The importance of breaks has been proven by researchers. They discovered how many minutes of rest increase productivity by more than 50%, following an experiment they did at the University of Sydney, Australia.
How many minutes of break increase productivity by more than 50%
According to the results of the experiment, a five-minute break can increase performance and productivity in subsequent tasks by more than 50%.
Professor Paul Ginns, an expert in educational psychology, said the “significant” improvements made by taking a restorative break could apply to both classrooms and the workplace.
“Although this study was conducted on students, I am quite confident that these results can be applied to younger and older people. Rest is important and not only related to cognitive function, but also to recharging emotional batteries.
This is a piece of advice we give to children. It’s an easy-to-apply trick to increase productivity and it’s accessible to everyone,” said the professor, stating that the study provided evidence for the effectiveness of the Pomodoro Technique, which advocates taking five-minute breaks after every 25-minute interval of intense work. .
How the experiment was done
In the experiment at the University of Sydney, 72 students took a self-study lesson and two grueling mental maths tests, according to the Daily Mail.
Those who were allowed a five-minute break between the two tasks scored an average of 57 percent higher on the second test—when other ability factors were taken into account—than those who continued without stopping.
Some of the “rested” students took unstructured breaks, while others were asked to watch a relaxing nature video. However, both groups performed better on the second test than their “tired” peers.
