how do you not lose focus when you take a break?

[strawberryShaker]

im pretty good at getting focused.. well actually it must take a while. its like i have to build up to it.

but the moment i take a break.. man i lose sight so fast. i almost go into a downward spiral of socializing more than anything else. the amount of getting side-tracked is so annoying. i lose confidence and think i cant start again. idk why. i feel like im too far gone when im with my friends. In high school i was a wild child i guess this has something to do w/ it?
how do i stop letting breaks affect me so much?

its not that i cant say no to my friends its just the time passes so fast. i have a hard time going back.


also sometimes when im on the internet its the same.

how does this happen to me? how do i keep focused even during breaks? this is the hardest thing ever for me. Please help ?

[Clint Cora]

Learn from your past experience. Taking breaks is actually a good thing because it helps you recharge your batteries. It's been shown that if you do not take breaks as you try to focus on a project, your focus will start to dwindle as you approach your limit. So breaks can help you.

Now, in your case, it sounds like the duration and/or kind of breaks you take are too long or in a way that takes you too far from your projects. I'll give you a good example. I stretch a lot for fitness and martial arts. I do take breaks from these activities as they help me recharge and maintain interest. But if I have too long a layover, I notice that my flexibility goes down a bit.

So I have to judge from past experience, just how long the ideal break for me is. Long enough to recharge my batteries but not too long so that my flexibility decreases. You don't want to break long enough that you have to start all over again each time.

So modify your breaks so that they are optimal for you.

[alexjones]

Thanx guys!

[strawberryShaker]

Originally Posted by Clint Cora

Learn from your past experience. Taking breaks is actually a good thing because it helps you recharge your batteries. It's been shown that if you do not take breaks as you try to focus on a project, your focus will start to dwindle as you approach your limit. So breaks can help you.

Now, in your case, it sounds like the duration and/or kind of breaks you take are too long or in a way that takes you too far from your projects. I'll give you a good example. I stretch a lot for fitness and martial arts. I do take breaks from these activities as they help me recharge and maintain interest. But if I have too long a layover, I notice that my flexibility goes down a bit.

So I have to judge from past experience, just how long the ideal break for me is. Long enough to recharge my batteries but not too long so that my flexibility decreases. You don't want to break long enough that you have to start all over again each time.

So modify your breaks so that they are optimal for you.

but its soo not for me! how long is a good break? i thought taking a day off like saturday was a good idea.. but now im not so sure i mean if i spend the whole day out, then sunday im a spacecase and im thinking about what i wish i was doing until im doing it.

[wstein]

If you are not losing focus, then you are not taking a break. Besides recharging your internal resources, the benefit of a break comes from NOT focusing on your main task. Yes, you will have to re-focus upon returning to it. However, you will now have some insight that comes from the non-focused point of view.

The issue here seems to be getting sidetracked, not a loss of focus (as you seem to sense). I suggest that you have a preplanned low difficulty activity ready for you when you take a break. Try to pick something with a finite time span (for instance walk down to the corner store (or vending machine in another building) and buy something to drink). This will occupy you while you are away from your main task. In a sense you are keeping light focus but shifting it to another activity. The structure of a preplanned activity will reduce random distractions.

[Clint Cora]

Originally Posted by strawberryShaker

but its soo not for me! how long is a good break? i thought taking a day off like saturday was a good idea.. but now im not so sure i mean if i spend the whole day out, then sunday im a spacecase and im thinking about what i wish i was doing until im doing it.

Like I said, you have to find the optimal break time for YOU. Your optimal break may very well be different from others. Could be 20 minutes, 1/2 day, whatever. Just find what may work for you.

[strawberryShaker]

Originally Posted by wstein

If you are not losing focus, then you are not taking a break. Besides recharging your internal resources, the benefit of a break comes from NOT focusing on your main task. Yes, you will have to re-focus upon returning to it. However, you will now have some insight that comes from the non-focused point of view.

The issue here seems to be getting sidetracked, not a loss of focus (as you seem to sense). I suggest that you have a preplanned low difficulty activity ready for you when you take a break. Try to pick something with a finite time span (for instance walk down to the corner store (or vending machine in another building) and buy something to drink). This will occupy you while you are away from your main task. In a sense you are keeping light focus but shifting it to another activity. The structure of a preplanned activity will reduce random distractions.

So i shouldn't wander far? Too much? Is that what you're saying?



i am also starting to think i got too confident about what i did last week. Felt like i did sooo much, when i took my break i totally let myself go. And my mind got wrapped up in hooking up two of my friends. Even when i came back I wasn't really back home

Thank you for your feedback!!

[wstein]

Originally Posted by strawberryShaker

So i shouldn't wander far? Too much? Is that what you're saying?

I am saying If you wish to return to your task after a relatively short break, do not allow random distractions during that break. By preplanning a sedate break activity you are less likely to get pulled so far that you don’t return to the main task.

[Matt Maresca]

Where I find myself running into trouble is when I take a break but still think about the things I'm taking a break from. This isn't an actually break for my mind is still on the task. We all need breaks to clear our mind and get refreshed. The key is not to feel guilty about taking breaks, but having a plan for getting started back up again. If you don't get refreshed from a break, then yes it will be difficult to get going again. Some of us actually need to practice taking better breaks!