Taking Breaks
Do you ever find yourself studying for hours on end but not getting much done? Do you feel like you don’t have time for a break but end up scrolling on your phone anyway? Contrary to popular belief, taking breaks—if they are the right kind—can actually increase productivity rather than decrease it. This handout discusses when to take breaks, what kind of breaks to take, and how to incorporate breaks into your day depending on how much time you have, what you need to get from your break, and how you feel.
Why are breaks important?
When you are working or studying hard, your brain has to resist distractions in order to focus on the task at hand. Your prefrontal cortex is mostly responsible for this kind of “think-work” as it plays a major role in your ability to concentrate, think logically, and resist uimpulses. This level of concentration gets harder by the minute as your brain expends energy! At some point, you will need to recharge in order to replenish after working so hard.
For this reason, while it may seem counterintuitive, taking regular breaks can actually help you be more productive than working without stopping. Effective breaks can help to reduce your stress levels so that you’re ready to re-focus when you return to your work. Taking breaks while studying can even improve recall! If you find yourself growing increasingly frustrated or stalled on a certain task despite your efforts, this may be a sign that it’s time to rest your brain and take a break.
What breaks are less effective?
Unfortunately, instead of leaving you feeling replenished, some breaks may have the opposite effect and leave you feeling further depleted. In particular, scrolling on your phone or surfing the internet can overload your prefrontal cortex with decision-making (Which link should I click on? Which photo do I pause over?) and can become addictive. Consequently, these types of breaks can make you feel less in control and cause you to experience negative emotions . If you are unsure, check in with yourself the next time you are on a device. (How do I feel at this moment? Does ____ activity make me happy? Do I feel like I have agency over this experience, or is it something that is just happening to me?)
For example, consider this list of common but generally less-effective study breaks:
- Scrolling through and posting on social media
- Reading and responding to emails
- Surfing the internet
If you’ve been working on a screened device, remember that screens can tire your eyes due to the close range in which you engage with them and their emittance of blue light. So it’s common to need to take a break from screens in general. Especially if you are taking classes remotely and already have a lot of mandatory screen time every day, take a break that helps you unplug to give your eyes and brain time to relax and recharge. For more information on how to unplug, check out our Digital Distractions handout.
What kinds of breaks have positive effects?
After reading the section above, you might be thinking, “Well, what kind of break is effective?”
In general, effective breaks help you distance yourself from work-related thoughts and facilitate an experience that will leave you feeling more refreshed. It can help to start by asking yourself, “What do I want out of my break?”
Effective breaks tend to require intrinsic motivation. In other words, a good break will likely incorporate something you want to do. To evaluate your motivation, consider what benefits you glean from the task. Does it help you relax? Does it excite you because you’re trying something new or challenging yourself? Does performing the activity help you exercise control?
Here is a chart of a few different kinds of breaks that may help you to feel refreshed when you return to working:
How long should a break be?
You may be wondering how long a break needs to be in order to reap the benefits. Building in regular, short breaks can help you stay motivated . It can also be helpful to reward yourself every once in a while with a longer break. Many people find it helpful to use the Pomodoro technique , in which you work for twenty-five minutes, and then take a five-minute break. After four twenty-five minute work sessions, give yourself a longer, twenty- or thirty-minute break. You might consider starting with this strategy and adjusting your breaks to fit your needs. Even breaks as short as a minute , if they fulfill all the criteria of an effective break, can improve your performance and productivity when you return to work. Remember that next time you think you “just don’t have time.”
“Okay, okay, but what if I really don’t have time for a break?”
If you really cannot find time to take a break, try switching tasks (also known as interleaving)! Some studies have shown that by interleaving , you can get some of the same benefits that a break would provide. If you are feeling burned out on studying biology, you might consider switching to reading for your literature class or revising a paper—or doing something totally different like your laundry or dishes. But think of this as a short-term strategy until you can work more time into your schedule .
How can you determine which breaks are best for you?
Everyone is different, so what might be a great break for your friend may not be the best kind of break for you. The best thing you can do is self-monitor and learn by keeping a record of how different kinds of breaks make you feel. You also might ask yourself questions such as “What do I want to get out of this break?” and “How do I want to feel?”
If you want to feel more motivated, you might consider a break that includes movement, whereas if you want to feel more productive, you could consider a break that will engage a different part of your brain by setting a goal or learning something new. For a break that will leave you feeling more creative, consider changing your environment and going outside.
You might even consider making a “break menu” of activities that meet one or more of the criteria above. That way, instead of instinctively pulling out your phone to check social media, you already have a premade list of activities that you can choose from. It can even be helpful to have an accountability buddy when taking a break. You can share break strategies and help each other avoid the temptation to let a thirty-minute break stretch into three hours! Ultimately, it is up to you!
How can technology help?
Need some help managing your breaks? Technology can help you remember to take breaks:
- Timers as reminders. Using your phone’s timer, or a specialized timer app on your phone or computer, can help you remember to take breaks. If you struggle to return to your work after a break, consider also timing your breaks.
- Rest your eyes. There are many apps that can remind you to take a break from your screen. If you can’t take a full break from your screens, you can help minimize some of the negative effects of screens by adjusting your device’s blue light settings.
- Take advantage of campus resources. As a UNC student, you have access to many free resources that can help you take an effective break. For example, you can rest your eyes by checking out an audiobook from the library or integrate movement by attending a program with campus recreation .
Testimonials
Check out what other students and writers have tried!
- How I Use the Pomodoro Technique : a Writing Coach shares his experience using the Pomodoro Technique to alternate between taking breaks and working.
- Productivity Sprints : Writing Coach Megan shares how she uses both shorter and longer breaks to maximize her productivity.
- Keeping Motivated with Rewards : read more about the breaks that peer tutor Caleb uses to increase his productivity.
Works consulted
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
Mantua, Janna, and Rebecca M. C. Spencer. 2017. “Exploring the Nap Paradox: Are Mid-Day Sleep Bouts a Friend or Foe?” Sleep Medicine 37, (September): 88–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2017.01.019 .
McGuire, Saundra Y. 2016. Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate in Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation . Sterling: Stylus Publishing.
Oakley, Barbara. 2014. A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science (Even If You Flunked Algebra) . New York: Penguin Group.
Sonnentag, Sabine, Laura Venz, and Anne Casper. 2017. “Advances in Recovery Research: What Have We Learned? What Should Be Done Next?” Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 22, no. 3 (March): 365–80. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000079 .
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How to Take a Break from Studying
Last Updated: July 31, 2024 Fact Checked
This article was co-authored by Emily Listmann, MA . Emily Listmann is a Private Tutor and Life Coach in Santa Cruz, California. In 2018, she founded Mindful & Well, a natural healing and wellness coaching service. She has worked as a Social Studies Teacher, Curriculum Coordinator, and an SAT Prep Teacher. She received her MA in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education in 2014. Emily also received her Wellness Coach Certificate from Cornell University and completed the Mindfulness Training by Mindful Schools. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 82,751 times.
Studies show that taking a break from studying helps improve your productivity, concentration, energy, and creativity, and rejuvenates your brain so you get more out of your study session. There are several effective ways to take a break from studying based on your personal preferences, and on what works best for you.
Using Study Breaks Effectively
- Exact results can vary from person to person, with some people doing best if they break every 50 minutes and others being able to go for about 90 minutes before crashing. Experiment with amounts of time within this range to find what works best for you.
- The length of your break may also vary slightly from person to person, but 15 minutes is usually a good place to start. Avoid breaks that are less than 10 minutes long or longer than 25 minutes, and factor in the amount of time between breaks when determining how much time to take. For instance, a 25-minute break might be appropriate if you spend 90 minutes in between each one, but it would be more appropriate to take a 10-minute break if you only study for 50 minutes straight.
- For instance, if you’re reading through a chapter of a textbook, stop once you reach the bottom of the page you’re on or the end of a sub-chapter (for more complex material), instead of waiting until you reach the end of the chapter or unit.
- Postponing the break may mean working past your brain’s ability to concentrate, or worse, inadvertently skipping it altogether.
- On a similar note, it may even be beneficial to set an alarm on your phone to remind you when to start your break, as well. Setting alarms should make it easier to concentrate, whether you’re concentrating on your learning material or your break time activity.
- For instance, if you were studying chemistry before your break, you might switch to language arts after your break.
Practicing Healthy Study Break Activities
- If you do exercise or play a sport, make sure you don’t feel too sweaty, tired, or uncomfortable afterward. It’s best to stick with a moderate energy activity instead of a vigorous one. For instance, you could shoot a few baskets, but it might not be a good idea to play an actual game of basketball.
- If the weather isn’t good or if you don’t want to exercise outside for another reason, consider including some indoor physical activity. Even marching or jogging in place for a few minutes should give you a quick energy boost.
- At the same time, keep in mind that this should be a break. If cleaning your study area seems like a long or demanding process--something to dread--it might be best to skip this activity during your break time and save it for after you finish this study session or before you start tomorrow’s session.
- Just make sure you’re able to stop talking once your time is up. Choose someone who will be understanding and willing to end the conversation early--a parent, for instance, or another friend who can coordinate their study schedule with yours. Briefly explain that you’re on a time limit, set your timer as usual, and avoid heavy conversations that are likely to extend past your break time.
- Consider snacking on a handful of nut or seeds for some energizing vitamin E, or biting into a bar of dark chocolate (which also contains antioxidants and a small dose of caffeine). Since these foods tend to be high in calories and fat, however, you should stick to only an ounce a day. [2] X Research source
- Other options might include whole grain popcorn, crackers, or chips, avocados, and blueberries.
- After setting your timer, sit somewhere quiet and comfortable, with your eyes closed or fixed on a blank space (like an undecorated wall). Take deep breaths--inhaling over five seconds, holding for five seconds, and exhaling for five seconds--and focus on the way it feels to have your lungs fill with and release the air.
- There are other forms of meditation you can also dabble with. For example, you might try mantra meditation , in which you’ll repeat a short, calming word or sound--like “om”--to help clear your mind and release tension.
- Like any other break activity, you should make sure that you choose reading material you can break away from easily when your timer goes off. This is not the time to pick up that captivating, page-turning novel you’ve been dying to read. Instead, consider something like an anthology of short stories or a magazine.
- If you’re the dancing type, consider dancing around or singing as you listen to your music, too. Doing so could also provide some physical activity, which gets your blood flowing in a way that energizes the mind.
- Depending on how long your normal “beauty routine” is, you might want to save this for a break time happening later in the night, when you can skip the routine without worrying about leaving the house and being seen with your hair still unstyled and your clothes looking wrinkled.
- Use your best judgment for what is ok to do on a break and ask your teacher if you're not sure about something. If your teacher doesn't seem to understand, try to explain that you learn better if you are able to take some study breaks.
Avoiding Negative Study Break Activities
- Limit caffeine intake, too. Caffeine offers temporary effects as a stimulant, and can cause you to feel more tired after its effects wear off. Limit yourself to just one or two cups of coffee or tea, and rely on healthy food, exercise, and quick power naps for a burst of energy. [6] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source
- For prolonged study sessions requiring more than one break (e.g., a four-hour study session in which you’ll take three breaks), limit the napping to one break only and try to balance it out by exercising for a few minutes during one of your other breaks.
- Staring at the artificially lit screen can wear out your eyes, making them feel tired and tiring out your brain as an eventual result. If you need to socialize during your break, skip the texting and opt for a phone call, instead.
Expert Q&A
You Might Also Like
- ↑ https://www.edutopia.org/article/research-tested-benefits-breaks/
- ↑ https://share.upmc.com/2019/08/healthy-snacks-to-power-studying/
- ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/relaxation-techniques-breath-control-helps-quell-errant-stress-response
- ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/taking-breaks/
- ↑ https://studentblogsusb.wordpress.com/2013/10/06/7-best-ways-to-take-a-break-from-studying/
- ↑ https://www.apa.org/gradpsych/2015/11/coffee
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