Why taking breaks at work can make you more productive

It has become increasingly clear that taking breaks at work helps keep you healthy and productive. Both are important for working individuals to continue to do a good job as well as take care of themselves. Burnout at work is a real problem and employees need to be able to practice reasonable self care so things never escalate to that point. Here are just a few of the reasons why taking breaks at work keeps your productivity levels high.

It Takes The Mind Off Work

Taking a break removes the mind from work and allows it to focus on something else for a while. This is beneficial because when you shift your thinking away from something, you often come up with solutions you hadn’t considered before. For example, employees puzzling over a problem are going to be more likely to find a solution once they stop focusing on it. This makes you more productive because you stop wasting time stuck on a problem your mental block won’t allow you to solve. Solutions can occur to you on your break or after you come back to work with a fresh perspective.

Taking Exercise Breaks Keeps You Physically Healthy

One important thing employees can do on their breaks is do exercises. These can be simple exercises at your desk such as standing and stretching or exercise that takes more time such as walking around the building. The benefits of exercise on physical health are well documented and doing even a little every day can allow you to reap the benefits. Sitting all day, on the other hand, increases your chances of developing diabetes, heart disease and obesity. It can help you relieve stress, which helps to prevent health conditions such as high blood pressure and musculoskeletal issues. Employees who are not healthy are also less productive, as they get sick more often, take more time off and do less while at work when they aren’t feeling well.

It Lets You Socialise

While some breaks can be spent by yourself, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of spending time with your co-workers. You may get ideas from them that help you in your own work, and the socialisation works to boost your mood. Getting to know your co-workers better can also increase long-term productivity because you will bond with them and learn how to interact with them more conducively for improved team performance. You can also make quick personal calls or texts to your friends, significant other or children to check in on them. This improves your mood as well and helps you feel more invigorated as you get back to work. Humans are innately social and therefore function better with regular interaction with others.

It Lets You Rest

Rest is especially important in physically demanding occupations, such as construction or nursing. If you exhaust your body and don’t take breaks occasionally to let it rest, your strength and stamina will lessen and you will ultimately get less work done. Fatigued workers are also more likely to be involved in workplace accidents. Pacing yourself properly helps keep you physically able to do your job well throughout the day. Even desk jobs can be demanding due to stress levels, and taking breaks allows you to rest and calm down before coming back to your work. Taking the time to rest your eyes helps prevent eye strain. Resting your brain improves concentration, learning and overall cognitive function.

It Restores Motivation

It’s easy to start feeling worn down at work, which can grind your motivation to a halt. Taking breaks refreshes you both mentally and physically so you can sit back down after a break and resume work with restored determination. This is especially true for long-term goals, where motivation can decline the longer you have been working at it. Taking occasional short breaks from these tasks actually improves performance and makes it more likely that you will meet your goal.

Forcing the brain to stay hyper focused on work throughout the workday lessens productivity. The solution to this is to take regular breaks so you can refresh both physically and mentally several times a day. Doing so will not only make you more productive but help you prevent job burnout too.