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Are People Who Take Frequent Breaks More Productive? (qz.com)
Dr. Travis Bradberry has a PhD in industrial-organizational psychology, and argues that "The eight-hour workday is an outdated and ineffective approach to work."
A study recently conducted by the Draugiem Group used a computer application to track employees' work habits. Specifically, the application measured how much time people spent on various tasks and compared this to their productivity levels. In the process of measuring people's activity, they stumbled upon a fascinating finding: the length of the workday didn't matter much; what mattered was how people structured their day. In particular, people who were religious about taking short breaks were far more productive than those who worked longer hours.
The ideal work-to-break ratio was 52 minutes of work, followed by 17 minutes of rest. People who maintained this schedule had a unique level of focus in their work. For roughly an hour at a time, they were 100% dedicated to the task they needed to accomplish. They didn't check Facebook "real quick" or get distracted by e-mails. When they felt fatigue (again, after about an hour), they took short breaks, during which they completely separated themselves from their work. This helped them to dive back in refreshed for another productive hour of work.
People who have discovered this magic productivity ratio crush their competition because they tap into a fundamental need of the human mind: the brain naturally functions in spurts of high energy (roughly an hour) followed by spurts of low energy (15 - 20 minutes).
He suggests breaking your day into rough hourly intervals, followed by "real" rest. "Getting away from your computer, your phone, and your to-do list is essential to boosting your productivity. Breaks such as walking, reading, and chatting are the most effective forms of recharging because they take you away from your work..."
"If you wait until you feel tired to take a break, it's too late -- you've already missed the window of peak productivity."
The ideal work-to-break ratio was 52 minutes of work, followed by 17 minutes of rest. People who maintained this schedule had a unique level of focus in their work. For roughly an hour at a time, they were 100% dedicated to the task they needed to accomplish. They didn't check Facebook "real quick" or get distracted by e-mails. When they felt fatigue (again, after about an hour), they took short breaks, during which they completely separated themselves from their work. This helped them to dive back in refreshed for another productive hour of work.
People who have discovered this magic productivity ratio crush their competition because they tap into a fundamental need of the human mind: the brain naturally functions in spurts of high energy (roughly an hour) followed by spurts of low energy (15 - 20 minutes).
He suggests breaking your day into rough hourly intervals, followed by "real" rest. "Getting away from your computer, your phone, and your to-do list is essential to boosting your productivity. Breaks such as walking, reading, and chatting are the most effective forms of recharging because they take you away from your work..."
"If you wait until you feel tired to take a break, it's too late -- you've already missed the window of peak productivity."
At the opposite end of the spectrum, I once worked at a small shop where the dev team numbered under 20 where management had instituted a break policy after too many of the staff were having migraine and RSI issues. 20 minute walks one mid-morning and one mid-afternoon was the requirement. That became the culture, and twice a day someone would get to a good stopping point and ask if anyone wanted to take a walk. Generally everyone else would get to a stopping point in the next 5 minutes, and the whole office then got up and walked 5 minutes down the road to a pond, hung out there for 5-10 minutes, and then walked back.
The two hours following a walk were the most productive hours in everyone's day.
Some fresh air, sunshine, staring off into the distance, and small talk were all everyone needed. That loosened up stiff muscles, got the blood moving, and let everyone's minds subconsciously wrestle with the issue of the day, while relaxing enough to let it happen. Sometimes work got talked about, but most of the time it was random shit or nothing at all.
That's what made me realize how misguided the hyper-focus on hours-at-the-desk really is. It's quality of hours-at-the-desk, not quantity. It's just easier to measure quantity, so that's what everyone does.
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