Taking breaks at work may be one of the most important things you can do to increase productivity and engagement, but when the pressures of pulling the ‘big deal’ across the finish line start to mount, breaks become a luxury were not willing to indulge in.
According to the Quality of Life @ Work Study of 20,000 employees, only 49% of employees take more than one break during the day. Even worse, only 9% took a break every 90-minutes.
That’s a massive problem for achieving success; employees who take a break every 90-minutes reported:
- 28% higher level of focus,
- 40% greater capacity to think creatively, and a
- 30% higher level of health and well-being
Try a new approach
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management tool developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. Its name is inspired by a the tomato-shaped timer that Cirillo used to track his productivity.
The Pomodoro Technique involves alternating 25 minutes of focused work with 5-minute breaks to maximize productivity, eliminate burnout, manage distractions, and create a better work-life balance.
Start making changes
Getting started with The Pomodoro Technique is simple:
- Choose a task to work on
- Set your timer to 25 minutes
- Work on the task until the timer goes off
- Take a 5-minute break, go to the bathroom, get a drink, or simply stand and stretch
- Take a longer break of 15–30 minutes after four work cycles
The secret, frequent breaks
Consistently refreshing and recharging means you never get run-down and burnt out. Best of all, use this technique perpetually.
During my ‘All-Nighter Experiment’ I completed 20 individual 25-minute Pomodoro’s between 8 PM and 8 AM. That’s 8 hours and 20 minutes of 100% focused and productive work, I was fresh and sharp the entire time.
Double your productivity
check out this article to learn how to use The Pomodoro Technique as a system for achieving everything you want in life
Email me if you need help implementing the Pomodoro Technique. I’ve worked with clients in the past to successfully change bad habits that negatively impact work/life balance.
For a deeper dive into the Pomodoro technique and more, check out My System for Getting Better at Work Every Day.
