts energy levels progressively.
The research conducted by Kim, Park, and Niu (2017) concluded that it is crucial to incorporate regular short breaks into the daily work routine. Short intervals of rest and relaxation contribute to the enhancement of your overall well-being and boost your level of productivity. A mini-break refers to a brief period of time when you step away from your work. This could involve engaging in conversation with someone who is physically present in the same room as you or taking a moment to get something to drink.
Taking breaks can help you focus
Have you experienced a decrease in concentration as the duration of a task increased? You are not alone. A study conducted in 2011 by researchers at the University of Illinois revealed that the allocation of attentional resources diminishes when an individual engages in a single job for a prolonged duration.
For instance, let’s say you have a meeting with your coworkers in two hours. It will get harder and harder to concentrate on the meeting if you try to go through the whole two hours without taking a break. But planning a few breaks during the meeting (for example, taking a five-minute break every 30 minutes) will help you stay more focused and attentive for the whole two hours. As a result, your meeting will be more efficient.
Taking breaks improves performance
The goal of productivity is not just to get things done, but also to do them well.
Take breaks too if you want to do a good job.
Taking breaks at work can help you do your job better. You don’t have to leave your to-do list for hours on end to see results; just a few minutes will do.
A study from 2018 found that taking “microbreaks” (like getting up from your desk to stretch or going for a quick coffee break) made good effects at work stronger, which in turn made people more productive.
Taking breaks can help you find creative solutions to problems
A study from 2017 found that switching between tasks (i.e., focusing on something else while taking a break from the current work) improves both divergent and convergent thinking, which are important for creativity. In a nutshell, taking a break from a job makes your mind less focused on that task and more open to new ideas. When you go back to that job, it’s easier to think about it in a fresh, new way and come up with a new, creative way to solve it.
Taking breaks lowers stress
When you’re worried and stressed out, it’s hard to get things done. So, if you want to get more done, you need to find ways to calm down.
Also, a great way to deal with stress at work? Taking breaks.
There is evidence that breaks can help lower stress at work. And it is easier to get things done when you are less worried. Taking breaks during the day can help you deal with stress better and make you more productive at the same time.
Tips for Ensuring you Take Breaks
You might not take breaks when you’re stuck on a task or upset that something isn’t going right. Here are some ideas to help you take a break and recharge every now and then.
- Talk to your friends about when you’ll take a break and help each other remember.
- Set your phone’s alarm to remind you.
- Plan to do something you enjoy during your break. The thought of having fun will keep you from skipping the break.
- Pay attention to any good things that happen when you take a break. This will help you remember to do it again and again.
- Put Post-it notes or drawings around your workspace to remember yourself that a PGR project takes a long time to finish. If you get too tired, you won’t do a good job, so take a break.
Ensure you strategically plan and allocate regular intervals of rest and relaxation throughout the day, and witness a significant surge in your productivity as an immediate result.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
