The exact amount of time for daily labor

Recent studies scientifically justify the need to calculate the exact time that should be spent on rest during the working day. In this article you will find a selection of tips to help you correctly organize a sufficient number of breaks during the working day.

A well-known fact: frequent breaks during the working day are very useful in maintaining healthy performance, concentration and creativity. But does at least someone engaged in this utility in practice?
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Stress and devastation - eternal companions monotonous clanging on the keyboard for days on end. And such evidence of fatigue abound in any field. Last year's research at the University of Toronto on the principles of organizing lunch breaks in an office environment found that the absence of these breaks reduces productivity. One of the authors of the study, Associate Professor John Trugakos (John Trougakos) from the Organization of the Study of Working Mode and Personnel Management, argues that the stock of psychological energy in the human brain is strictly limited.

“The tasks of controlling the operating mode are the calculation and replenishment of the stock of psychological energy. When such a psychological reservoir is devastated, there is a decline in labor productivity in any field of activity, ”the scientist writes.

Recently , the Draugiem Group , which studies social connections, complemented the Canadian study. Using the application DeskTime , which monitors and calculates the labor costs of employees, the researchers set up an experiment, asking themselves: what habits do the most efficient workers have. It was found that 10% of employees with the highest labor productivity in some surprising way spend no more time on work than everyone else. Moreover, such employees do not even work out a full eight-hour working day, since take regular breaks. Dry, but very "talking" numbers: on average, after every 52 minutes of active work, such employees rest for 17 minutes.

“It was found that maintaining a constantly high level of working capacity throughout the whole day is impossible. More efficient is a reasonable approach with periodic interruptions, ” writes Julia Gifford on the pages of the portal The Muse , where the results of the study were published. Employees with the highest labor productivity intensively performed their tasks for 52 minutes, after which they rested, allowing the brain to recover energy and prepare for the next active working period.

The study of the Draugiem Group once again confirms the long-standing statements of scientists that the human brain is simply not designed for constant concentration during a continuous eight-hour working day. “The best way to replenish concentration is to back off from a task and take a break,” says productivity expert Cathy Sexton, who is not surprised by the overall result of the Draugiem Group study.

Surprising are the other conclusions of the scientific work concerning specific classes during the breaks of those most effective employees. “17 minutes of rest is spent exclusively away from the computer - without checking email, without watching videos on YouTube,” says Gifford. Walking, talking with colleagues (talking, not talking about work), solitude for reading books are the most common pastime during the breaks of the most productive workers.

Many of us often need to imitate a hectic activity, firmly sticking to the workplace for long hours. However, Gifford argues: "The study clearly shows managers how important it is to let employees understand that taking a break and taking a walk is quite natural, and they can do it without being afraid to look like a lazy or ineffective employee."

The following selection of tips will help you correctly organize a sufficient number of breaks during the working day:

• Plan breaks in your daily work schedule. Ideally, every 52 minutes.
• Set up an alarm clock or “reminder” to know when to go back to work.
• The list of scheduled tasks should be realistic. “We often overload the list of scheduled tasks, making it completely unrealistic to carry out. In addition, we underestimate the amount of time needed to perform a job, ”continues Sexton.
• Building priorities in the tasks. Before the start of the working day, select three main goals on which to focus. And current and constantly arriving tasks need to be marked on another, separate sheet. If necessary, you can change priorities. It is much easier to work on a plan consisting of three points than on a long list of 30 tasks. When the first three tasks are completed, you can choose from the second, longer list three more priorities.

PS This topic is another article - How to achieve more by doing less. Recommended!

Translated by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult