Losing concentration? Time to take a break… for five minutes

A new study by the University of Sydney has shown that a five-minute break may be all it takes to get employees recharged for peak performance.
By: | July 5, 2023
Topics: Australia | Employee Experience | Health and Wellness | News

Rest has long been acknowledged as essential for optimal performance and mental rejuvenation. From vacations and sleep to short walks and coffee breaks, different forms of rest have proven effective in replenishing energy levels. The Pomodoro Technique, where individuals work for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break, has gained popularity as an effective reminder to recharge.

To determine the most effective attention-restoring techniques, the University of Sydney conducted a study and found that a mere five-minute break from active thinking is all that is needed to regain concentration.

Paul Ginns, Associate Professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Sydney, and co-author of the report, explained, “If you want to work or study to be more productive, you need to build in simple five-minute breaks of doing nothing. Move away from your computer or device, do something breathing or just sit quietly to rest your brain from the tasks.”

The study involved 72 Australian university students who completed a challenging mental mathematics before being divided into three groups to solve another problem. Students who took a five-minute unstructured rest break outperformed those who did not have any break. The third group, which watched a five-minute video of a walk in an Australian rainforest, also performed well, but the difference was not statistically significant.

READ MORE: More employees in Australia ditching lunch breaks

Ginns continued, “It may seem counter-intuitive to interrupt a study break to help learning, but short rest breaks—whether they’re unstructured or watching ‘virtual’ nature videos—seem to be well worth the time, helping students to concentrate better and learn more effectively. This could also be applied to employees learning a new skill or concentrating on a complex task.”

To restore attention, the study recommended integrating five-minute breaks after every 20 minutes of intensive cognitive work in classrooms, universities, and various workplaces.