You’ve got an important project to work on and you know you’re going to have to keep focus for a long period of time in order to get it done. But you find after a short while that you’ve lost motivation and you’re getting distracted more easily.
You might think taking a break will only slow you down. But structured and restorative breaks are essential for maintaining high levels of productivity, creativity, and overall well-being.
They’re the secret weapon of first-class focusers.
You likely fall into one of these categories of bad breakers
Non-breakers: People who (think they) don't take any breaks at all. They claim to work eight to twelve hours straight. In reality, the majority of those hours are spent working at a leisurely, unfocused pace, where all sorts of interruptions and distractions steal their attention. It takes them eight hours to do what should’ve taken four.
Intensive workers: Those who work intensely and only break when they're completely fatigued. The last half of their work wasn't done with nearly the vigour that the first half was done with.
Long breakers: They take regular breaks, but they’re unstructured and filled with activities that deplete their cognitive resources rather than restore them. Their breaks usually go much longer than intended.
The necessity and magic of breaks
Working deeply requires a level of intensity that’s rooted in your ability to stay focused on the task at hand and keep distraction at bay.
This type of work is cognitively demanding. It requires greater resources than leisurely or shallow work does and can’t be maintained for long stretches at a time without those resources getting replenished.
"Refreshed work is orders of magnitude better than fatigued work." - Zoë Read-Bivens
Think of lifting weights at the gym. Your muscles can't support continuous strain for more than a couple minutes before they’re exhausted. This is why workouts are structured into reps and sets. You do a set of 10 reps, then take a break to allow your muscles to recover. When you start the next set you're able to complete another 10 reps or so.
When doing deep work sessions, I pretend I’m a professional athlete
When I take a break, it's like I'm in the locker room between quarters. I'm doing what's needed to restore my capabilities while staying away from those things that will harm them.
Athletes don't smoke in the locker room between quarters (anymore), and you shouldn't be doing modern-day equivalents like scrolling social media.
Before you start working, schedule breaks
The best way to avoid being a bad breaker is to set a timer. Work until the timer goes off then break for a set period of time. Repeat.
When I run deep work sessions with people, we’ll usually work for 30 minutes then take a 10-minute break. This will be repeated for four to six cycles.
By setting a timer, you're forced to take a break even if you think you don't need one. Often when I take a 10-minute break after the first 30 minutes, I don't feel like I need it. But I know that I've got five more 30-minute cycles to come, and by the time I'm done the third cycle my brain is starting to strain and the breaks are welcomed. And I'm in a better place for having taken the earlier breaks than if I had skipped them.
I keep my timer visible so I can see how much is left in the cycle (try your best not to use your phone as a timer as it'll just prove distracting). When there's two minutes left, I let everyone know so they can tie up loose ends and pause in a good place. Maybe they finish off the task or maybe they need to come back to it. Studies show pausing work is easier on the brain if done at a natural break point. It also makes it less cognitively demanding to pick up where you left off after the break.
What to do during your break
We tend to think breaks require the absence of activity in order to properly recharge. If you've worked to exhaustion, this may be true.
But a good break consists of engaging in things that energise and avoiding those that deplete energy. They’re restorative, not just recuperative.
Laying on the couch for 10 minutes scrolling social media and responding to messages doesn’t allow your cognitive resources to recharge.
Strive for mental rest
This means avoiding screens. Do not check your phone or scroll the internet. Do not look at any screens whatsoever.
Ideally you don't even talk to anyone.
Engage in analog-only activities
Simple tasks like folding the laundry or putting away the dishes can prove to be restorative.
Physical movement is the best analog activity
If you worked sitting down, ensure you're standing for most of the break. If you worked standing up, try to sit for at least half the break.
Move around. Walk, swing your arms, engage in some stretching and mobility.
State change
During break you'll want to keep your state in mind. Getting your heart rate up will help you tackle that next cycle after you're feeling cognitively drained. Some professional poker players will do wind sprints in the parking lot between games. They know that, like professional athletes, the state you're in will play a big role in how you perform once you're back in the game.
Avoid eating during breaks
Plan your deep work session so that you've eaten beforehand (ideally an hour or so before, and stay away from those carbs!).
Making something to eat during break usually takes longer than planned. And often, you don’t finish eating during the break and so continue eating as you resume working.
As well, introducing food into the system will divert some of your body's energy towards digesting it. Remember, the whole goal here is to restore physical and cognitive energy levels, not deplete them.
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