The importance of regular breaks during your work day is a topic that I’ve touched upon a number of times on this blog over the years.  For instance, research has shown how regular breaks help us to follow the rules, get into the ‘zone’, and of course, increase our productivity.

It’s one of those messages that has proven a tough sell however, with the virtue of hard work providing difficult to shift.  Maybe a recent study that explored the most effective times to take a break would help get the message across.

The best time to take a break

The researchers surveyed employees across their work week, with each required to chronicle their break taking each day.  For the purpose of the study, a break was defined as a period of time where work related tasks weren’t required.  So this included work tasks you do for ‘fun’ as well as things like lunch breaks, personal emails or going on Facebook.

It transpired that the average employee took two breaks per day, but the effectiveness of those breaks varied considerably, with some well established conventions challenged.

For instance, the standard thinking is that we should take a break when we suffer the afternoon slump.  Alas, this wasn’t found to be the case at all, with a mid-morning break found to be much better for our productivity than any other time in the day.

The rationale was that the dreaded slump often occurs because of our drained energy levels, so replenishing those during the morning is invaluable.

“We found that when more hours had elapsed since the beginning of the work shift, fewer resources and more symptoms of poor health were reported after a break,” the authors say. “Therefore, breaks later in the day seem to be less effective.”

What kind of break is best

So if morning is the best time to have a break, what kind of break is best?  The study revealed that rather than doing something completely different to your day job, the key is to do things you really enjoy, even if that is a work task.

“Finding something on your break that you prefer to do – something that’s not given to you or assigned to you – are the kinds of activities that are going to make your breaks much more restful, provide better recovery and help you come back to work stronger,” the authors say.

The study revealed that when employees followed this advise, they typically showed higher energy levels, greater concentration and were more motivated in their work.  This translated into higher levels of job satisfaction as well as positive organizational behavior.

The authors suggest that frequent, short breaks doing something you really enjoy is the best approach to take.

“Unlike your cellphone, which popular wisdom tells us should be depleted to zero percent before you charge it fully to 100 percent, people instead need to charge more frequently throughout the day,” they say.