When working on a complex research problem – or when you feel that you have too much to do – it is very easy to convince yourself that you do not have the time to take breaks. Micro-breaks; lunchtime breaks; and longer breaks have all been shown to have a positive relationship with wellbeing and productivity – by taking regular breaks you can boost your performance.
Research have found that breaks can reduce or prevent stress; help to maintain performance throughout the day; and reduce the need for a long recovery at the end of the day – relaxing and social breaks have been found to be particularly beneficial. A relaxing break can help to facilitate recovery – by returning your mental and psychical functional systems to their baseline. Additionally, a relaxing break can help to reset your mood – thereby promoting positive wellbeing and reducing stress.
Social breaks, such as chatting with your peers, have also been found to be beneficial. Social interactions allow you to share your experiences and feel part of the group – increasing a sense of belonging within the wider PGR community. This feeling of community, during a social break, shows a positive association with feeling recovered after the break. Taking breaks has been shown to be important in recovering from stress, which can, in turn, improve your performance. Recovering from work stress can restore energy and mental resources and decrease the development of fatigue; sleep disorders; and cardiovascular disease.
Agree break-times with your peers and help each-other to stick to these break-times.
Set an alarm on your phone to prompt you.
Plan to do something in your break that you will enjoy – e.g., meeting peers/friends for lunch or coffee.
Pay attention to any benefits you experience when you take a break – this will lodge in your mind and motivate you to take breaks in the future.
Use post-it notes or drawings in your workspace to remind you that a PGR project is a long-term piece of work – if you burn yourself out, you won’t complete your PGR project well.
The Pomodoro Technique is a time management system that encourages people to work with the time they have - rather than against it.
The idea behind the Pomodoro Technique is that the timer instills a sense of urgency - rather than feeling like you have endless time in the workday to get things done and then ultimately squandering those precious work-hours on distractions, you know you only have 25-minutes to make as much progress on a task as possible.
Source
Summarised from 'The Wellbeing Thesis' - An online resource for postgraduate research students to support your wellbeing, learning and research - https://thewellbeingthesis.org.uk/