Today, I will share with you some golden tips for using your breaks meaningfully, ultimately boosting your productivity.
Productivity is the biggest desire of every professional. Consuming time at work is one thing, and being productive is another. There is a difference between the two phenomena.
You have such experiences by yourself.
Have you noticed that sometimes you finish a task within an hour, but sometimes the same task demands more than two hours? Why?
The reason is when you are productive; your work is done earlier. When you are not productive, the work becomes time-consuming.
In such scenarios, taking a break is the best possible option. Taking meaningful breaks will improve your attention span, and ultimately your productivity will be boosted.
But, the problem which I have discussed at the start persists. Most of the time, our breaks could not be more fruitful. There can be several possible reasons behind it. Without going into the complicated details of unfruitful breaks, I will share with you the practical ways to make your breaks fruitful.
Productivity is the biggest desire of every professional. Consuming time at work is one thing, and being productive is another. There is a difference between the two phenomena.
You have such experiences by yourself.
Have you noticed that sometimes you finish a task within an hour, but sometimes the same task demands more than two hours? Why?
The reason is when you are productive; your work is done earlier. When you are not productive, the work becomes time-consuming.
In such scenarios, taking a break is the best possible option. Taking meaningful breaks will improve your attention span, and ultimately your productivity will be boosted.
But, the problem which I have discussed at the start persists. Most of the time, our breaks could not be more fruitful. There can be several possible reasons behind it. Without going into the complicated details of unfruitful breaks, I will share with you the practical ways to make your breaks fruitful.
1. Live in the moment
One of the most challenging tasks is to live in the moment. You have noticed it by yourself. While sitting at your work desk, you will need effort to stay focused and devoted. Your mind will remind you about taking breaks.
The same goes for leisure moments and break intervals. When you take a break, your mind will probably shift your attention to the work.
All this happens quite unintentionally. No one wants to do it on purpose. You can say, It is a bad habit of the human mind.
Always try to connect yourself with your environment. Open your eyes and see what is happening in the surroundings. Observe your environment deeply.
We lose our connection with the moment when we are absorbed in our thinking. When our self-indulgence crosses the limit, it breaks our connection with the external world.
Listen! I am not asking you to abandon yourself completely. Self-involvement and self-absorbent is not a bad thing. But, there should be a proper time for it. You can allocate specific time for self-analysis activities, like meditation. Doing so will make it easier for you to live in the moment.
The same goes for leisure moments and break intervals. When you take a break, your mind will probably shift your attention to the work.
All this happens quite unintentionally. No one wants to do it on purpose. You can say, It is a bad habit of the human mind.
Always try to connect yourself with your environment. Open your eyes and see what is happening in the surroundings. Observe your environment deeply.
We lose our connection with the moment when we are absorbed in our thinking. When our self-indulgence crosses the limit, it breaks our connection with the external world.
Listen! I am not asking you to abandon yourself completely. Self-involvement and self-absorbent is not a bad thing. But, there should be a proper time for it. You can allocate specific time for self-analysis activities, like meditation. Doing so will make it easier for you to live in the moment.
2. During breaks, do such things which make you feel happy
Your break intervals will be a joy for you. Make you break a fun period. Do such acts which suit your taste. Every one of us has a unique taste. Use your break according to your aptitude. Break intervals are the best chance for you to recreate yourself for work. Remember, you are doing all this to increase your work potential. So, before taking a break, always have a clear plan. Decide when, where, and how you want to spend your break interval.
3. Take small breaks during work
People usually take an extended break after work hours, thinking that taking regular breaks will be distracting. Well, there might be any science behind it. But, taking regular breaks has vastly increased my productivity. The human mind is not a machine. It can focus on a thing for a brief duration of time. Long-term focus is quite impossible.
When you try to focus on a task for more than an hour, you will be more likely to lose focus. You will find yourself distracted. Your mind will find a lead from them and lead you to some irrelative imaginative world. It is a built-in relaxing mechanism of the human brain. If you take a break after an hour of work, your mind will not distract you. So, you should take a brief break of 10 minutes after an hour of strenuous work.
When you try to focus on a task for more than an hour, you will be more likely to lose focus. You will find yourself distracted. Your mind will find a lead from them and lead you to some irrelative imaginative world. It is a built-in relaxing mechanism of the human brain. If you take a break after an hour of work, your mind will not distract you. So, you should take a brief break of 10 minutes after an hour of strenuous work.
4. Eat healthy food
Your breaks should be for your betterment. And there is nothing more beneficial for you than a healthy meal. During your break moments, take a walk to a nearby restaurant and eat some healthy food. It will energize you and make you more enthusiastic about your work.
Sometimes, we are not mentally tired while working, but our empty stomach makes us feel tired and dizzy. Our mind wants to work, but our low blood glucose level makes it difficult for our mind to work.
Moreover, brain-body dualism should always be considered. Your low body energy will soon make your mind tired. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Take care of your body, and ultimately your mind will be alright.
Sometimes, we are not mentally tired while working, but our empty stomach makes us feel tired and dizzy. Our mind wants to work, but our low blood glucose level makes it difficult for our mind to work.
Moreover, brain-body dualism should always be considered. Your low body energy will soon make your mind tired. A healthy mind resides in a healthy body. Take care of your body, and ultimately your mind will be alright.
5. Have some exercise
Having a few push-ups during your break intervals will be helpful. Physical exercise lowers your mental stress. 5-10 minutes of milder exercise after a deep tedious work will be enough to kill your tiredness.
A lighter exercise in place of a strenuous one is advisable. Strenuous exercise will add to your fatigue. So, I prefer milder physical exercise like moving, walking, etc.
A lighter exercise in place of a strenuous one is advisable. Strenuous exercise will add to your fatigue. So, I prefer milder physical exercise like moving, walking, etc.
6. Have a walk
Walking is essential for mental health and freshness. A few miles walk after hours of strenuous work is enough to freshen your mind. A German philosopher has said these words on the importance of walking:
"All truly great thoughts are conceived through walking."
Try to choose a beautiful location for walking. Imagine walking on the soft grass under shady green trees. Isn't it enough to kill all your tiredness?
Walking a few miles will be enough. Don't take this advice too seriously. Walking kilometers will make you feel more tired. Remember, you aim to freshen your soul. You don't have to lose belly fat.
7. Spend time with your family:
If you are a remote worker, then during breaks, it will be best for you to sit with your family. Talk with them. Crack some jokes. Play with children. Try to make them laugh.
It is a well-established psychological fact that nothing is more effective in reducing stress than playing with children.
Spend your precious break moments with your family!
8. No work during a break
Please take it as a rule. Most of the time, we think about work during breaks. Hell!
Break intervals are there to lessen the burden of work. But if your mind is still dealing with the work stuff, how can you say you are taking a break?
Work while working and during breaks, have fun and relax.
9. Never make your breaks your distractions
Always have a critical eye on your breaks. Figure out whether your breaks are increasing your work pace or not. Your break intervals should increase your productivity. Sometimes, we forget the importance and aim of breaks.
Whenever you feel that your breaks have a terrible effect on your work, stop taking breaks.
Replan your breaks. Try to figure out why your breaks could be more adequate. Try to have more than one option. Try to have a versatile list of options. Doing the same thing again and again, will make you feel bored. Always try new and unique things.
Breaks are the most effective things to improve working efficiency. You need to use them rightly. Excess of everything is terrible.
Plan your break intervals wisely. Planning alone is not enough. Sensibly execute your planned breaks. And you will soon notice an increase in your productivity. Your work will no longer be a burden to you. The best moment is when your work becomes fun for you. Try to reach that limit where working for you is no longer burdensome. Instead, it will be fun for you!
I know through personal experience that it is always tricky to plan your breaks wisely.
Do you need an expert to help you appropriately schedule your breaks?
I recommend using Octopro, a digital tool perfectly designed for these specific purposes.
Octopro
Octopro has a built-in digital mechanism to remind you when to take breaks. It is fantastic.
If you use Octopro, you no longer have to be worried about your break schedule. Octopro will do this job for you. It will help you plan your breaks in the best possible manner and remind you when to take them.
Furthermore, Octopro adds to the meaningfulness of your breaks by blocking distractions. Imagine when there are no digital distractions, like pop-ups, etc., how dedicatedly you will spend your breaks!
Distraction is the only thing that makes your breaks less productive. When there are no distractions, your breaks will be meaningful.
You can get all of these benefits using Octopro.
It will help you plan your breaks, remind you when to take them, and make them meaningful by blocking distractions! What else do you need?
Go on, install the Octopro and make your breaks productive. Furthermore, Octopro adds to the meaningfulness of your breaks by blocking distractions. Imagine when there are no digital distractions, like pop-ups, etc., how dedicated you will spend your breaks!
Distraction is the only thing that makes your breaks less productive. When there are no distractions, your breaks will be meaningful.
You can get all of these benefits using Octopro.
It will help you plan your breaks, remind you when to take them, and make them meaningful by blocking distractions! What else do you need?
Go on, install the Octopro and make your breaks productive!