Why taking a break is the best thing you can do for your productivity

No matter what job we all have, during our work day, there are times we all need to press the pause button. I am all about taking a break during my work day to spend time with my son, do some exercise and let my mind refresh itself. Unfortunately, working an entire day without taking a break can drain our mental capacity and decrease productivity.

Along with breaks throughout the working day, I also love a good holiday! For me, holidays give me something to look forward to and work towards. Although I love my job and lifestyle at home, holidays are a great time to unwind, relax and reset the mind.  So why is taking a break so important?

Breaks stimulate creativity.

Whether I go for a short walk or sit down and play with my son Asher, I find stepping away from the task at hand for a moment always reduces my stress levels and encourages thoughts and ideas. My most creative ideas come from moments I have been most relaxed and stress free.

Breaks re-focus your attention.

Fun fact! The average attention span for adults is approximately 20 minutes. This is a surprisingly short amount of time and we all know we spend way longer on our tasks than that. I am not saying take a break every 20 minutes (how nice would that be), but once we have been working for more than 2-3 hours, we are probably not producing our best work. After a break, your mind will be refreshed and refocused.

Beneficial for your physical and emotional health.

Get your body moving! Sitting for extended amounts of time can put you at higher risk of diabetes, heart disease and depression. Taking a break by doing a light workout, stretching, yoga or even a short 5-10 minute walk every 2 hours will significantly improve your well-being whilst taking a mental break.

Encourages long term goals.

Personally, taking a holiday or a road trip at least twice a year assists in resetting my goals and restoring my motivation to achieve them. Taking time out to reflect where I currently am and where I am headed helps me to stay on track, and even develop new goals, and of course allows quality time with my family.

Understandably, many of us work in environments where you can’t escape every 2 hours. So if you’re unable to leave your desk, you can still enjoy a healthy snack, take some deep breaths or drink a tea or coffee to reset your mind and increase productivity.

So take a break! Your mind and body will thank you for it.

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