Micro-Breaks: Keep Your Mind Fresh and Energized Throughout the Day

When our days are busy, our minds are busy. It’s important we know when to take a step back and enjoy a healthy break from one activity to the next.

According to one new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, daily “micro-breaks” play an important role in self-regulation and keeping ourselves energized throughout the day.

A micro-break is any brief activity that helps to break up the monotony of physically or mentally draining tasks. It can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.

Common examples of “micro-breaks” can be a simple coffee break, nature walk, or just getting up from your desk and doing a few push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks.

In general, most people can only work for 30-45 minutes at a time before their minds get tired or distracted. At that point, your work begins to suffer. It’s easier to become distracted by social media or just mindlessly looking at a task without really making any progress.

Knowing when to take a break (and how to take a break) isn’t the opposite of productivity, but a way to maximize your motivation.

The Pomodoro Technique is one popular time management technique that recommends the power of micro-breaks. The main idea is to work for 25 minutes at a time, then taking a quick 3-5 minute break. After 4 cycles, you can take a longer break between 15-30 minutes.

The specific numbers don’t matter too much. It will likely depend on what type of work you’re doing and how long you can stay focused. I don’t personally practice the Pomodoro Technique, though I know plenty of people it has helped.

Here’s more about micro-breaks and the ways you can apply them to your daily life.

Micro-Breaks

There are only two main rules behind micro-breaks: they must be short and voluntary.

Naturally, we underestimate short breaks, but even just giving ourselves a few minutes to walk away from an activity can help us press the “reset button” and revisit the activity with a clean slate.

We have to be able to choose our own micro-breaks though. If a company makes it a mandatory policy to take a certain micro-break (such as going for a walk every half hour), then that break likely won’t have the desirable effect.

When you choose your own micro-breaks, focus on activities that you enjoy and energize you. It’s up to you to experiment with what types of micro-breaks make the best sense to you.

One man’s break is another man’s work.

For example, someone who works at a physically-demanding job may want to take a break by doing a mental activity (reading a book, doing a cross-word puzzle, or listening to music). But someone who works at a mentally-demanding job may want to take a break by doing a physical activity (going for a walk, doing push-ups, or going to the gym).

It’s important that your breaks rely on different physical and mental abilities compared to your work, so that the activity is genuinely recharging and rejuvenating.

I have a wide-range of different micro-breaks I can take at any given time, but which I choose often depends on what type of work I’m taking a break from.

Here are suggestions for types of micro-breaks that could potentially work for you.

A comprehensive list of “micro-break” recommendations

• Stand up and walk – Many jobs today are sedentary and involve sitting at your computer for long periods of time, so the most commonly recommended breaks involve something active and physical. A new study published in BMJ Neurology suggest that we should probably get up and move around at least five minutes every hour or so, even just taking a lap around the office is better than nothing.
• Quick exercise – Another great way to take a mini-physical break is to do some quick push-ups, sit-ups, or jumping jacks. You can often complete a couple reps within a few minutes, making it the perfect length for a micro-break. I make use of these types of breaks frequently to keep my energy levels up and my blood flowing. If I find myself getting a bit lethargic or lazy, I just get up and do a quick round of push-ups or pull-ups. A bit of mindful stretching is also a good option.
• Bathroom breaks – Bathroom breaks are probably the #1 micro-break used throughout the day. Stuck on a difficult problem at work? Feeling stressed out talking to co-workers? You know what, I’m just going to go to the bathroom. Even if you don’t have to use it, the simple act of getting up, leaving your office, having some alone time, and washing your hands or face can be a nice temporary rest from work.
• Coffee/Water-cooler break – Another common break used in offices and workplaces is the infamous “water-cooler break” or “coffee break.” Getting fatigued looking at your computer? You know what, I’m going to re-fill my drink. Again, it’s another reason to get up, move around a little, and maybe even do some idle chit-chat. In fact, one study published in the scientific journal Language and Speech discovered that friendly “water-cooler talk” at work can improve employee relations, job engagement, collaboration, and create a more positive work environment. The company cafe or lounge can be a great place to take a micro-break and unwind for a bit, especially if you’re looking for some social interaction.
• Quick chores – If you work from home (which many people do these days), then doing tiny chores throughout your day can be the perfect way to take a temporary break from work. I take frequent breaks from writing to wash the dishes, clean the kitchen counters, vacuum a room, or take the dog for a walk. While I’m generally not a big “chores” person, even breaking up chores as micro-breaks has helped me become a more tidy and organized person. I’ve even learned to enjoy chores more, perhaps because I’ve reframed many of them as a temporary break from more demanding activities.
• Small dose of nature – Time spent with nature has shown to have many physical and mental health benefits. One study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that even just a 40-second view on a green roof can help restore attention and focus. Pay more attention to everyday nature for easy and relaxing opportunities to take a micro-break, even if it’s just observing the trees and birds outside your window for a couple minutes.
• Puzzles and games – Another effective way to take your mind off of work for a bit is to play fun games or puzzles as a healthy distraction. For example, many people work on their daily NY Times crossword puzzle or Sudoku puzzle as a fun little escape from the stressors of work. There are also plenty of mobile games you could use as a relaxing break, but be careful not to become too addicted to them (consider setting a timer to remind yourself when to stop playing).
• Well-timed lunches and snacks – We all need to eat throughout the day, so mealtimes and snack times can become another natural break to integrate into our day. The most important thing is that you choose the right time to eat a meal. Identify consistent times of the day when you are low energy and need a longer break, and try to schedule your mealtimes around then. While these may not technically qualify as “micro breaks” if they last more than 10 minutes, they are still crucial to maximizing your energy levels throughout the day.
• Watch a music video or nature video – Watching a favorite music video or cute animal video on YouTube is a legitimate way to improve your mood and decrease stress and anxiety. Try to save some favorite channels or videos to go to when you need that extra mental health boost. But again, be careful not to go down the YouTube rabbit hole and end up watching videos for the next hour (set a timer for when to go back to work).
• Practice “grounding” techniques – Grounding is generally considered a tool to relax yourself in the present moment when you feel overwhelmed, but you can also use all of these techniques as a type of “micro-break,” especially if you are feeling extra stressed or anxious.
• Call a family member or friend – A quick check-in with family or making weekend plans with a friend is a nice little break from work. It’s also a positive reminder that there is more to life than just your job or career. This is a great suggestion for those who crave extra social interaction at work that they feel isn’t getting fulfilled.
• An imaginary vacation – Our imagination is very powerful force if you know how to use it properly. Technically you can take a micro-break simply by closing your eyes and taking a mini-vacation to a nice beach resort or foreign country. If you build your skills of imagination, you can take a micro-break virtually anywhere at anytime.

There’s an infinite number of “micro-breaks” you can take, the key is to find which ones work best for you. The list above is just to get you started.

For most people, it’s not healthy or reasonable to expect to focus on work for extended periods of time without some type of mini-break or rest.

If you’re not taking strategic micro-breaks throughout your day, your overall productivity and motivation is likely suffering for it.

Overall, research shows that micro-breaks improve mental health, work engagement, and job performance in a variety of ways.

What’s your favorite type of micro-break? How can you use it more effectively?

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