Why taking breaks helps you get more done

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A to-do list is one of the most common ways to control your daily routine. However, it often turns out to be ineffective. There is a solution: start carefully scheduling all your breaks. And this method will definitely work.

What is a break list

A to-do list, to-do list, or checklist, whatever you call it, can sometimes be frustrating. After all, we write out in a column all that, it seems, really needs to be done. There are so many tasks, panic begins. A classic checklist looks like a messy heap of to-do's. And I want to push this leaf far away, out of sight.

The to-do list is basically endless. It can end only in one case: if you die.

The problem is that you are concentrating on the number of tasks that you need to finish in time today. What you don't think about is coffee breaks, a walk, or everyday tasks.

Maybe you should pay attention to these pleasant things?

Breaks are good. They are necessary, they protect us from burnout, do not let us go crazy. On the other hand, taking a break can turn into a procrastination session. If you don’t know how to manage your free time, you will not be able to force yourself to complete the assigned tasks.

In general, along with your to-do list, start making a list of breaks.

You need to schedule several breaks of fixed duration. You can use them when you need them the most. When the break is over, cross it off the list. The break plan can be placed next to the to-do list for today. Then you will always have a functional, understandable list of tasks and free time slots before your eyes.

Why another list is needed

List for list - this sounds a little odd. It seems, why strain and do so? Well, first of all, lists are sheer fun. Second, there are a few more benefits.

Mindfulness = motivation

Remember the good old sense of guilt? It appears when you have done little or nothing.

Instead of letting guilt eat up a little of you every day, use it as a motivation tool.

Taking a break list helps you to be aware of how often you are distracted from work and what exactly you are spending that time on. You could use all of your scheduled breaks and not cross out a single item from your to-do list: let that motivate you to work faster. On the other hand, if you find that none of the scheduled breaks have been used, stop. This fact should motivate you to take a break.

Of course, you don't have to make a list. You can keep all this in your memory. However, the visual information that is constantly in front of your eyes is much more impressive.

By comparing both lists, you will get a complete understanding of how your workflow works and how active you are today.

Scheduled breaks increase efficiency

When you decide to take a distraction to check Facebook, watch YouTube videos, or play games, there is no end goal. A short respite turns into a session of endless procrastination. If all of your breaks are planned, you can choose specific activities that will take as much time as you intend.

You can go to Facebook, but plan to respond to no more than 10 notifications. You can turn on a computer game, but only in order to go through just one level. It's good that you have your favorite activities, but they need to be limited in order to be more productive.

Two lists are a gambling competition

When you cross off cases from the checklist, it is, of course, happy, but not enough. No fuse! Let's add a game element. Crossing out items one by one from the first and second lists, you turn it into a small competition. And of course, it's much nicer when the number of tasks completed is slightly higher than the number of breaks spent.

Imagine a confrontation between two teams, where the main prize is your high productivity. Just don't sacrifice interruptions to win the to-do list: keep balance, save your nerves.

Scheduled breaks prevent burnout

You may not be procrastinating that much. But you work more than enough. You probably know firsthand what burnout is.

When a person works a lot, he just needs someone to remind him of simple things. For example, have lunch on time. Exercise your eyes. Take a few minutes for a walk.

The same goes for breaks. And the list in which they are and are planned will definitely help to avoid overwork.

How to create a break list

The to-do list looks impressive and can make you nervous. The list of breaks will be more fun: there are so many interesting things to do! Write in it the things you love to do.

How long can the break last

Most of us need about 15 minutes to get some rest from work. Let this be the minimum length of the break. You can increase it up to half an hour or even up to an hour: take as much time as you need.

What to do during the break

Do what you enjoy and match the activity with the planned length of the break. For example, you can't draw a portrait in 15 minutes, but you can read a chapter from a book. But in half an hour you can do exercises, watch a series of sitcoms, cook lunch.

When you have a list of what you would like to do during your break, write these activities in a column.

Please note: there is no need to strictly limit yourself in the break time, for example, give yourself 15 minutes to read one chapter of the book and not more.

Instead, sort your activities by duration and note how long they will take. Complete everything that you have planned, even if it takes a little longer than the planned time. If you make a list of breaks all the time, sooner or later you will know exactly how many minutes you will spend on a particular activity.

And a few more tips:

• As you create your to-do list and break list, take a new sheet of paper every day and write it all over again. This can be done electronically, in an application for example.
• Mark up the priority of the task, such as stars or flags.
• Be sure to cross out tasks and breaks after you finish.
• Compare both lists at the end of the day. Evaluate how much you have done and whether you got enough rest from work.

Tools to be aware of

You can make lists on a simple sheet of paper or electronically. Therefore, you may find it useful:

• To-do list applications. There are thousands of them! If you like Wunderlist, Todoist or Asana, just use these programs. Check out Trello. It is one of the most famous task monitoring apps. Very convenient, understandable, available in the desktop version and for smartphones. But there are no clear rules here, so do it the way you like.
• Paper notebook. It doesn't seem worth explaining: for some it is much more convenient to write on paper. You can create a blank and print several copies for each day.

You don't really need any special tools to start planning your day. However, they help make the process more fun and interesting.