What to do on a break (so your next session is better)

The timer rings. You've earned a break. So you pick up your phone, open a feed, and five minutes later you're back at your desk feeling… exactly as tired as before. A break only works if it gives your brain something different from the work. Here's how to make the minutes count.

Why breaks matter

Breaks are not wasted time. They're part of what keeps your focus sharp.

• Short breaks help. A 2022 meta-analysis of 22 study samples found that micro-breaks of ten minutes or less made people feel more energetic and less tired. The effect on performance was smaller and only clear for less demanding tasks. The authors suggest that recovering from draining work may take more than ten minutes, which is what the long break is for (Albulescu et al., 2022).
• Walking boosts creative thinking. In a set of experiments at Stanford, people came up with more creative ideas while walking and shortly after, compared to sitting (Oppezzo & Schwartz, 2014). Need fresh ideas? Take them for a walk.
• Nature restores attention. According to attention restoration theory, looking at natural scenes lets the kind of effortful attention you use at work recover (Kaplan, 1995).

Why scrolling isn't a real break

Your phone feels like rest, but it keeps your eyes on a screen and your attention on new information. It's also hard to stop after exactly five minutes, and every post leaves a little attention residue you'll carry back into your work. If you want to check messages, do it on the long break, and do it on purpose.

Ideas for a 5-minute break

Pick one, or rotate:

1. Stand up and stretch. Neck, shoulders, back, wrists. Two minutes undoes a lot of desk posture.
2. Look far away. Find something at least six metres away and let your eyes rest on it. A common rule of thumb is to rest your eyes this way regularly when working at a screen.
3. Get water or make tea. It's movement, hydration and a small ritual in one.
4. Breathe slowly. Try breathing in for four seconds and out for six, for a minute or two.
5. Walk around. To another room, up a flight of stairs, around the block.
6. Tidy one small thing. Your desk, the dishwasher, one drawer. It's a quick sense of completion.

Ideas for a 15–30 minute break

The long break after four sessions is your chance to really recharge:

1. Go outside. A short walk, ideally somewhere green, combines movement, daylight and attention restoration.
2. Eat something proper. Not at your desk.
3. Talk to someone about something other than work.
4. Lie down or close your eyes for ten minutes. You don't have to sleep. Just resting helps.
5. Do something with your hands: water plants, sketch, play an instrument.
6. Check your messages, on purpose. If you need to, do it here. Set a limit and go back when the timer rings.

Make breaks automatic

The hardest part of taking a break is actually taking it. Let the timer start your break for you (Pomo Garden can do this automatically), and decide what you'll do before the session ends. "When the timer rings, I'll refill my water" is much easier to follow than "I'll do something healthy".

Want a refresher on how sessions and breaks fit together? Read the complete guide to the Pomodoro Technique.

Sources

• Albulescu, P., Macsinga, I., Rusu, A., Sulea, C., Bodnaru, A., & Tulbure, B. T. (2022). "Give me a break!" A systematic review and meta-analysis on the efficacy of micro-breaks for increasing well-being and performance. PLOS ONE, 17(8), e0272460.
• Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40(4), 1142–1152.
• Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169–182.