The exact amount of time for daily work

Recent studies scientifically substantiate the need to calculate the exact time that should be spent on rest during the work day. In this article you will find a selection of tips that will help you correctly organize a sufficient number of breaks during the work day.

Known fact: frequent breaks during the working day are very useful for maintaining a healthy working capacity, focus and creative abilities. But is anyone at least doing this kind of utility in practice?

Stress and devastation are eternal companions of monotonous clapping on the keyboard for days on end. And there is plenty of such evidence of fatigue in any field. Last year's University of Toronto research on the principles of organizing lunch breaks in an office environment found that the absence of these breaks reduces productivity. One of the authors of the study, associate professor John Trougakos of the Organization for the Study of the Working Mode and Personnel Management, claims that the supply of psychological energy in the human brain is strictly limited.

“The tasks of monitoring the operating mode are the calculation and replenishment of the supply of psychological energy. When such a psychological reservoir is emptied, a decrease in labor productivity occurs in any field of activity, ”the scientist writes.

RecentlyDraugiem Group , a social media research company , has complemented a Canadian study. Using the DeskTime application , which tracks and calculates the workload of employees, the researchers set up an experiment, wondering what habits the most effective employees have. It was found that 10% of employees with the highest labor productivity in some surprising way spend no more time on work than everyone else. Moreover, such employees do not even work out a full eight-hour working day, because take regular breaks. Dry, but very “speaking” figures: on average, after every 52 minutes of active work, such employees rest for 17 minutes.

“It was found that maintaining a constantly high level of working capacity for the whole day is impossible. A reasonable approach with periodic interruptions is more effective, ” writes Julia Gifford on the pages of The Muse , where the results of the study were published. Employees with the highest labor productivity intensively performed their tasks for 52 minutes, after which they rested, allowing the brain to restore energy and prepare for the next active-working period.

A study by the Draugiem Group once again confirms the scientists' long-standing assertion that the human brain is simply not created for constant concentration over a continuous eight-hour working day. “The best way to replenish your focus is to step back from the task and take a break,” said productivity expert Katy Sexton, who is not surprised at the overall result of the Draugiem Group study.

Surprisingly, other conclusions of scientific work relating to specific classes during the breaks of the most effective employees. “17 minutes of relaxation are spent exclusively away from the computer - without checking email, without watching YouTube videos,” says Gifford. Walking, chatting with colleagues (namely chatter, not talking about working topics), solitude for reading books - the most common pastime during breaks of the most productive workers.

Many of us often need to imitate violent activity, tightly sticking to the workplace for long hours. However, Gifford states: “The study clearly shows managers how important it is to let employees understand that taking a break and taking a walk is natural, and they can do it without being afraid to look like a lazy or ineffective employee.”

The following selection of tips will help you competently organize a sufficient number of breaks during the working day:

• Schedule breaks in your daily work schedule. Ideally, every 52 minutes.
• Set an alarm or “reminder” to know when to return to work.
• The list of scheduled tasks should be realistic. “We often overload the list of scheduled tasks, making it completely unrealistic to complete. In addition, we underestimate the amount of time needed to complete a particular job, ”continues Sexton.
• Prioritization in tasks. Before the start of the working day, select the three main goals on which you should concentrate. And current and constantly arriving tasks need to be marked on another, separate sheet. If necessary, you can change priorities. It is much easier to work on a three-point plan than on a long list of 30 tasks. When the first three tasks are completed, you can choose another three priorities from the second, longer list.

PS Another article relates to this topic - How to achieve more by doing less. Recommended!

Translation by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult