Have you ever been at work and felt exhausted by the task you're completing? Maybe you rub your eyes, massage your temples, or stretch for a few seconds. Maybe you think to yourself, "I just need to take a quick break."
How long a break do you need to make that tired feeling go away? What should you do during that time to help?
In a study published in the April 2020 issue of the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, Andrew Bennett, Allison Gabriel, and Charles Calderwood tested the effect of different break durations and activities using an experimental design in a simulated work setting.
Participants first completed a work task that required constant vigilance, meaning they had to consistently pay attention to changes on a computer screen and then use a keyboard to respond. This type of constant vigilance is required in many jobs, such as when someone carefully edits a document or email, when a nurse or doctor monitors a patient's vital signs on a screen, when a lifeguard scans the water for changes in swimmer behavior, or when a pilot or air traffic controller watches instruments and adjusts to changing flight traffic.
Next, the experiment manipulated a break condition (a control group did not get a break). Some individuals watched a funny video and others watched a guided meditation video; a third group was asked to complete a different task that required paying attention to changes on a computer screen (i.e., changing tasks but still doing the same type of work).
Each break activity also had a different duration: Individuals had 1- , 5- , or 9-min breaks. The use of a randomized controlled design increases the validity of the results by reducing the likelihood of other potential explanations, such as effects due to gender, age, or cognitive ability.
The good news: All break conditions had at least a small replenishment effect for energy and attention.
The better news: A few break conditions helped people completely recover, meaning they were able to bounce back to how they felt before they started the tiring tasks.
One key finding is that individuals who watched a funny video clip, no matter its duration (1 , 5 , or 9 minutes), reported much lower fatigue. These participants also reported enjoying the break more than people in the other break conditions.
A second finding was that participants whose break consisted of performing a different but similar task for 1 minute also fully recovered; they reported low levels of fatigue after the break, similar to what they reported before the task. It seems that briefly changing tasks can also provide temporary relief from feelings of exhaustion, although the study did not address how long this temporary relief lasts.
Overall, short breaks are one effective way to improve feelings of energy and attention at work. If you're feeling exhausted, change tasks for just 1 minute or do something enjoyable that's not work related for a few minutes.
Note: This article is in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Management topic area. View more articles in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology and Management topic area.