5 Ways Taking Breaks Can Help Productivity
5 Ways Taking Breaks Can Help Productivity: "But, how can it? I'm drowning in work; I can't afford it." Yes, you can. And you should.

The ambivalence surrounding work breaks! Do we indulge? Or are we just being straight-up lazy? To endure guilt or to "Excelsior!" through it? We need a definition. What is a break? Is it an excuse or a physiological need? Or perhaps a mental one? Breaks weigh heavy on us, and it's for a good reason. We are hardwired to perceive work as a continuum; we are what we contribute, and if, by any chance, we feel a sudden urge to take a sharp left and vanish for a moment, our entire professional image might suffer grave consequences. We were idle, indecisive, anxious, and blatantly absent. And, indeed. How do we justify the lack of vigor, the stillness? To indulge in a break equals doing absolutely nothing. - to an untrained eye, at least. The truth is, they are an absolute must. Let's take a look at 5 ways taking breaks can help productivity.
You snooze, you lose
The perpetual leitmotif behind the modern business scheme. Most of us fear being left behind, missing out on opportunities, or, worst case scenario - we fear being overtaken by someone more vigilant than us. In order to avoid the potential dangers and catastrophes, we overwork ourselves to mental death; we become meerkats, human radars, blood, sweat, and tears machinery, working tirelessly out of sheer trepidation, especially when faced with an influx of younger generations. The audacity! - Is teetering on the edge of a breakdown considered a hobby? Or are we actually going to do something about the impending burnout? Scientific fact: periodic breaks are good for you. You and your work. Let's do this.
1. Physical health +
We all know the relentless sitting hours too well, a looming predator preying on our health's soft spots. No matter how ergonomic and cutting-edge our chair may be, being still for countless hours on end can have detrimental effects on our overall health - from our bones to our metabolism. Working becomes a comfortable (and exceptionally stealthy) growing ailment. Eyesight, obesity, cardiovascular diseases (heart problems), mood disorders, diabetes. The list goes on. With the infamous remote era slowly coming to an end (for some), the question remains: How do we get the much-needed stretch (minus the remote PJ outfit)? Just get moving. Taking a break every 60 minutes, getting up, and walking for a minute or two can do wonders for your back, eyesight, and metabolism. + it gets the happy hormones going. The office strut - highly recommended.
2. Stress cleanser
Breaks are for everyone - bankers, stay-at-home moms, street artists, dentists, NFL players. There is no difference; the need to reset and alleviate deposits of accumulated stress is what we have in common. In the eyes of work-related stress, we are all equal. A break is a lethargy crusher, no matter how minimal your physical movement may appear to others. The name of the game, whether it be 30 minutes or 3 hours (depending on your job description) - LIFT ME UP. Do something different. Find your mood booster. Engage in an activity that will cancel out the commotion. Introverted people tend to gravitate toward seclusion (if working in a human beehive) - so take a walk outside, listen to music, and grab a table for one. Extroverts enjoy socializing, texting a friend, and sitting down for a quick coffee. Many find commercial moving to be the ultimate stress-inducing act. There's a cure, though; no need to panic. When in need, moving experts can take care of it. Stress-free.
3. Motivation: restored
"Time is money" - all the motivation we'll ever need, right? Wrong. The more we chase it, the more elusive it gets. Motivation, just like pretty much anything else regarding human nature, is not a servant of the continuum. Riding the prolific wave will get us only so far. Taking breaks can help productivity; it can and it will, but only if we embrace the rule of mental restoration. Our brain is not a tireless machine yearning to be exploited until the vanishing point. Prolonged periods of work time without taking a break will, inevitably, suck you dry. Don't let it. Without the necessary energy, your motivation is bound to hibernate until further notice. Long-term projects are especially dangerous when it comes to burnout. Taking short but frequent breaks will replenish your creative energy levels. Don't let FOMO (yes, the fear of missing out is ever-present) stop you from rebooting your immaculate mind.
4. Decision-making: level PRO
Breaks are a thing of intellectual beauty. Now, let's evoke a random day at work. It's riddled with decision-making, no matter how seemingly insignificant. Information overload 8-10 hours, straight. Without indulging in healthy breaks, we risk poor judgment, as our reasoning deteriorates due to incoming sensory stimuli. - a perpetual treadmill of tasks. Our willpower shrivels, and weariness sets in. All we want is for everything to go away. We become hasty, even reckless, when making an important call, followed by procrastination and mental fog. Breaks make the jigsaw fall into place. Experts from divinemoving.com suggest: It's important to know when to take a break. If you're in the "flow," don't interrupt it, as your productivity is already peaking.
5. Productivity +++
Fully charged. Taking care of your physical and mental health is essential; your entire professional performance rides on the two paramount factors. If you deprive yourself of necessary breaks, exhaustion and stress will stick to you like glue. (the kind you call 911 for) Our office space, too, affects our productivity; but not many of us get to choose our work environment. The creative duct, our productivity channel, can only be replenished by exercising self-care. According to research, people who take regular breaks are more engaged and have better overall performance. Scientists have also found that breaks improve memory and learning capacities. (and, to our great astonishment- they're actually pro power naps! If the conditions seem favorable, we wholeheartedly recommend it)
Final thoughts
So, yes, taking breaks can help productivity, but, more importantly, it can be a great mood booster. Taking care of our physical and mental health should always come first, no matter how important our work is. It can wait.

