The Power of the Pause: How does taking a break supercharge your productivity?

I stepped into a hot bath with the hopes of alleviating the nagging pain in my lower back - the unfortunate result of opening a sliding glass door with both arms full. Or was it the full body sneeze from allergies that triggered a muscle spasm? All I know is that it is an old injury that enjoys reminding me that it still hasn’t forgiven twenty-something Michèle for subjecting it to rough and tumble activities without thought. Ah, youth.

Regardless, the heat of the water softened the pain to more of an annoyance. Just me, the water, and downtempo global beats playing in the background. 

I appreciated the break. I’ve had precious few days between trips and, with my next one fast approaching, I’ve crammed three weeks worth of work into one. In fact, I would have worked throughout the evening if my lower back hadn’t reminded me that it needed a good soak. 

Soon, my mind began to relax. The project I’ve been working on popped into my head - not in an intrusive way but as if it were swimming by. I didn’t intentionally engage with them, still answers to questions arrived without effort on my part. No problem-solving mode or research on my phone. 

The answers just showed up.

I smiled and enjoyed the rest of the bath until I pruned up, and took the rest of the evening off. The answers would still be there. 

This is how it’s supposed to work, this flow of creative ideas. The answers are always available, but it is us that stops them. We cut off the flow. “How?” you might ask.

Have there been times when you have pushed yourself to the limit to finish something? Did you ever force ideas by muscling through your work, while denying yourself a pause to recharge? 

I participated (and sometimes still do) in such scenarios countless times. Not in inspired creative bursts, but just to get the work done. All the old clichés pop up - burning the midnight oil, burning both ends of the candlestick - as I work myself into an exhausted, punishing frenzy.

Here’s the simple forgotten wisdom: A break is not a gift, a luxury. It is a necessity.

I see it happen time and time again with me, people I coach, and people whose stories I encounter. There is this hardwired notion that if we force ourselves to “get the job done” we can mark it off our list. True . . . but there’s a consequence for that. 

The focus becomes completing a goal, as opposed to engaging in a process. But, it’s the process that gets you to the goal, right? This means you may complete the task, but you’ve likely unknowingly skipped a lot of valuable mini-steps (lessons). 

It’s easy to devalue breaks and brief periods of respite as unnecessary. How often have you said, “I don’t have time to take a break” when working on something pressing? Because you feel pressured (a pressure you likely self-imposed), you cut all extraneous behaviors to stay on task.

Then, there is the reasoning that the breaks you take don’t help anyway. You’re distracted and your mind races when you try to relax. 

These same beliefs lead us into burnout - job burnout, creativity burnout, caregiver burnout, life burnout. Burnout is the result of an imbalance and misalignment to values. We start bargaining off self-care and maintenance (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) to complete tasks. Breaks are one of those self-care and maintenance necessities we barter away.

Let me reveal the value and opportunity taking regular breaks provides, so you never say, “I’ll take a break when I have the time,” again.

Research over the years has proven that taking mindful breaks leads to:

• unconscious incubation

• increased cognitive flexibility

• activation of the default mode network

• memory consolidation

Unconscious incubation is allowing your ideas to percolate in your subconscious. Use resistance as a signal. Work on a problem or project until you hit resistance. Instead of barreling through, take a break. You can stop working on the project or problem for the rest of the day, come back to it later in the day, or take a short walk or drive.

Using breaks as a tool maximizes cognitive flexibility and minimizes mental fatigue. I’m sure you’ve felt the sheer exhaustion of working on a task for too long, without much reward for your efforts. You are relying on established patterns of behavior to complete your work, which enforces inefficient patterns and removes your connection to creativity. You’re too tired to be creative. Taking breaks fills depleted mental energy reserves.

Take breaks that remove you from the context of your task (so, don’t eat lunch at your desk). Allowing your mind to wander activates your default mode network (DMN), which boosts your problem-solving and leads to creative and innovative solutions. This is what I experienced while soaking in the tub while listening to music. This is why taking long walks is a popular topic lately. You are engaged in new and refreshing surroundings.

Avoid burnout and cognitive overload by taking a break. When I experienced burnout one of my most severe symptoms was decision fatigue. The simplest of decisions seemed monumental to me. Boost your productivity and problem-solving capacity by taking a break, especially those that are physically engaging.

Hebbian theory says that “neurons that fire together, wire together.” In my most elementary explanation, when you rest and allow (subconsciously) digest your neural pathways connect and multiply. This is crucial for learning and memory. So, don’t skimp on your sleep.

In a previous newsletter I discussed scheduling breaks. You have to let go of the mindset that a break is something you do when you have the time. You consistently do what you consciously attend to. Schedule breaks throughout your day, so you can power charge your productivity.

Anything you set your mind to is possible, you just have to plan it.

Sending you all Peace, Love, & Harmony.

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