Breaks are essential in helping you to destress and recharge for the rest of the workday. Whether they are short or long, 15-minute break or 30-minute lunches, breaks offer a respite from the continuous day.
There are different types of activities that constitute breaks:
- A conversation with colleagues
- Having a coffee or tea
- Checking your phone and/or social media content
- Taking a walk around the office
- Having a snack
There are many reasons why taking breaks at work is important:
- Focus & reflection: Your prefrontal cortex (PFC) needs a break. The PFC is the part of your brain that keeps you focused on your goals and allows you to keep thinking logically. Breaks help you to process and retain information
- Increased productivity: Even a 30-second microbreak can increase your productivity up to 13% and a 15-second break from staring at your computer screen every ten minutes can reduce your fatigue by 50%.
- Creativity boost: You will be more creative. Taking a break can give employees a fresh perspective on challenging projects.
- Improved mental well-being & prevent burnout: Taking some time away from the desk to go for a quick walk or enjoy a healthy lunch helps release some of this stress and improves mental well-being. Moving around throughout the day is crucial for physical and emotional health. You can get a little bit of exercise throughout the day as just walking around for a few minutes.
