If you’ve been working on a screened device, remember that screens can tire your eyes due to the close range in which you engage with them and their emittance of blue light.

Scrolling through and posting on social media.

(How do I feel at this moment? Does _ activity make me happy? Do I feel like I have agency over this experience, or is it something that is just happening to me?)įor example, consider this list of common but generally less-effective study breaks:

If you are unsure, check in with yourself the next time you are on a device. Consequently, these types of breaks can make you feel less in control and cause you to experience negative emotions. In particular, scrolling on your phone or surfing the internet can overload your prefrontal cortex with decision-making (Which link should I click on? Which photo do I pause over?) and can become addictive.

Unfortunately, instead of leaving you feeling replenished, some breaks may have the opposite effect and leave you feeling further depleted. Taking breaks while studying can even improve recall! If you find yourself growing increasingly frustrated or stalled on a certain task despite your efforts, this may be a sign that it’s time to rest your brain and take a break. Effective breaks can help to reduce your stress levels so that you’re ready to re-focus when you return to your work. This level of concentration gets harder by the minute as your brain expends energy! At some point, you will need to recharge in order to replenish after working so hard.įor this reason, while it may seem counterintuitive, taking regular breaks can actually help you be more productive than working without stopping. Your prefrontal cortex is mostly responsible for this kind of “think-work” as it plays a major role in your ability to concentrate, think logically, and resist uimpulses. When you are working or studying hard, your brain has to resist distractions in order to focus on the task at hand. This handout discusses when to take breaks, what kind of breaks to take, and how to incorporate breaks into your day depending on how much time you have, what you need to get from your break, and how you feel. Do you ever find yourself studying for hours on end but not getting much done? Do you feel like you don’t have time for a break but end up scrolling on your phone anyway? Contrary to popular belief, taking breaks-if they are the right kind-can actually increase productivity rather than decrease it.

Take a break facebook friend