When you’re focused on your work,
“I’ll take a break once I finish this document.”
“Just a little more, and then I’ll stop.”
you keep telling yourself, and before you know it, you’ve been sitting at your computer for hours.
Does that sound familiar?
We all know breaks matter, but carving out a full 30 minutes or an hour in the middle of a busy workday isn’t easy.
That’s why more and more attention is turning to short breaks of just a few minutes, known as “micro-breaks”.
In fact, research suggests that even short breaks of 10 minutes or less may have a positive effect on fatigue and vigor during work.
Do Breaks of “10 Minutes or Less” Really Make a Difference?
In 2022, researchers from West University of Timișoara in Romania and elsewhere published a meta-analysis on micro-breaks in PLOS ONE.
The analysis covered 22 studies with a total of 2,335 participants.
In this research, micro-breaks were defined as short breaks of 10 minutes or less, and compared with taking no break at all.
The results showed that taking micro-breaks
reduced feelings of fatigue
increased vigor
These effects were small, but statistically significant.
In other words,
“I don’t have time for a real break, so there’s no point in taking one”
isn’t necessarily true.
Stepping away from work for just a few minutes may be one way to reset that tired feeling.
Do Focus and Job Performance Improve Too?
Here, we need to be a little careful.
The same meta-analysis did not find that micro-breaks clearly improved overall job performance.
However, the longer the break, the greater its effect on performance tended to be.
The type of task also made a difference.
Positive effects were seen for relatively simple tasks and creative tasks, while for difficult tasks that place a heavy cognitive load on us, there were cases where breaks of 10 minutes or less alone did not bring sufficient improvement.
So this is not a story of
“Rest for three minutes and your focus will be fully restored.”
That’s not what the research says.
It’s more realistic to think of short breaks as something we use mainly to ease fatigue and get our energy back.
So How Many Minutes Should You Rest?
This study doesn’t let us settle on a single “optimal break length.”
What is interesting, though, is that the longer the break, the greater the benefit to performance tended to be —that much was confirmed.
So it may help to use breaks like this:
Starting to feel a little tired
→ Step away from work for just a few minutes
Your mind is slowing down after a long stretch of focus
→ If you can, take a somewhat longer break
Adjusting the length to how you feel is a good approach.
What matters is
not “I can’t take 30 minutes, so I won’t take a break at all,” but “I’ll step away, even for just a few minutes.”
For busy professionals especially, this way of thinking may be easy to put into practice.
What Should You Do During a Few Minutes’ Break?
There are many ways to spend a micro-break.
For example:
Stand up from your desk.
Take a short walk.
Stretch.
Have a drink of water.
Look out the window.
Look away from your computer for a few minutes.
Simple things like these.
You don’t need to do anything special.
That said, if you’re going to step away from work anyway, try not to keep checking email or work chat during your break, too. That’s worth keeping in mind.
Simply switching from your computer screen to your smartphone may mean your mind is still at work.
Even for just a few minutes, try creating some time that has nothing to do with work.
Think of Rest as Part of Your Work
The busier we are,
“Taking a break feels like a waste of time.”
the more we tend to feel this way.
But rather than only resting for a long time once fatigue has built up, there’s another approach: taking short breaks before you’re completely worn out.
In this meta-analysis, too, even breaks as short as 10 minutes or less were found to reduce fatigue and boost vigor.
At La HEAD, in a calm, fully private room, you can step away from your computer and smartphone, close your eyes, and let us slowly care for not just your head but your neck, shoulders, and arms.
In your everyday work, too,
“Always take a 10-minute break after 50 minutes of work”
—there’s no need to set strict rules like that.
When you notice, “I’m getting a little tired,” stand up from your desk for a moment.
Look away from the screen for a few minutes.
Then return to your work.
On days when you can’t rest for long, rest briefly.
Making good use of micro-breaks may become one of the habits that help you stay comfortable all the way to the end of a busy day.