The perfect break

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Coffee breaks, lunch breaks, small talk in the hallway - most people take a break or two during the working day. But which strategy is the best to get through the day as fit and motivated as possible?

Emily Hunter and colleagues at Baylor University in Texas investigated this question. To do this, they had around 100 employees documented over a five-day working week exactly when they took a break, how long, and how we spent them. On average, the participants took two breaks a day.

It was not particularly effective to work through until noon - the participants fared much better in terms of energy, concentration and motivation if they took their first break in the morning.

Refuel in good time

So it makes little sense to work until the “batteries” are completely exhausted - recharging your batteries every now and then seems to be the better method.

The break did not even have to mean a break from work - even those who continued to work, but deepened themselves a bit that gave them particular pleasure, recovered well.

The investigation also revealed one more thing: Although a long break is not wrong, it is obviously more important to take several breaks throughout the day. Whether these last 15 minutes or half an hour is less important for the recovery and motivation effect. (cf)

Give Me a Better Break: Choosing Workday Break Activities to Maximize Resource Recovery. By Hunter, Emily M .; Wu, Cindy, Journal of Applied Psychology, Aug 10, 2015, No Pagination Specified.

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