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The Science of Restorative Breaks
Have you ever considered that your attention is as valuable a resource as your time? And just like the number of hours in a day, your capacity to pay attention is limited. In this article, we’ll explore why our brains get tired and how the power of nature can reboot them effectively.
Dear reader, your brain is working hard right now as you read this. Let’s make sure it’s worth your attention.
Notice I said "attention" and not "time"? Have you ever considered that your attention is as valuable a resource as your time? And just like the number of hours in a day, your capacity to pay attention is limited. In this article, we’ll explore why our brains get tired and how we can reboot them effectively.
Bent Run waterfall in Warren, PA. Photo by Rachel Schad.
Caveman Brains in a Modern World
Our brains are incredibly sophisticated, but they haven’t changed much since early human history.
Imagine living as an early human. The stimuli competing for your attention were limited. But, today, in our interconnected world, researchers speculate that we absorb and process as much data in a week as prehistoric people did in their entire lifetimes. No wonder our brains get tired!
Why Our Brains Get Tired
Our brains have two systems for paying attention, but only one of them gets tired. That’s our top-down attention. We use this system to complete tasks that require effort like reading, solving problems, or designing something. When this type of attention is pushed to its limit, we feel mentally fatigued.
Mental fatigue can look like feeling distracted, stressed, overwhelmed, irritable, or unmotivated. Conventional wisdom tells us that we should push through this exhaustion, but research on attention shows that when we do, our effectiveness declines, and we’re more prone to make mistakes and use poor judgment. In addition, living with depleted attention can negatively impact our relationships, because mood, stress, and attention are interconnected and affect every aspect of our lives.
Sunflowers brighten up a tree-lawn in Cleveland, OH. Photo by Rachel Schad.
The Best Breaks to Recharge
Taking a break is the best way to restore mental focus, but some types of breaks are more beneficial than others. Interestingly, the best way to restore our top-down attention is by using our other attention mode.
We call the second type bottom-up attention. Our brains use it when we admire a scenic view, listen to music, or savor the smell of fresh-baked bread. It’s an automatic, effortless form of attention.
Attention Restoration Theory
reDirect has a special connection to the topic of attention. Our founders, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, were environmental psychologists at the University of Michigan where they developed Attention Restoration Theory (ART) after years of research. The theory proposes that spending time in nature or engaging in activities that offer “soft fascination” is the best way to restore our attention.
When we talk about "soft fascination," we refer to the gentle, engaging qualities of nature that draw our attention without overwhelming us—like a calm stream, rustling leaves, or birds chirping. These sights and sounds capture our interest but don’t require intense concentration, allowing our minds to wander and relax.
Amazingly, this type of break seems to do more than recharge our focus. When our brains have space to wander, they can make connections in the background without us even trying. That’s why people often have great ideas in the shower or suddenly find a solution to a problem after taking a walk outside.
Step Away from Your Phone
Science continues to reveal the mechanics of how attention restoration works in the brain, including one recent study which discovered that using screens in green spaces cancels out any restorative benefit they have for our brains.
In a recent study, scientists tested how well people could focus before and after short breaks in two different urban environments: lush green spaces and urban spaces without any plants. Participants were asked to either use their electronic devices as they usually would or to take a break without screens.
The results were stunning. Participants who enjoyed screen-free breaks in a green setting performed significantly better on tests of attention. In contrast, participants who used devices in nature were indistinguishable from the two groups who took breaks in barren spaces —in terms of their ability to pay attention, it looked like they hadn’t taken a break at all.
Balcony herb garden. Photo by Rachel Schad.
When to Take a Break
So how often do we need to recharge our focus? On average, humans can maintain concentrated focus on a task for about 20 minutes, but each person is unique. It’s best to take a break before you start feeling mentally fatigued, as your circumstances allow.
On the other hand, we don’t need to take a break when we are “in the zone,” meaning when our focus is naturally sustained because we are captivated by whatever we are doing. We can enjoy the flow state and take time to rest and reset when our attention fades.
Prevent Mental Fatigue
We should also be proactive and avoid spending our limited top-down attention on the wrong thing at the wrong time. One way we can do this is by limiting distractions.
Our electronic devices can be major sources of distraction, whether breaking our focus with notifications or tempting our focus away from the task at hand. Try silencing your phone and moving it out of sight when you don’t need it.
Perhaps interruptions from coworkers or family are using up a lot of your attention. Try scheduling some uninterrupted time for deep focus.
Figure Out What Works for You
Breaks are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Experiment with different types to discover what works well for you. Use the questions below to get you started, or get inspired by ideas in this downloadable “Menu of Breaks” resource. Remember to take notes! Keep track of what you did and how it turned out (or in other words, try some small experiments).
Questions to consider:
Can you recognize when your brain needs a break? What do you notice?
What types of breaks work well for you?
How do you feel after a quality (screen-free) break?
What is one small action you could take to better support your mental bandwidth?
What are the main distractions in your workspace? What’s one change you can test out to reduce their impact?
More On Breaks
If you’d like to learn more about creating workplaces that support breaks, check out our companion posts below!
Supporting Mental Bandwidth: Break Culture in Workplaces
Micro-Breaks for the Busiest of Times
Learn More About ART
To learn more about Attention Restoration Theory, check out these references. If you have any trouble accessing the journal articles, just email us and we can share the pdf with you directly.
YouTube
Your Brain on Birdsongs with Avik Basu
Journal Articles
The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework
Micro-Breaks for the Busiest of Times
What is a "micro-break"? While the best way to restore your attention is to spend time in nature (and avoid looking at screens), we know that isn’t always possible. This post offers some simple micro-break ideas that may give your mind some relief throughout the day.
We need to take breaks to restore our mental bandwidth. It’s a universal human need, not a reflection of your willpower or ability. Think of your brain as a complex machine—one that needs routine maintenance. One crucial function that needs regular recharging is our ability to focus on tasks, like reading this post!
While the best way to restore your attention is to spend time in nature (and avoid looking at screens), we know that isn’t always possible. Below are some simple micro-break ideas that may give your mind some relief throughout the day.
Photo by Rachel Schad
Micro-Break Ideas
1. Engage with Nature (or Nature Analogues)
Look out a window at a natural setting.
Keep some plants or flowers on your desk to naturally engage your attention.
Display a nature photo in your workspace or use one as your video call background.
Listen to nature sounds in headphones.
2. Physical Outlets
Use fidget toys or a stress ball to engage your hands and relieve stress.
Try out a standing desk! Move or sway in-place to engage your body.
Reduce eye strain. Look away from your screen every 20 or so minutes. Look in different directions, far away and up close.
Take a quick stroll around your workspace.
Stretch. Slowly roll your shoulders, wrists, and neck to relieve tension.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Focus on your breathing. Take a couple of deep breaths with your eyes closed.
During restroom breaks, take a moment to notice the sensation of water on your skin while washing your hands.
Try activating other senses. It can be refreshing and calming to take a moment to enjoy natural scents, for example, from nearby plants.
4. Task Switching
When you feel yourself losing focus, try changing tasks to something that uses different skills (e.g., moving from a task that requires meticulous attention to detail, to something that requires more creative thinking).
Work with Your Natural Rhythms
Restoring your capacity to pay attention also involves working in sync with your natural rhythms. This strategy complements taking breaks rather than replacing them.
If you have the flexibility to plan your workday, try to identify when you feel most alert and focused. Do your most challenging (and attention-demanding) work during those periods.
Additionally, some research suggests that people are more efficient with repetitive (or, let’s be honest, somewhat boring) tasks when they do them before more engaging work. So, consider saving creative tasks for when you’re feeling tired, or use them as a reward for completing less interesting tasks.
Small Experiments
You will need to try different types of breaks to see what works best for you individually. Treat each small adjustment like an experiment. Take notes so you can keep track of what works and what doesn’t work for you.
Be Realistic
Finally, be realistic about what you can accomplish each day. Consider setting fewer goals and trying to start each workday with clear priorities. Remember, multitasking is a myth—your brain can only effectively handle one task at a time (unless we’re talking about the subconscious processes that keep us alive!).
Your Brain Needs Real Breaks
These micro-breaks can give your ability to focus a helpful boost, but they aren’t a substitute for truly restorative breaks. To learn more, check out our companion posts.
Supporting Mental Bandwidth: Break Culture in Workplaces
We all start the day with limited resources. When it comes to work, those resources include our time, our energy, and our attention. And, despite what “hustle culture” tells us, there’s a limit to how much we can accomplish each day.
This post explores what it means to “take a break,” and how we can foster work environments that support them.
We all start the day with limited resources. When it comes to work, those resources include our time, our energy, and our attention. And, despite what hustle culture tells us, there’s a limit to how much we can accomplish each day.
We know there are costs to overextending ourselves at work, yet cases of burnout seem to be rising. In fact, the World Health Organization classified it as an “occupational phenomenon” in 2019, and this 2023 report by the American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus found that 57% of respondents reported at least moderate burnout in their current jobs.
How can we prevent burnout? Let’s start by rethinking what it means to “take a break,” and how we can foster work environments that support them.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska (Source: Pexels)
Why We Need Breaks
We need to take breaks to restore our mental bandwidth. This need is a cognitive one, and universally human. Think of the brain as a complex machine that needs routine maintenance. One function that needs regular recharging is our brain’s capacity to focus on tasks that require effort, like reading this post.
The quality of our work, as well as our mood, can suffer when we deplete this attention store. Mental fatigue can manifest as feeling distracted, stressed, overwhelmed, irritable, or unmotivated. It’s best to take a break before we get too far down that path. When we push our brains to the limit too often or for too long, we experience negative health outcomes, like burnout. It’s an unpleasant wake-up call that affects not only the individual but also those around them.
We all play a role in fostering workplaces that support mental bandwidth, whether we are employers, leaders, or staff members. A big piece of this is creating a positive culture around taking breaks, like establishing social norms and benefits policies. It can also include designing physical spaces that support breaks.
Culture Shapes Our Attitudes
When we talk about “workplace culture” we mean the shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that make up some of the intangible parts of environments. We absorb both explicit and implicit messages within our workplaces that shape our individual perception of the culture, such as expectations about productivity, work ethic, and rest. On a macro scale, in the US and many other places, there is significant pressure to treat work as our highest priority.
Workplaces that measure success by hours logged and output often seem at odds with an environment that encourages taking breaks for mental restoration. It can be hard to break free of the mold of such an environment. Reflecting on my early career as an architect, the mantra “design is never finished,” comes to mind. Through my education and early career, I often convinced myself that I hadn’t accomplished enough to deserve a break. Often I thought: ‘If I take a break now, I won’t meet this deadline.’ Or ‘If I get up from my desk too often or for too long my supervisor will think I’m a slacker.’ Or ‘I’m new: I need to work extra hours and show that I belong here.’
Leaders Shape the Culture
One of the best ways that workplaces can foster a supportive culture toward breaks is for leaders to model them well. In Deloitte’s 2022 workplace wellbeing survey, they identified “leadership behaviors” as one of the three primary factors that impact wellbeing in the workplace.
Tim Allen, CEO of Ask Media Group, illustrates this weIl in a personal story he shared with the Harvard Business Review Later in his career, Tim realized that the way he prioritized work demands above his personal life had contributed to a workplace culture he didn’t actually support. He shares that the day his twins were born was one of the happiest of his life. Yet it coincided with one of his biggest regrets: joining a conference call as he entered the hospital.
It’s taken introspection and experience as both a father and a leader to admit a hard truth: By not taking all my paternity leave — and working while I should have been “off” — I was letting my sons down as their dad and my partner down as a co-parent. And, through my example as a leader, I was letting down the other parents at my company.
...the problem wasn’t my paternity benefits — my company had the right policies in place. The problem was the disconnect between written policy and actual culture. I was contributing to a norm that company comes first and being a dad comes second. When I took that call on the day of my sons’ birth, I was unwittingly sending a message to other dads at my office that they’d be stigmatized if they didn’t do the same.
Although this example deals more with rest and balancing life priorities, the core idea of modeling acceptable behavior is still there. In my own experience working in the design field, I saw leaders and coworkers model breaks and ‘work-life balance’ both in healthy and unhealthy ways. It was common for people to eat lunch at their desks or regularly work into the evening. Project managers would run out the door for a meeting and squeeze in an extra ‘walk and talk’ on the way, maximizing each minute. On the flip side, others went to lunch together or took group walks for a coffee, rallied the team to join office social gatherings, or went to the gym during lunch.
Individually, we have personal struggles, life goals, and responsibilities outside of our jobs that shape our attitudes and behaviors towards taking breaks. Personally, even when I worked in break-positive environments, I still had my own internal taskmaster nagging me. I would often decline lunch invitations because I worried about finishing projects on time. But, in retrospect, I can see now that instead of draining myself at my desk, accepting more invitations or taking a walk could have had a restorative effect and helped me work more effectively.
Amazon's campus near downtown Seattle. Photo by Rachel Schad.
Modeling Breaks
Some ways that leaders can model taking breaks is by leaving the workplace for lunch and encouraging others to do the same. They could also organize social events during work hours rather than afterhours, helping employees feel that their time is valued.
Additionally, leaders could have open discussions about break habits, encouraging employees to find what types of breaks are most restorative for them. Early-career staff, in particular, may need guidance and reassurance, as they are likely observing their colleagues to form their understanding of cultural norms.
After Tim Allen had his own epiphany and began to change his work habits, he recalls getting on a zoom call and seeing an employee who was meant to be on family vacation. "Instinctively, I told him, “I really appreciate your commitment, but you’re not supposed to be working right now. I’ll catch up with you when you’re back from spending time with your family.’… I wasn’t just talking to him. I was talking to everyone on that call, including myself."
The Importance of Advocacy
What can we do if we find ourselves in a work setting where breaks are not modeled from the top? Or worse, they are discouraged or looked down upon? That’s a tough place to be in and there isn’t one right way to navigate it.
But one thing we can do is advocate for breaks by helping others build a new mental model about them. We need to help reshape perceptions about breaks and demonstrate how they can benefit the entire organization, from improving productivity to boosting morale and retaining employees.
Another resource we can tap into is our network of coworkers. We can take a “team player” mindset and try to build a mutually supportive network where individuals help one another as their own workload ebbs and flows.
When people change their attitudes toward breaks, work cultures can evolve. Bill Gates gives us an encouraging example of his own perspective shift in his 2023 commencement speech to graduates at Northern Arizona University.
My last piece of advice is the one I could have used the most. It took me a long time to learn. And it is this: You are not a slacker if you cut yourself some slack.
When I was your age, I didn’t believe in vacations. I didn’t believe in weekends. I pushed everyone around me to work very long hours. In the early days of Microsoft, my office overlooked the parking lot—and I would keep track of who was leaving early and staying late.
But as I got older—and especially once I became a father—I realized there is more to life than work.
Don’t wait as long as I did to learn this lesson. Take time to nurture your relationships, to celebrate your successes, and to recover from your losses. Take a break when you need to. Take it easy on the people around you when they need it, too.
Restorative Breaks
This post focuses on understanding how workplace cultures either support or discourage breaks. Next, I would encourage you to explore our companion posts to learn about the best kinds of breaks to restore your focus!