5 ways to take a work break and none include your phone

5 ways to take a work break and none include your phone5 ways to take a work break - and none include your phoneUntil recently, when I needed a break Id grab my phone. Whether I was bored, mentally fatigued, or just wanting a pick-me-up, I felt relief checking the news, Facebook, or Instagram.However, new research suggests there are good ways and not-so-good ways to spend our break time. While some breaks can leave us refreshed and reenergized, others tend to leave us depleted and drained.In their book The Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World Dr. Gazzaley, a neuroscientist, and Dr. Rosen, a psychologist,explainthat good breaks can reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function, and keep us on-task for longer periods. But Gazzaley and Rosen forewarn that taking the wrong sort of breaks might make us mora susceptible to boredom and may actually backfire by making us want to take breaks more often.FromThe Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech Worldtechnology may be decreasing the time associated with the onset of boredom when single tasking as a result of our ever-escalating exposure to pervasive, high-frequency feedbackIn other words, repeatedly checking our phones when we get a tad bored can train us to check more often throughout the day.FromThe Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech WorldFrom decades of research on learning and behavior, we know that the shorter the time between reinforcements (rewards), the stronger the drive to complete that behavior and gain the reward.The rapid rewards we get from skimming our newsfeeds alleviate boredom for a few moments, but they also teach our brains to seek out blips of joy the next time we feel a twinge of fatigue, Gazzaley and Rosen explain, the next time we are bored, our past experiences, having gained reinforcement from our smartphone, will drive us to self-interrupt.So by reaching for our phones when we want a break, we may be training ourselves to do it again and again. In order to r esist the onset of boredom and self-interruption at work, Gazzaley and Rosen suggest we avoid our smartphones and instead take breaks that restore the part of the brain we use to keep focused on our goals.Located right behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex is considered the fruchtwein evolved portion of the human brain. Although it has many functions, goal management is its main business. The prefrontal cortex orchestrates attention, working memory, and other cognitive resources in order to help us get what we want.For example, if my goal is to cook dinner tonight, my prefrontal cortex will help coordinate my brain functions to guide me through the actions needed to complete the meal like navigating the grocery store, following a recipe, and cooking the meal, all while making sure I dont get sidetracked.When we work, our prefrontal cortex makes every effort to help us execute our goals. But for a challenging task that requires our sustained attention,research showsbriefly takin g our minds off the goal can renew and strengthen motivation later on. Doing activities that dont rely heavily on prefrontal cortex function but rely on different brain regions instead, is the best way to renew focus throughout the work day.1) Go naturalResearch shows that nature exposure is restorative for the mind. One study reported better working memory scores after a walk in a natural environment, but not in an urban environment.FromThe Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech WorldNatural environments capture our attention in a bottom-up fashion because natural stimuli are so inherently compelling to us (presumably owing to evolutionary factors). They draw us in but generate minimal prefrontal cortex responses.Work in a city? You dont have to go far to benefit from nature. Just noticing the sights and sounds of natural features around you can help you recharge.Find plants, fresh air, a fish tank, or a fountain. Sit down, take a deep breath, and notice the details of natur e. Point out as many as possibleThe left leaf is smaller, or Theres a bruise on the third petal, or Its off center in planter box, or I wonder how many bugs are on it?If you are stuck indoors, look at somepictures of natureinstead, asresearchshows they work too. Or try tuning into nature videos on your computer for a few minutes like atropical beachor amountain creek.2) Doodle and daydreamHaving a moment with nothing to do is rare these days. We dodge even the briefest moments of potential boredom with just a few swipes.However according to Gazzaley and Rosen, avoiding occasional periods of nothing to do downtime may have some unintended effects.FromThe Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech WorldThis leaves little time for reflection, deep thinking, or even just simply sitting back and letting our random thoughts drive us places we might not have gone while immersed in directed thinking.When we let ourminds wanderwithout focusing on a certain goal, the brains default mode ne twork takes over. Daydreaming and doodling tap into default mode network activity and may give some prefrontal cortex functions a rest.Sit alone, set an alarm for 10 minutes, take a deep breath and be patient. If you need a little help, try the websiteDo Nothing for 2 Minutesfor a quick session.You can also practice mind wandering in your daily life by keeping your phone in your pocket and letting your mind drift while you wait at a crosswalk, a train station, or in an elevator lobby.3) Exercise your eyesOur eyes bear the burden of our tech-charged lives. Fortunately, doing 202020 eye breaks is a straightforward way to alleviate eye strain and fatigue.Every 20 minutes, stare at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds. Gazzaley and Rosen explain the reason why this is beneficial is that it requires blood flow to brain areas that are not related to sustained attention. The shift in blood flow across certain brain regions may be the reason why eye exercises are restorative.4) LaughLaugh ter packs a punch. It increases heart rate, respiration, and it gets our blood pumping as our upper body muscles are recruited into the action. Although evidence of long term benefits of laughter is debated, short term effects show some improvements on memory tests.FromThe Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech WorldOlder adults who watched a funny video scored better on memory tests and showed reduced cortisol and increased endorphins and dopamine, meaning less stress and more energy and positive feelings.Spontaneous crack-ups, and forced giggles fromlaughter yogaor cheesy jokes bygoogle assistant, all have the same perks.Listen to acomedy podcastor a stream acomedy radiostation. Read the comics section in the newspaper in the breakroom. Or keep afunny bookat the office to help you get through the next afternoon slump.5) ExerciseWe all know regular exercisebenefitsthe body and the brain. The good news is that even short bursts of exercise are helpful for cognition.Just 10 mi nutesof physical activity can boost attention and memory performance.Find a secluded space to do a7-minute workout, do some pushups or planks, or just take a brisk walk around the block. A little physical activity is agreat wayto rev-up your brain without breaking a sweat in your work clothes.The bottom line is breaks should make you feel better by providing a renewed sense of focus and concentration.As digital detoxes andtech-free zonesrise in popularity, we are beginning to value the benefits of removing technology every now and then. Taking better breaks can encourage creativity and increase focus by relieving the prefrontal cortex of some goal management duties for a while.FromThe Distracted Mind Ancient Brains in a High-Tech WorldWhatever relaxes you and takes you away from your over stimulating technological environment will help you re-engage with greater arousal, more capacity for attention, and less susceptibility to being interruptedThe next time you need to take a break a t work, ignore your smartphone and skip the newsfeeds. Choose an activity that is restorative so you feel refreshed and more prepared to tackle the rest of your day.The gistTaking good breaks is important for your daily productivity.Breaks reduce fatigue, alleviate boredom, and can restore attention.Using tech during our breaks may backfire and make us more susceptible to boredom and want more breaks, more often.Restorative breaks can improve attention and refresh our focus.Break ideas based on research includeNature exposureDoodle and daydreamEye exercises?- ?20/20/20LaughBrief exerciseFor more insights on changing behavior,join my free newsletter and receive a free workbook.Nir Eyal is the author ofHooked How to Build Habit-Forming Productsand blogs about the psychology of products at NirAndFar.com. For more insights on using psychology to change customer behavior.