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October 29 - December 8, 2020
AFTERNOONS AND COFFEE SPOONS The Power of Breaks, the Promise of Lunch, and the Case for a Modern Siesta
Something happens during the trough, which often emerges about seven hours after waking, that makes it far more perilous than any other time of the day.
BERMUDA TRIANGLES AND PLASTIC RECTANGLES: THE POWER OF VIGILANCE BREAKS
Across many domains, the trough represents a danger zone for productivity, ethics, and health.
One British survey got even more precise when it found that the typical worker reaches the most unproductive moment of the day at 2:55 p.m.
FROM THE SCHOOLHOUSE TO THE COURTHOUSE: THE POWER OF RESTORATIVE BREAKS
When the Danish students had a twenty- to thirty-minute break “to eat, play, and chat” before a test, their scores did not decline. In fact, they increased.
Taking a test in the afternoon without a break produces scores that are equivalent to spending less time in school each year and having parents with lower incomes and less education. But taking the same test after a twenty- to thirty-minute break leads to scores that are equivalent to students spending three additional weeks in the classroom and having somewhat wealthier and better-educated parents. And the benefits were the greatest for the lowest-performing students.
So if the trough is the poison and restorative breaks are the antidote, what should those breaks look like? There’s no single answer, but science offers five guiding principles.
Something beats nothing.
Short breaks from a task can prevent habituation, help us maintain focus, and reactivate our commitment to a goal.
Moving beats stationary.
Regular short walking breaks in the workplace also increase motivation and concentration and enhance creativity.21
Social beats solo.
Outside beats inside.
Taking a few minutes to be in nature is better than spending those minutes in a building. Looking out a window into nature is a better micro-break than looking at a wall or your cubicle. Even taking a break indoors amid plants is better than doing so in a green-free zone.
Fully detached beats semidetached.
The non–desk lunchers were better able to contend with workplace stress and showed less exhaustion and greater vigor not just during the remainder of the day but also a full one year later.
Lunch is the most important meal of the day.
The overall benefits of napping to our brainpower are massive, especially the older we get.46
A large study in Greece, which followed more than 23,000 people over six years, found that, controlling for other risk factors, people who napped were as much as 37 percent less likely as others to die from heart disease, “an effect of the same order of magnitude as taking an aspirin or exercising every day.”49 Napping strengthens our immune system.50 And one British study found that simply anticipating a nap can reduce blood pressure.51
The ideal naps—those that combine effectiveness with efficiency—are far shorter, usually between ten and twenty minutes.
caffeine, usually in the form of coffee, followed by a nap of ten to twenty minutes, is the ideal technique for staving off sleepiness and increasing performance.56
MAKE A BREAK LIST
Start by trying three breaks per day. List when you’re going to take those breaks, how long they’re going to last, and what you’re going to do in each.
Remember: What gets scheduled gets done.
HOW TO TAKE A PERFECT NAP
Find your afternoon trough time.
which for many people is about seven hours after waking. This is your optimal nap time.
Create a peaceful environment.
Down a cup of coffee. Seriously.
Set a timer on your phone for twenty-five minutes.
Repeat consistently. There’s some evidence that habitual nappers get more from their naps than infrequent nappers.
FIVE KINDS OF RESTORATIVE BREAKS: A MENU
Micro-breaks—A replenishing break need not be lengthy.
Moving breaks—Most of us sit too much and move too little.
Push-ups—Yeah, push-ups. Do two a day for a week. Then four a day for the next week and six a day a week after that. You’ll boost your heart rate, shake off cognitive cobwebs, and maybe get a little stronger.
Nature break—This might sound tree hugger-y, but study after study has shown the replenishing effects of nature.
Social break—Don’t go it alone.
Mental gear-shifting break—Our brains suffer fatigue just as much as our bodies do—and that’s a big factor in the trough.
CREATE YOUR OWN TIME-OUT AND TROUGH CHECKLIST
PAUSE LIKE A PRO
elite performers have something in common: They’re really good at taking breaks.
BEGINNINGS Starting Right, Starting Again, and Starting Together
These are the three principles of successful beginnings: Start right. Start again. Start together.
STARTING RIGHT
We simply don’t take issues of when as seriously as we take questions of what. Imagine if schools suffered the same problems wrought by early start times—stunted learning and worsening health—but the cause was an airborne virus that was infecting classrooms. Parents would march to the schoolhouse to demand action and quarantine their children at home until the problem was solved. Every school district would snap into action. Now imagine if we could eradicate that virus and protect all those students with an already-known, reasonably priced, simply administered vaccine. The change would have
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STARTING AGAIN
The first day of the year is what social scientists call a “temporal landmark.”15 Just as human beings rely on landmarks to navigate space—“To get to my house, turn left at the Shell station”—we also use landmarks to navigate time. Certain dates function like that Shell station. They stand out from the ceaseless and forgettable march of other days, and their prominence helps us find our way.
The fresh start effect allows us to use the same technique, but with awareness and intention, on multiple days.
