The first part of this series I have focused mainly on concepts or ideas to consider that could facilitate growth in your life. Yesterday I talked about how discovering your unique personality traits could impact both personal and professional growth. Earlier on I talked about how much our attitudes effect the way we view people and situations, as well as the importance of gratitude.
I want to get into some more practical tips now. Some may seem obvious but I want you to really think about whether or not you implement these practices into your daily life. If not, why? If so, what effect do they have on you each day?
I read an interesting article on Psych Central describing research being done regarding the kind of impact that taking breaks can have on a person’s attention span. The article explains that changing things up a bit (i.e. stopping what you’re doing in order to do something else) while engaging in a time-intensive activity can actually increase one’s ability to concentrate on whatever they are doing. Contrary to popular belief, breaks do not distract from the task at hand. If we are constantly stimulated, then whatever we are doing eventually begins to seem unimportant to our brains, causing us to lose interest and no longer have the ability to take in all the data.
Do you ever find yourself spending so much time on something that eventually you lose your sense of focus? I remember in grad school I would work on papers for hours on end and literally did not get up for even a bathroom break or to get a glass of water. I felt like I needed to continue without stopping until the paper was complete. Or during the work day I will stay at my desk despite feeling antsy and having difficulty focusing. According to this study, our concentration will actually improve if we incorporate some breaks into the day.
So today’s small thing (if you haven’t figured it out yet!) is to take a break! Or two! See what happens! Are you more focused when you return to the task?
Comment below. See you tomorrow!
My answer would definitely be YES! Breaks are good. I hope yours is absolutely lovely. :)
ReplyDeleteLast year I was driving myself to hard. I started taking a fifteen minute break every hour or two and I found my productivity went way up. I'm a big believer in breaks!
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