Rest is the most underappreciated productivity tool

Recently I asked my readers about underappreciated productivity tools and I learned something: you are all extremely thoughtful. 

Instead of extolling the virtue of specific apps, the way I would, most talked about something more important: downtime. Scroll through the thread—and I recommend that you do—and it comes up multiple times. Rest, peace and quiet, adequate sleep, even going for a run were all held up as “productivity tools.” And you know what? That’s accurate. 

Research shows that taking breaks makes people more productive. Louise J. Goddard’s research review outlines numerous studies showing that taking intentional breaks means getting more done, not less. The reason: working constantly makes you stupid. “Cognitive performance severely declines without frequent breaks,” the paper states. “Nonstop work results in mental lethargy that damages the capacity of the brain to process information efficiently and focus.” 

This means, counterintuitively, that companies that encourage employees to take regular breaks see increased, not decreased, output from their employees. 

The research also shows that people who take breaks see increased well-being, which is science talk for “less miserable”. The productivity angle gets played up more, sure, but this is honestly the more important thing. It’s good not to be miserable! And breaks help with that. 

You are more than your job, after all. So take a break. Going for a walk in the middle of the workday is delightful. So is walking away from your work to watch the last 30 minutes of a World Cup game, or taking the time to enjoy a cup of coffee. It turns out these things can make you more productive, but they’re also part of what makes life worth living. 

My readers are right: rest is the most underappreciated productivity tool. But that’s not why you should take breaks. Take breaks because they’re great. Don’t live life to the fullest so you can get things done—get things done so you can live life to the fullest.