Productivity hacks: What is a productive break and how to take one?

Sometimes you need to get over your screen guilt - a phrase researchers use to describe the idea that if you don’t step away from all your screens, it doesn’t count as a break.

You’ve had back-to-back calls and you’ve been replying to a seemingly endless string of emails. Working from home, or indeed the hybrid work model, can take a toll on your productivity but also your general well-being. Back in the pre-pandemic days, all you had to do was stand up, look over your cubicle and make small talk with your colleague sitting next to you for a few minutes before returning to your work.

Now, as you spend more and more time away from work, that little ritual, like several others that made us productive at our respective workplaces, has faded away. Which is why you need to be even more conscious of taking a break because it’s very easy to get sucked into a vortex of Zoom calls and emails.

Of course, there’s nothing quite like being able to shut your phone and computer for 10-15 minutes (or more), but not everyone has the option of stepping away from the screen. So, sometimes you need to get over your screen guilt - a phrase that some researchers use to describe the idea that if you don’t step away from all your screens, it doesn’t count as a break.

Several studies have stressed on the importance of taking regular breaks during a workday. But the most important study that supports taking breaks is one by Robert Pozen, a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Pozen, who has been extensively quoted in the media, famously recommends taking a 15-minute break ever 75-90 minutes. The reason behind this specific timeframe is that it helps the brain effectively carry out two of its most important tasks: learning and focusing. Taking breaks at these intervals doesn’t just help your brain understand but also retain the information it has recently processed.

Think of the 10-second shavasana you do between each asana in your yoga class. Or the 20-second break you take between each exercise during your HIIT sessions. Each of these breaks is a perfect example of how active relaxing can work. You’re taking a break, but it doesn’t mean you’ve just let go of everything and can’t pick up from where you’ve left off.

A productive break is just that. It’s something you can do to step away from your work but also something that doesn’t throw you down a spiral… like doomscrolling, for instance.

You can continue to be in front of your screen while you take your break. The idea is to just stop doing what you’re doing and, well, do something else for a bit.

During the lockdown, I came across a whole bunch of these walking videos. In the videos, the instructor takes you through a series of very basic movements that get your body moving, even if it is for 10 minutes. These videos may come across as being a tad archaic, but they do the trick. When gyms were closed, videos such as these helped me get moving for nearly two months. You may not have the liberty of taking a 45-minute break, but this 10-minute video is just what you need to step away from your work and still be active. And since you’ll be watching it on your screen, you don’t have to worry about missing that Teams call from your boss or colleague.

We’ve all done that growing up: picking up a story book to distract ourselves from our studies. Time to revisit that old habit! Plug in your headphones and listen to any book. Just ensure you’re listening to something that isn’t related to your work. Listen to a book of nursery rhymes, if that's what works for you, or even self-improvement. But just ensure that it’s nothing to do with your work or the project you’re involved in at that moment. The idea is to step away from whatever it is you’re doing, right? Always remember that.

Treat this as a virtual replacement to standing up and looking over your colleague’s cubicle. Don’t schedule a call on Teams or Zoom, just pick up the phone and dial their number. If they’re free, they’ll join you; if not, they’ll come back to you later… just as they would’ve done in office.

If you don’t have a colleague you can impulsively call, jump into a Clubhouse conversation or Twitter spaces. The idea is to bring in an element of spontaneity to your routine. Just breaking the routine will also help re-energise you, help you see your task at hand in a new light, or even help you get fresh ideas.

Remember that you don’t have to do these activities for a long time. Just 10-15 minutes is good enough. Spending just that little time away from work can enable you to return rejuvenated and refreshed.