8 Productive Ways to Refresh Your Mind During Study Breaks
Students are constantly under pressure to perform well in their studies. Even for those who are not under pressure, staying focused for long periods of time is tough.
Using our mental energy carefully is important because it is a very limited resource. Hence it’s important to have refreshing study breaks to make sure you stay productive.
Hence, here are a few productive study break ideas to refresh your mind during the study breaks
Sitting idle
(Study break duration: 5 min)
Contrary to popular beliefs, when we are sitting idle or taking a break by doing nothing, our brains are not idle as well.
According to studies, in such cases, the brain goes into its “Default mode” which is crucial for strengthening memories, reflecting on past experiences, and planning the future. During the default mode, the part of our brain that lights up is different from the one which lights up when we are focused on external things. So you will be giving the focus part of your brain much-needed rest while stimulating the parts associated with default mode.
Hence during small breaks during your study session, you can spend your time reflecting on different things. It will also give some rest to your eyes as well. A simple and convenient study break idea.
Tracking your progress
(Study break duration: 5 – 10 min)
Usually, when we are preparing for an exam, we have multiple chapters, subjects, and notes we have to go through. Having a study plan to complete everything in a given time period will help you achieve your daily targets and exceed them as well.
During your study breaks, you can check up on your schedule, see how much you are done with and how much more is left. This will give you the satisfaction of crossing off everything you are already done with while keeping in mind there is more left.
A study by the American Psychological Association has proved that frequently monitoring progress toward goals increases the chance of success. So having a visual representation of your daily targets and tracking your progress is a productive study break idea.
Exercise
(Study break duration: 10 – 15 min)
Physical exercise can help to improve blood flow to your brain and also reduce anxiety. According to studies it also helps to enhance your attention span and memory, increases cognitive function, and improves your mood and ability to cope with stress.
The benefits of exercising are no secret. The real question though is how to incorporate an exercise routine in between study breaks. The best way is to keep it light and brief. An exercise routine of 5 to 10 minutes should be good enough. This study break idea is mainly to get you off your workplace and get your blood flowing.
You will probably need a few minutes post-exercise to catch your breath and hydrate. Hence, for a 10 – 15 min study break, some exercise would be a great way to refresh your mind.
Power nap
(Study break duration: 10 – 20 min)
A well-timed power nap can be great for your focus and productivity. A power nap of around 20 min can help to improve your alertness and motor skills. According to this article by WebMD, it is better to take a power nap instead of a cup of coffee, as coffee decreases memory performance.
Now it’s important not to extend the duration of power naps beyond 30 min. This can lead to you waking up groggy due to the onset of sleep inertia. So pick your spot, switch off the lights/ put on an eye mask, pull up your blanket, and most importantly set an alarm.
Meditate
(Study break duration: 5 – 20 min)
We spoke about exercising our body previously, now let’s talk about exercising our mind. Similar to physical activities, meditation helps you to lower anxiety and reduce stress. It is also closely associated with increased self-confidence.
Hence in case the study pressure starts to get too much or you are feeling overwhelmed for other reasons, a brief meditation session can help. There are many different apps and videos tutorials teaching how to meditate.
The aim here is to take your mind off books and studies for a while. Shifting your focus towards internal reflection for some time. The meditation session can last anywhere between 5 to 20 min and even longer if you would like. As a beginner, the best idea would be to start with simple 5 Minute breathing exercises and then pick up from there. After the refreshing session, you should feel relaxed and also will be able to focus more.
Shower
(Study break duration: 10 – 15 min)
Another great way to get refreshed and take your mind off your studies is by taking shower. We have all done some of our most creative thinking while taking a shower. So after a long period of staying focused, if you are looking to refresh your mind and body, a quick shower is a good idea.
Now obviously this won’t be a viable option for every study break you have, but it is a good one to have in the mix.
Healthy snack/tea/coffee
(Study break duration: 15 – 30 min)
After a few hours of productive study sessions, you are bound to get tired and be hungry or just in need of some refreshment. This would be a good time to prepare a light, healthy meal or some tea/coffee based on what you feel like. The preparation will take your mind off academics for a while and later you can relax while enjoying whatever you prepared.
Make sure that you don’t eat too heavy, as it could affect your focus and also make you sleepy. Also do not excessively engage in caffeine, as it is associated with a decrease in the memory performance.
Tidy up your workspace
(Study break duration: 10 – 15 min)
Clearing up your workspace would be a great way to clear your mind. After multiple study sessions, you are bound to have different books and notes lying around. So you can utilize the study break to organize your stuff. It would be rather tough to be productive in clutter.
Depending on the clutter it shouldn’t take more than 10-15 min to finish this task. You will still be able to some time doing some of the other suggested stuff before getting back to your studies.
Can study breaks improve Productivity?
What should be the study break duration?
The duration of the study break should depend on how much time you spent being focused. You don’t want to break your rhythm when your focus is at its peak. So when you start feeling distracted you can take a break.
According to the popular productivity method, Pomodoro Technique, 25 minutes is considered as an optimal time to stay focused and productive while avoiding procrastination, followed by a 5 minutes break.
In a study done by using the productivity timer app, Desktime found that the highest level of productivity worked was 52 minutes with intense purpose, followed by a rest time for 17 minutes. Some other studies based on the ultradian rhythm state that 90 minutes of alertness followed by a 20-30 min break works.
So as you can see your break time should be proportional to the time you spent being productive. Anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes is good enough to refresh, recalibrate and get back to work.
Conclusion
So as we have seen, a study plan consisting of regular breaks filled with productive activities to refresh your mind will help you achieve more. It is important that we stick to the plan and not extend the duration of the break. According to your needs and study break duration, I have mentioned some productive options for your study breaks. Hopefully, you’ll find it helpful.
Also, it’s important not to engage in activities that will be detrimental to your focus. Avoid social media unless it’s necessary. We are all aware of how a few minutes can turn into a few hours when we fall into the social media rabbit hole. Similarly also avoid eating too heavy, sleeping more than 30 min or too much caffeine for reasons previously mentioned.
If you have any other ideas please leave them in the comments section below. We would love to hear them. Thank you for reading, and good luck!
