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Break Time!

You probably know you are "supposed to take breaks." But you ask, "Why bother?" Many of us prefer to plow through our work without interruption (and pass out at the end of the day). Barreling through "on a roll" makes us feel productive and taking breaks may seem like a waste of time. Many of us continue this habit in the evening, surfing the internet, answering emails, or doing other intensive hobbies which focus us so intently we lose track of time. After hours of concentrated work, we often "wake up" to realize that hours have past, our eyes are tired, muscles tight, and our rear ends are flat.

You will actually work more productively (and last much longer) if you interrupt yourself often. Research has revealed the following specifics regarding the length and duration of breaks:

1. Frequent pauses are effective if they are taken before the onset of appreciable fatigue. ¹
2. The greater the frequency of the pauses the greater their effectiveness. Frequent rest pauses 1.5 minutes long produced a productivity increase of 6.45%. Frequent rest pauses 2 minutes long produced a productivity increase of 11.15%. ²
3. For infrequent rest pauses (every 80 minutes), the optimal rest break length is about 6 minutes.³
4. Very short pauses ("micropauses") of 15 seconds taken frequently (every 10 minutes) can reduce the fatigue at the end of a shift of data entry work by 50%. ⁴
5. Poorly designed workstations can increase the length needed for rest breaks by a factor of three. ⁵

What can you do to rejuvenate your body for 15 seconds every 10 minutes? Drop your hands from your work, stretch, close your eyes, breathe. Interrupt yourself right now for 15 seconds. It's not really that long, is it? The trick is remembering to take that break BEFORE you feel the need for it. That is why we advocate integrating breaks into your work.

Examine the flow of your workday and integrate micro-breaks at convenient moments…Stretch after every three emails...Stand up after every three phone calls…Shake your arms after every third row of numbers. Congratulate yourself each time you complete even minor tasks. "Hooray! I finished editing that paragraph! Time to loosen my shoulders with a little shimmy and a shoulder roll." Integrate movements you enjoy into the flow of your work. You'll be more productive and you'll feel better at the end of the day. Put away that pain killer and take a break!

If you cannot remember to take breaks by yourself, there are some very good software programs available that remind you automatically and provide animated stretch exercises. Please visit our break timer webpage.

1. H.Bohrs, 1978, in Cakir, Hart and Stewart, "Visual Display Terminals", 1980. p. 247-253.
2. Hanhart, 1954, in Cakir, Hart and Stewart, "Visual Display Terminals", 1980. p. 247-253.
3. Graf, 1922, in Cakir, Hart and Stewart, "Visual Display Terminals", 1980. p. 247-253.
4. Ehnstrom, 1981, in S. Pheasante "Ergonomics, Work and Health", 1991.
5. S. Pheasante "Ergonomics, Work and Health", 1991. p. 245.

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