Should you take more breaks?

It is not unusual to hear loud laughter or lively debates emanating from The Juniper Company offices. For anyone walking past, it may sound like we’re not working very hard, but in reality we’re a hard working group who just appreciate the value of a good break.

Two weeks ago we decided to hold our weekly team meeting during a walk around the block and we still found time for a selfie! in December, we held our annual strategy review and took time out to host a small baby shower for our colleague, Marta.

The reason for this? Because taking breaks actually increases your productivity. In fact, a study of American workers indicated just one micro break of 30 seconds to 5 minutes improves your mental acuity by an average of 13% and when you’re staring at a computer screen, it suggested that taking a 15-second break every 10 minutes can decrease fatigue by 50%. And why do we like to take walks? Simply because short breaks which include physical activity (ie. stretching) are more effective than rest breaks (Henning et al, 1997) .

Breaks can be taken at any time, anywhere – so make sure you take short, regular breaks to increase productivity and well-being.