By MaKennah Hollon
If you’re anything like me when I was a freshman, you’re probably living under the age old excuse that you don’t have time for a break. That you’re too busy. That it’s a waste of time and you have things to do. These are excuses that held me back from being more productive in my studies and are probably holding you back too. It’s hard, but by prioritizing breaks, you’ll be more productive, attentive and focused on what you’re doing. Breaks can ultimately help you get more things done in a shorter amount of time so you can avoid the age old college student method of staying up all night.
Why You Should Prioritize Breaks:
Breaks allow you to refocus.
When you truly enjoy learning about a concept or topic, it’s easy to pick up your books and start studying it. You’ll get in your study groove and hours will feel like minutes. Sadly, this feeling doesn’t last and you might find your mind wandering. This is perfectly normal, and not because you can’t concentrate or zoned out. By taking a break, you can essentially recalibrate your brain which will allow you to refocus and continue studying. According to Dr. Alejandro Lleras, the phenomenon that you lose focus on a task after doing it for a long period of time is due to the fact that our sensory preceptors become habituated, or familiar with, the task (4). He found that the information that the stimulus, or whatever you’ve been staring at for the past hour, is providing no longer becomes meaningful. A study conducted by Lleras and his postdoctoral fellow Atunsori Ariga proves this idea that brief breaks can be beneficial to avoiding the focus phenomenon. This is because, “The brain is built to detect and respond to change,” and therefore taking a brief break can allow you to refocus and get back to hitting the books (4).
Breaks can feel rewarding.
You know the feeling. Getting the things that you need to done and checking them off your list of things to do can feel very accomplishing, especially if you got something done that you didn’t really want to do. You’re not always going to have a lot of motivation to study so a break in between study sessions can be a something to reward yourself with when you’re done. A study done by the International Journal of Stress management suggests that by taking a brief break in between accomplished tasks can fill the desire for self-reward (2).
If breaks are so important, how long should they be?
If you’re thinking about taking a hour study break for every ten minutes of work, that’s not really a study break. However, there is a certain you’re welcome to try and it might end up helping you take an efficient study break.
Have you ever tried to study for fifty minutes with ten minute breaks in between each fifty minute intervals? If you have, you’re applying a method called the pomodoro technique. The pomodoro technique was developed by Francesco Cirillo when he was a graduate student looking to increase his productivity. According to Larry Burton from Andrews University in Michigan, “The basic concept behind the Pomodoro Technique is the creation of focused, timed work sessions during which you focus on a single task (3).” This allows for you to work efficiently for a set amount of time on a set task and then take a break after each task. Burton recommends doing twenty five minute pomodoro sessions, or study intervals, with subsequent five minute breaks after each session for tasks that aren’t particularly enjoyable (like studying a subject you don’t really like), and fifty minute pomodoro sessions followed by a ten minute break after each session for tasks that you do enjoy (like studying for you major classes). His research found that by using this technique you decrease procrastination and get more work completed (3).
What should I do during my breaks?
What you do during your break is dependent on how long your break is. Ultimately, the goal during the break is to take your mind off of the work you were just doing and relax. A couple options you are welcome to try are to:
Stretch
Get up and move your body around. I’m not saying go for a full on jog (unless you have time and then by all means exercise is welcome and healthy even), but get some blood flowing to your extremities. Stretching can help relieve any cramps you might have gotten from sitting so long at the desk which will allow you to relax and regroup (1). It can also help you refocus on your work if you feel your mind wandering. It’s a great way to take your mind off of whatever you’re doing for a couple minutes and pay attention to what your body is telling you (sometimes it’s telling you to get a snack).
Refuel
Think about it. Athletes eat to fuel their muscles and academics need to eat to fuel their brain. Being dehydrated isn’t going to help you focus and really just going to give you a bigger headache than you already have. By grabbing a quick snack in between sessions, you’re giving your body the fuel it needs to keep studying.
Scroll through Social Media
In today’s age, we can hardly resist picking up our phones and checking our favorite social media engines. Instead of feeling bad every time you check your notifications during your study session, save social media for your study breaks. A study conducted for science direct found that by checking your phone during your break can increase your mood and overall task performance (5). We’re a generation of people who are practically attached to our phones so by scrolling through your favorite apps during your break time can be a beneficial way to help relax and regroup so you can get back to studying.
Overall, it’s hard to remember to take a break especially if you have a lot of things to do and not very much time to do them all in. In theory, it might seem like a waste of time but as you’ve probably realized by now, it actually will help you check more things off your to-do list than you think. It can allow you to regroup, refocus and stay motivated to keep studying. Breaks can be incorporated in all aspects of your life and not just in your study sessions and if you find yourself needing a break you can try one of my methods to help relax and regroup.
(1) Bojic, L. (2018, January 29). Stretching Survival Guide for Your Break! – Lilly Physical Therapy in Edmonds-Shoreline WA. Retrieved from https://lillypt.com/stretching-tips/.
(2) Bosch, C., & Sonnentag, S. (2019). Should I take a break? A daily reconstruction study on predicting micro-breaks at work. International Journal of Stress Management, 26(4), 378–388.
(3) Burton, L. D. (2016). Can a Tomato Increase Your Productivity? Journal of Research on Christian Education, 25(2), 95–96.
(4) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (2011, February 8). Brief diversions vastly improve focus, researchers find. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 1, 2019 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110208131529.htm
(5) Fritz, C., et al. (2013). Embracing work breaks: Recovering from work stress. Organizational Dynamics, Science Direct 42(4), 274–280.