Take Breaks Early for a More Productive Day
You know how important it is to take breaks throughout the day to get more done , but if you postpone breaks until midday, you may not be getting as much benefit from them as you could.
Fast Company cites a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology by Baylor University management scholars Emily Hunter and Cindy Wu:
“We found that as more hours elapsed since the start of the work shift, fewer resources and more symptoms of ill health were recorded after the break,” they write. “Thus, breaks at the end of the day seem less effective. … … … “
The findings are consistent with previous conceptual work arguing for the need to “preload rest breaks ” on a schedule that distributes breaks evenly throughout the day. Obviously, you don’t want to take a break on your way to the office. But the general idea is that stopping work prematurely keeps your abilities at the level they had at the beginning of the day, so by the time the work day is over, they will not have dropped so dramatically.
I have taken breaks when I feel like my mental energy is starting to wane, but I guess I was taking breaks wrong. Time to take a break!
How To Take The Most Refreshing Break From Work: 7 Proofs | Fast Company