It’s 7.00 a.m, the alarm clock rings and you know that another full-time day of studying is waiting for you. You start studying and you’re very focused on what you’re doing.
That’s when you start getting a headache, your eyes want to close and you’re losing concentration. Your head knows that it’s time to have a break.
But what to do during study breaks? How long should study breaks be?
Read this article to discover 10 study breaks ideas to have a productive break time.
How Long Should Study Breaks Be?
Research shows that taking short breaks from 5 to 20 minutes boosts productivity and the ability to concentrate. Consider the time you will be studying, if you plan to study all day, you may need more study breaks while if you study for a few hours, one study break may be enough. Some people concentrate better when they take short breaks but others may need longer breaks.
What matters is that your study break does not become an excuse to end your day chilling out and doing nothing.
How to Have a Productive Study Break?
After planning your study time and study breaks you will be asking yourself, what to do? Taking a nap? Swiping up on Instagram stories? Playing video games?
Well, let’s say that not all study breaks are productive. If you want to come back to studying with more energy, you should consider taking up activities that do not distract you too much from your main focus, especially if you planned taking more breaks during the day.
How Often Should You Take Study Breaks?
A study break shouldn’t take all day to be productive. Who wouldn’t want to spend all day watching TV series, going out with friends or sleeping? When it’s time to study, even a butterfly sitting on the window becomes a distraction. The attention span of the normal human is extremely limited. Studies deliver us bad news: the average attention span has decreased from 12 seconds in 2000 to eight seconds today and the attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. It seems we have a shorter attention span than a goldfish, can you believe it?
Fortunately, researchers show that taking study breaks every 90 minutes increases the levels of attention and help you focus better on what you’re doing.
So now, let’s discover together some productive study breaks.
Go for a Walk during a Study Break
Whether you are a nature lover or you’re the type of person that even bothers to get off the couch to get the remote control, you should mind that just 30 minutes of walking per day is a panacea for your health. If you like outdoor activities, take advantage of study breaks to practice them. If you have a dog, take it for a walk. But if you love the sofa and nothing can get you up, you can try some stretching. Sitting too long can cause a lot of health problems, think about the benefits of doing some exercises.
Listen to Music to Get Some Rest in between Studying
Did you know that some students say that listening to music while studying helps them better? Of course, this is not valid for anyone, and some people, me included, it is distracting.
Anyway, you can find it a recharging activity during break time. Choose a song that motivates you, energizes you, or on the contrary, relaxes you. You’re the only one who knows what needs. Try to make use of this moment to take a break from what you’re doing and give your brain the right charge for the next study immersion.
Hobbies Can Make a Perfect Study Break!
Think about a hobby, a study break could be a good excuse to spend some time on it. For instance, if you like playing an instrument, you can spend time strumming some notes during study breaks, especially if you take a longer break.
What about Making a Quick Dessert for a Sweet Study Break?
Is there somebody who doesn’t love sweets? For sure, that’s not me. You could use your study break to bake a cake or make a quick dessert like crêpes or pancakes. Do not choose a complicated artistic cake, bear in mind that you want just a snack that softens your day, not to become the top pastry chef in the neighborhood.
Meet a Friend during a Longer Study Break!
Social life is important. Students may think that studying does not allow them to have a social life because they do not have time for that. Meeting friends is useful not only to have fun together but also to talk a bit about everything. Try to have a coffee or tea with a friend during your break time and use this time to talk about your plans for the weekends or what stresses you most during this period, it may be useful to exchange thoughts with someone.
Watch a Short Fun Video in between Study Breaks
You may know that laughing boosts the number of endorphins in the body which relieves you from stress. So, what about using study breaks to watch some funny videos? Surfing the internet you can find thousands of them, but bear in mind that your purpose is not spending all day watching kittens falling downstairs, so give yourself a limit.
Go Out and Take Some Fresh Air during a Study Break
When spending most of your time studying books or in front of a laptop your eyes become red and get tired. Try looking out of the window some seconds while you’re studying and during your study break go out and breathe some fresh air. It will refresh your lungs and your brain.
And what if you can’t stop yourself from scrolling on your phone? Social media are not bad if you plan the time to spend on them.
It can be a productive activity if you use your break time to answer some friends, search for something you are interested in, or simply watch what’s new on the net. There are so many activities you can do surfing the net but bear in mind that if you associate relaxing time with social media, you could lose focus during the day and spend the whole day with the phone ringing beside you which will distract you.
To Sum It Up
Whichever activity you choose, try different things, you should not do every time the same thing. Find the activity that fits you best, some days you will feel like walking, some days not and it is fine, do not feel obliged to do something you do not want to.
Remember that a study break should be a refilling activity, not a stressful one. In Students.Guide you can find a lot of lifehacks of students from students and you could find some interesting things to know so feel free to visit the site.