HOW WE LEARNED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING BREAKS
You may already be familiar with the Headspace App. It’s a mobile application that offers daily guided meditation sessions. It has a vast library of meditation series dedicated to mindful living. You can find short and easy to follow meditations on how to manage anxiety, sleep better, and focus at work. Their mission is to improve the health and happiness of the world.
In a morning segment called The Wake Up, Dr. Sahar Yousef, a cognitive neuroscientist and a professor at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, talks about the science of breaks and how you can use them wisely to get more done and still have energy at the end of the day.
Here’s what we learned from her talk.
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“Even though it sounds counter-intuitive, making time to do nothing is extremely important when it comes to getting things done”
WHAT A TYPICAL DAY FOR MOST PEOPLE LOOKS LIKE
Each person’s schedule is different, but most of us follow a to-do list organized in order of task importance.
We may grab a cup of coffee, sit down and begin to work. Start by crossing off items on our to-do list without taking a moment to breathe or take a short break in between each task. We are programmed to be as productive as possible, so we power through the day until we get as much done as we can in one day. We may end the day exhausted, with little to no energy left to get anything else done.
So, how can we get our work done and have energy at the end of the day to focus on ourselves and our family? By taking regular breaks.
Dr. Yousef explains the science behind the importance of taking breaks.
Circadian rhythms are the 24-hour cycle that determines when we’re prime to sleep and wakes. Ultradian rhythms are the shorter one to two hours cycles that repeat in our body throughout the day.
They control things like our heartbeat, our blood circulation, and our appetite. They also play a role in regulating our stress hormones, which prepare our brains to focus and get things done.
Because of the Ultradian rhythms, [the one to two hours cycles], we can experience a peak of optimal energy and focus. As we work, we’re using our brains’ resources, and there will be a dip when the brain needs a break.
She compared productivity to physical exercise.
If you run for five minutes sprints and then rest for a few minutes in between each run, your time for each run sequence would be very similar.
HOWEVER,
If you kept running in place in between each sequence, there will be a big difference in time from the first sprint to the fifth. You’re not giving your muscles time to recover.
Working has a similar effect on our brain as physical exercise does on our body.
“When you’re working, you’re using up your brain’s glucocorticoids, which are your stress hormone cortisol and adrenaline that keep you alert and focused.” Says Dr. Yousef.
If you feel exhausted at the end of the day, you have used all of these hormones and your brain’s valuable resources. You need breaks to give your brain the time it needs to recover.
HOW TO PROPERLY TAKE BREAKS:
Dr. Yousef says, when it comes to taking breaks, not all breaks are created equal.
For breaks to be effective, we must take a REAL break.
No reading, no writing, and no social media. If you spend the time scrolling on your phone, you are still processing information. As a result, you’re not giving your brain time to reproduce the hormones that it needs to help stay alert.
She also mentions that it is essential to check-in with yourself before taking a break to determine how you feel and what your body needs at that moment.
If you’re feeling tired, unmotivated or groggy, you would want to do something that will help boost your brain’s production of these important stress hormones.
IF YOU NEED A BOOST, TRY THESE ACTIVITIES:
Take a quick walk around the block
Going to the kitchen for a quick snack
Listen to some high-energy music
Get up and move your body if you can
If you feel stressed out, anxious or on edge, the levels of stress hormones in your system are too high. You can benefit from doing something that brings down your stress level.
IF YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN, TRY THESE ACTIVITIES:
Close your eyes
Take a few deep breaths
Lie down to counter the feelings of stress and anxiety.
THE FIVE TO ONE RULE:
Dr. Yousef suggests using a 5 to 1 work to break ratio. If you work for 50 minutes, you want to take at least a 10-minute break. She says to check-in with yourself to see how you feel at the end of the 10 minutes and take a few more minutes if you don’t feel re-energized.
It can be hard to break the habit of working straight through the day, so start small.
If your calendar is heavy, try to schedule your meeting to be 5 to 10 minutes shorter so you can spend a few minutes in between meetings to re-energize before focusing again.
Try to implement short breaks every couple of hours. If that’s not possible, try closing your eyes for just short pockets of time.
“Our visual system is one of the most energy-intensive functions in our brain. If you can turn that off for just a few minutes, it can help your brain take a break and leave you with more energy at the end of the workday to be fully present for the things that matter most.” says Dr. Yousef.
Taking breaks may not come easily to some people. Breaking an old routine requires discipline, intention and repetition. Introducing a new habit in your daily routine may take a little time – we understand its challenges, as we are trying to implement regular breaks in our daily routine.
Take it one step at a time. Set up an alarm to get notified every couple of hours to take a break, or schedule breaks in your calendar to ensure you are giving yourself and your brain, the time it needs to recover.