If you don't know how to take a break...

[StevenHandel]

...then you don't know how to work. The two processes are intimately related.


Agree or disagree?

Thoughts?

[spacecadetglow]

Hehe, brilliant. Just what I needed to hear, too.

[faithsdaddy]

Originally Posted by StevenHandel

...then you don't know how to work. The two processes are intimately related.


Agree or disagree?

Thoughts?

Mostly disagree. I think it's a good idea to know when to take a break, but there are many people who flourish without doing so. I, personally, am someone who takes breaks as and when I feel like it, but do my best work when I focus and don't stop.

I had a friend who was studying for his MBA, who didn't leave his bedroom for 3 months solid. I think that apart from- literally- a few exceptions, that really was how he spent about a 1/4 of a year of his life.

Different strokes for different folks.

[SatvikBeri]

The important part is knowing how to manage your energy. Taking breaks is one method of managing your energy, but there are several.

You can work normally and take breaks normally.

You can work intensely and meditate/exercise/use a trigger to recover energy quickly.

You can focus your mind entirely on one thing, thus saving the mental energy you would use on other activities. If you focus your mind only on studying, you can study pretty much forever.

You can work a little less intensely than normal, thus not using much energy, which lets you go for long periods without real breaks.

You can switch between different types of work, resting one part of your brain while using another.

And so on.

[James81]

I had a thought this morning and that thought was this:

How often do I use my vacation time to relax?

Not very. Usually I use my vacation time to do things I don't have time to take care of during the day.

So, essentially, vacation time has become more like "different kind of work" time.

[WarrenG]

The boring answer is that it depends. As faithsdaddy says, different people will have different concentration spans, mental energy, and all that. Plus different tasks will drain your mental energy quicker than others.

You also have to think about what's optimal, as well as what you are physically able to do, and that depends on the outcome you want. For example, take tasks that require a lot of intense focus and attention to detail, like proofreading/editing, research, data analysis, or anything involving creative effort (e.g, essay writing). You might be able to do these continuously all day, but as your mental fatigue grows, your performance will suffer, you'll be more likely to make mistakes. So it's probably better to take breaks every 40-60 minutes, for 10-15 minutes. You might spend less time "at the desk", and you might even get less done, but because quality is your goal you're actually being more productive this way.

On the other hand, mechanical tasks, or tasks that have a wide margin of error you can probably do for longer (incentives are better than breaks in such cases).

There are some tasks, however, that it's better to keep going on. For example, whenever you're in the flow state. Because the flow state is generally pleasant and goes hand-in-hand with high performance (typically), and because it can take quite a while to get into flow, it makes sense to keep going. Writing in a 'stream of consciousness' way does this for me (like right now), but writing an essay to answer a question doesn't, because it requires a lot of checking to be sure I'm on track.

Finally, it also depends on what you do while you're on your break. If you do a mentally demanding task, then on your break you do some intense concentration meditation, you're not giving your mental energy a chance to replenish. Things that grab your attention effortlessly, but not in an 'exciting' way are best. Spending time in nature is the best choice and the most well researched way of restoring mental energy (even looking at pictures of nature works). As opposed to watching a sports game, for instance.

Also, make sure to drink enough water on your breaks, especially if you drink a lot of caffeine, and eat food too. You'll fatigue faster if you're hungry or dehydrated, which can make breaks sub-optimal, maybe even pointless if you don't replenish.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by StevenHandel

...then you don't know how to work. The two processes are intimately related.


Agree or disagree?

Thoughts?

Totally agree.

The separation of rest versus work is actually a key component of the Wake Up Productive time management program that I will be promoting soon as an affiliate.

Basically, you can increase your productivity while you work by actually resting more, and by resting correctly. If you are "resting" but you are busy thinking about all of the stressful things in your life, or busy concentrating on what you have to do for work tomorrow, then you're not really resting and you'll be burnt out when you do return to work.

Originally Posted by James81

I had a thought this morning and that thought was this:

How often do I use my vacation time to relax?

Not very. Usually I use my vacation time to do things I don't have time to take care of during the day.

So, essentially, vacation time has become more like "different kind of work" time.

Another idea in Wake Up Productive is basically that if you have to take a vacation from your work, then you obviously aren't "working correctly" because if you were, you would intertwine rest and work into the same day so that your energy is never actually depleted and you never actually "need" a vacation from your work, since work is much less stressful.

Eben Pagan goes into this in depth in his program... But it is a little too complex to explain in full just in text (the program is all in videos/audios).

[James81]

Originally Posted by Curtis2011

But it is a little too complex to explain in full just in text

Come on Curtis! Don't leave me hanging here!

(You can do it!)

[StevenHandel]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

The boring answer is that it depends. As faithsdaddy says, different people will have different concentration spans, mental energy, and all that. Plus different tasks will drain your mental energy quicker than others.

It sounds more like you agree, but you recognize the balancing point is different for different people and also depending on the task. I absolutely agree with this. A carpenter would take a different kind of break than a computer programmer.

Curtis, that product sounds really interesting. I'll have to look into it more.

On another related note, I recommend this article I stumbled on today: How Getting Nothing Done Can Make You More Productive.

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by StevenHandel

It sounds more like you agree, but you recognize the balancing point is different for different people and also depending on the task.

Yeah definitely - agree, but with some caveats.

I absolutely agree with this. A carpenter would take a different kind of break than a computer programmer.

Right: they could probably each do the others' job as their break!

[StevenHandel]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Right: they could probably each do the others' job as their break!

I like that way of thinking about it. A lot.

[Curtis2011]

Originally Posted by James81

Come on Curtis! Don't leave me hanging here!

(You can do it!)

Lol!

Well honestly there are two reasons I haven't typed it out.

1) Because I was being lazy and it will take awhile to explain... and...

2) Because I was waiting for my affiliate application for the program to be approved I don't want people buying it because of me without using my affiliate link!

(By the way, I just got approved! So I will have that link up in my sig soon if the moderators allow it. I will also try to do something special for people who invest in it through my link! We'll have to see how it turns out)

Originally Posted by StevenHandel

Curtis, that product sounds really interesting. I'll have to look into it more.

You should definitely look into it! Just as soon as I get that affiliate link working...