{"id":2400,"date":"2014-09-30T14:02:52","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T14:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydoorsignblog.com\/blog\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2026-03-06T04:00:40","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T09:00:40","slug":"take-more-breaks-productivity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydoorsign.com/blog\/take-more-breaks-productivity\/","title":{"rendered":"Take more breaks, says productivity science"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having productivity issues at the office? It\u2019s time you took a break. Going on vacations, taking time out for coffee, working from home, or browsing through fun stuff on the internet during work hours may make bosses frown, but taking frequent breaks is a guaranteed way to increase productivity, improve focus, and boost creativity, according to a new study.<\/p>\n

Beginning a new chapter in the field of productivity science, a social networking company, the\u00a0Draugiem Group<\/a>, analyzed data from an experiment conducted with time-tracking productivity app\u2014DeskTime<\/a>. They found that the 10 percent employees with the highest productivity surprisingly put in fewer hours than their co-workers. In fact, they did not even work for the full eight hours per day. What drove these people to deliver high performance were frequent breaks, precisely 17 minutes for every 52 minutes of work.<\/p>\n

\"Working<\/a>

Surfing the internet during your beach vacation is okay, as long as it\u2019s not work-related. From\u00a0Giorgio Montersino<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

The break time was spent in non-work related activities like taking a walk, exercising, talking to co-workers, or a quick check on social media accounts.<\/p>\n

Productivity expert Cathy Sexton says that the results of this study aren\u2019t surprising. \u201cThe best way to refresh your focus is to step away and take a break,\u201d she says. The logical reasoning<\/a> behind this is that the brain is just a muscle that tires from repeated stress and needs rejuvenation. And though employees putting in more hours at work are labeled \u201cindustrious,\u201d a smart, productive worker is the one who shows more output in fewer working hours.<\/p>\n

According to The Muse<\/a>, the top 10 percent showed the incredible ability to complete their work during such short periods because they made the most of their 52 minutes by working with \u201cintense purpose.\u201d Also called the “100\u00a0percent\u00a0dedication theory,” working with purpose means that the 52 minutes you work, are dedicated to accomplishing your tasks.<\/p>\n

Another study of the lunch break patterns of office workers conducted by the University of Toronto earlier this year concluded that having no lunch break\u00a0actually led to lower productivity. The brain has a limited pool of psychological energy, according to John Trougakos, associate professor of Organizational Behavior & HR Management and co-author of the study. \u201cAll efforts to control behavior, to perform and to focus draw on that pool of psychological energy. Once that\u00a0energy source\u00a0is depleted, we become less effective at everything that we do,\u201d he\u00a0says.<\/p>\n

An average American works 9.2 hours per day, often without a break. Around a third of workers do not take any breaks at all. Making breaks compulsory in office can be a great way to achieve what employers want\u2014efficient and productive employees. If the 17-minute break\u00a0formula seems too much, you can always opt for \u201cmicro-breaks\u201d that last between 30 seconds to 5 minutes but help your brain kick-start all the same.<\/p>\n

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