How to Take a Brain Break During Your Workday
And why you need one.
I've worked from home for more than 15 years. I've spent entire workdays sitting cross-legged at my desk. I've eaten lunch and snacks at my desk, not giving myself any sort of break in the day.
I don't say this as a badge of honor. Sitting at a desk all day is bad for both our physical and mental health. Yale Medicine links prolonged sitting to back pain, heart disease, depression, and more.
On the flip side, researchers have found that taking breaks can help you "recharge and short-circuit the negative spiral of exhaustion and decreasing productivity."
I'm no longer the "sit at my desk all day" person I once was. But to give my brain a break during the workday, I have to plan. If I'm not intentional about breaks, I find myself slipping back into bad habits.
Schedule your break
Whether you're working for an employer or working for yourself, there are a few ways you can take a brain break during the day.
Pomodoro technique
With the Pomodoro technique, you work in 25-minute intervals, followed by a five-minute break. If working for long periods of time is exhausting, the Pomodoro might be a good fit for you. You can easily use the Pomorodo technique for longer periods (like 90 minutes, broken down into three Pomodoros), or within a 30-minute window between meetings.
People often use a timer with the Pomodoro technique to stick to the 25-minute/5-minute rhythm. There are also apps — like the Forest app — that have built-in Pomodoro timers.
One thing to keep in mind: you'll want to get up from your desk even with the short 5-minute break. Stretch, go get a snack, or do something. If you stay sitting at your desk, you don't get the full benefit of the break.
Time blocking
Pomodoro doesn't work for me because I need longer blocks of focus time. As a writer, I don't want to be interrupted after 25 minutes.
Instead, I use time blocking. I work for a block of time very early in the morning, followed by a break. Then I work for another block of time (usually 2 - 2.5 hours) and take a long break for lunch and a nap. I plan out my day each morning, so I know when my breaks will occur.
Routine is a big part of my time blocking. I follow a similar schedule of work/breaks every day. At this point, my brain knows when a break is imminent. I also have more options during my breaks because I'm stepping away from my desk for a longer period of time.
Set boundaries
Maybe your schedule is more fluid, and you can't plan on consistent Pomdoros or time blocks each day. You can do other things to protect your calendar to make sure you get breaks.
You can use calendar scheduling apps (like Calendly, TidyCal, etc.) to block off time for breaks each day. Even if your schedule is varied, you can make sure no one can schedule meetings from 10:00 - 10:30 on a Monday or 2:30 - 3:00 on a Thursday. By doing this, you can protect your calendar from unwanted meetings that interrupt your day.
Alternatively, you could also add a block of time to your calendar that says "BUSY" each morning. That way, you could set a different time every day, depending on what you have scheduled.
If you need an ever-adjusting break, you can use Reclaim.ai [affiliate link]. With Reclaim, you can indicate that you need a break "sometime between 9:00 and 12:00" (as an example). Reclaim will automatically adjust your break time on your calendar depending on what else you have scheduled.
Things to do on your break
Your break should take you as far away from work and work thoughts as possible. You want to refocus your attention elsewhere, otherwise you're not really giving your brain a break.
If you're a serial "sit at your desk all day" person, here are some brain break ideas.
Change of scenery
Staying in your home office doesn't give your brain the full recharge it needs because you might find your thoughts wandering back to your work. Go outside or move to a different room. Run a quick errand if you want to get out of the house (and time allows).
Exercise
Need some physical movement? Go for a walk (either outdoors or on a treadmill). Use home exercise equipment, if you have it available. I have a walking pad in my office. I'm not following my own advice to leave my home office but the proximity reminds me that I need to get up and move around. I listen to a podcast or watch a video on YouTube while I'm on my walking pad.
Your exercise doesn't have to be vigorous to be an effective brain break.
Eat lunch or a snack
Break the terrible habit of eating while working. Get up and eat somewhere else, like in your kitchen. Go out to lunch.
My spouse and I both work from home. We do "lunch dates" and order Uber Eats, eating at our kitchen table.
Admittedly, I don't get up from my desk when I have a snack. Snacks aren't part of my break routine. But if you're working Pomodoro-style, a snack is a great thing to do during your 5-minute break.
Scroll a little, but not too much
If you need your brain breaks to be truly mindless, scroll some social media like Instagram or Pinterest. Watch a few short videos on YouTube. Something that doesn't require any thinking.
However, social media can also quickly become a time suck. If you're the type of person who gets lost in social media scrolling, do not do this during your brain breaks. Or, if you think you'll be tempted to scroll longer than planned, use a timer.
Do something you enjoy
If you take longer breaks, you'll have enough time to get immersed in something other than work. Read, draw, or listen to a podcast. Think of your break as a reward for getting your focused work done. You'll also be more likely to take a break if you look forward to doing something other than work.
Anna Burgess Yang
Do an easy chore
Maybe if you get out of "productivity mode," it's harder to get back into it. Maybe you want to feel productive for your entire workday. If this sounds like you, you can still take a break from work, get up from your desk, and get something done.
Do a chore like laundry or put dishes away. Or a lengthy chore that is hard to squeeze in otherwise. Knock off a few items from your non-work to-do list.
Take a nap
One of my FAVORITE things to do during a break is take a nap. I'm a proud member of the #5amwritersclub and because I get up really early, I'm tired by mid-afternoon. A nap re-energizes me for the rest of the day.
It took me a long time to realize that napping is a skill. I used to struggle to take a nap in a short period of time (like under 30 minutes). But I "taught myself" to nap over several weeks, and now I consider power napping to be a superpower that helps me get through the day.
If a nap feels like too much (or not your jam), you could also try meditating or some deep breathing.
Take yourself out of "the zone"
No matter what you decide to do during your break, get up from your desk. Walk away from your computer. Even if you're doing something like cleaning out your email inbox, do it from a different device. You need to mentally give yourself a reprieve.
One additional thing I do is use music and scents when I'm in "work mode." At my desk, I light incense and listen to brain.fm. I only do this when I'm working, not if I'm at my desk doing something else. It helps me delineate between work time and the rest of my life.
It can feel hard to truly step away when you work from home. The more you can do to create an environment you associate with work, the more you'll feel like you're taking a break when you get outside of that zone.
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