Take Microbreaks and Save Your Productivity and Well-Being
Not all great things come in large packages. Research showed that even a small dose of breaks, a ‘microbreak,’ taken throughout the day can make a great impact on your work life and save you from potential physical and mental fatigue at no cost to your productivity.
In this Pacific Prime UK article, we explore ‘microbreaks,’ a small tiny dose of break to rejuvenate your day and ensure better productivity and well-being, what they are, what constitutes a microbreak, and why you shouldn’t feel too guilty the next time you take a peek at your social media notification.
Introduction: Microbreaks, the Tiny Bits to Save Your Day
Under our modern-day hustle culture, it is unavoidable to feel the pressure to perform. With emails to read, reports to write, and Zoom meetings to attend; sometimes, it feels easier to grit our teeth and grind. However, this is not healthy for us.
Skipping breaks could lead to the accumulation of stress and fatigue on both our physical and mental front, which in turn could spiral into a vicious circle of poor performance, more stress, and even poorer performance.
This is where microbreaks come in.
A microbreak is a small dose of break lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes that you can easily take throughout the day. It can involve anything from a brief stretching to dropping by your coffee machine. These tiny rests throughout the day may seem insignificant, but together, they make an impact.
Reducing Fatigue and Injury
In a study from the University of Alberta, Karla Beltran studied fatigue experienced by workers who engaged in repetitive manual labor, and how short breaks could make a difference in their experience.
One group of workers was assigned to work without break, while the other two were assigned short “microbreaks” of no more than a minute every 10 minutes to either rest or stretch.
The result showed a significant reduction in muscle fatigue and risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in workers who were given short breaks between their tasks, either to rest or stretch, all at no cost to workers’ productivity.
“But I don’t engage in manual labor”, you might say. Subjecting your body to extended physical work is bound to result in physical strain. But what about those of us working desk jobs and looking at our computers all day?
Boosting Creativity and Performance
In a separate research, Associate Professor Irina Macsinga, from the Department of Psychology, West University of Timișoara, Romania, took a look into 22 studies from the past 30 years to study the efficacy of microbreak and its impact on workers’ well-being and performance. The result showed that microbreaks could support workers’ well-being and alleviate impacts from accumulated stress, especially when performing routine tasks and creative tasks.
When performing ‘routine’ or ‘clerical’ tasks, workers perform at a high level of automaticity, with high speed and low variability, which leaves room for cognitive resources to wander to other subjects, lose focus, and risk making mistakes. By taking a break, we interrupt this flow of unconscious action and refocus on the next task, hence boosting performance.
Meanwhile, creative tasks require our brains to search our memory for information that is relevant to the task at hand and suppress unrelated information. By giving our brain a short break, we allow it to switch between different tasks, approaches, and perspectives, enhancing its flexibility, which in turn improves creative performances.
Therefore, microbreaks, even less than a minute in length, can be beneficial to either labor workers or desk workers.
Let’s Structure Our Microbreaks
There is only one key in taking your microbreaks: no work-related activities.
In the same research by Assoc. Prof. Macsinga, her analysis found that work-related microbreak activities were associated with an increase in negative moods and a decrease in workers’ well-being and sleep quality. This includes the like of combing through your emails, setting up a work-related goal, or helping your colleagues out at work, for example.
Microbreaks are best when it has nothing to do with your work. Here are some examples of microbreak activities that showed better results in reducing fatigue and enhancing your well-being according to Assoc. Prof. Macsinga’s analysis:
Physical Activities
Physical activities, such as stretching and exercise, which could break down your sedentary period were found to be associated with increased positive emotions and decreased fatigue.
Relational Activities
If you have been skipping messages from your parents or your old friends, microbreaks are great opportunities to check them out. Relational activities like checking in with friends and family members outside of your work circle were shown to have a positive impact on feelings of vitality.
Social Media and Games
Yes, you read that right. No need to feel too guilty when you take a peek at your Instagram notification now. The use of personal social media and games was found to be associated with less conflict between your work and private life, and watching a short movie clip was associated with increased recovery and performance.
Let Us Lighten Your Load and Keep You Going
Be it your physical or mental well-being, or even a simple unfortunate accident on your way to work; we are here to help.
At Pacific Prime UK, we have helped many clients find health insurance plans that suit their needs and budgets. Inpatient care, outpatient care, mental health consultation, or wellness package; list what you need, and we will find the right plan for you.
What’s more, there is no extra cost. From your first contact to making claims, Pacific Prime’s consultation and service is free of charge. Contact us now for a FREE, no-obligation plan comparison.
Coming to Pacific Prime, she is ready to utilize her experience for the new pursuit. With a strong passion for storytelling and writing, she hopes her words could help bring people closer to the best international health insurance plan that works for them. After all, as a writer, there is no greater honor than when one’s words can add clarity to the world of the readers.
Apart from writing, she is an avid planespotter. On the weekends, you can expect to find her loitering around the airport, gawking at all the aircrafts taking off and landing. When the weather does not permit planespotting, you can find her huddling on her cozy couch, watching ballet and figure skating as well.
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