A Poet’s Qualm

So, you’ve been in the office for a year it seems, and as you look toward the bottom right of your desktop, you notice that time is actually moving backwards. Oh wait…was it 2:30 the last time you checked, or was it 1:30? Who knows; one thing’s for sure — it’s Monday.

It’s Monday, mid-afternoon, and the past weekend’s lack of sleep is finally catching up to you. You’re not looking forward to fighting mental fog for the next 2 and a half hours, and deadlines are hurling toward you faster than a stallion in a downhill race. You’ve got to find a way to wake up and refocus. There’s the quick pick-me-up from another cup of coffee, energy shot, or energy drink, but chances are if you bring one of those bad boys into the mix now, you’ll either crash even harder in a couple of hours, or be up all night wishing you had listened when your doctor said, “…and try to avoid any caffeine after 2PM…”. You’ve heard that mental breaks are supposed to be helpful, but it never feels like they work for you. Why is that? Well, it could simply be that you’re doing it wrong.

First, it’s important to understand that there are several different types of “mental breaks”. Predominately, there are refocus breaks, and there are mental health breaks. Knowing the differences are key to achieving a successful performance boost when you’re 5 hours into a 40+ hour work week.

The main difference between these two types of breaks is the kind of tasks you’re assigning to your brain while taking them. Mental health breaks are when you need some time alone. You’ve got to get away from work for a second, and reconnect with your community. Typically, this is achieved by calling or texting a friend/significant other, or by hopping on social media. These breaks can be useful in certain scenarios–like when dealing with anxiety and depression–but often fail to offer any kind of mental recharge. In fact, studies show that the use of social media during breaks at work can significantly reduce individual job performance. Unfortunately, for most of us, “taking a break” is usually just scrolling through social media posts for 15-20 minutes. When trying to find some sort of mental break from work, the last thing your brain needs is to experience information, communication, and/or social overload; but, these are all three direct outcomes of using social media. So, what’s an intermittently productive, promotion seeking, 30 or 40 something year old supposed to do?

The best way to achieve that sweet relief you’re seeking is to take a refocus break. These breaks also come in a variety of forms, which can be explored more in-depth HERE, but the important thing to know is that you basically don’t want your mind to focus on doing much at all during this time. You actually want to encourage your mind to wander. (You can find a great TED Talk on that HERE). Taking your brain out of it’s Task-Positive Network attention mode (TPN), and allowing it to enter into the Default Mode Network (DMN) provides a much-needed relief to certain areas of the brain such as the dorsal prefrontal cortex, premotor cortex, and inferior parietal lobules, while simultaneously shifting attention to more internally-based focus processes that actually show high levels of correlation to creative innovation and breakthroughs (the kind of things that could land you that promotion).

To illustrate this concept, think of your brain as a group of muscles. Now, imagine doing push-ups over and over again with proper form: knees off the ground, back straight, no sagging in the middle, arms forming a 90 degree angle with biceps parallel to the ground each time you go down, followed by a full extension when you come up. That’s your TPN. Most of us (the average performers) could do maybe 10 push-ups? 50-100 if we’re somewhat in shape (above average performers). Even professional body builders (high achievers) are going to hit a wall at some point. Now imagine adding a small yoga ball under your chest, and being allowed to support most of your weight with your knees. That’s your DMN. How many push-ups do you think you could do now? Surely it would be much more. Even just incorporating the yoga ball and use of your knees every 10-15 push-ups for above average performers, or 50-100 push-ups for high achievers, could dramatically improve overall performance.

The point is that allowing your brain to make the mental shift from TPN to DMN is what provides that boost of energy associated with a good refocus break. Reaching for your cell phone can actually stress MORE areas of your brain, and/or overstimulate the parts you’ve already been using to stay on-task, which can lead to even lower levels of energy and production. The best way to refocus is to let your mind wander.

So, the next time you need a break, leave your cell phone at your desk and just let your mind wander. You’ll feel much better when you get back, and you may just end up landing a promotion out of it.

For more information on the use of social media with respect to work breaks, you can click HERE for a 2019 article by Jay Polish on Bustle, or you can click HERE, for a link to a scholarly article on the topic.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you weren’t just trying to muddle through all of that brain-talk at 2:30 PM on a Monday. Until next time–All the best, to all the best!