Work Less. Achieve More. Never Burn Out.

12 Battle-Tested Ways to Eliminate Stress, Double Creativity, and Progress Faster.

Exhaustion.

That’s what I felt.

At the end of every day, before I learned the importance of taking breaks.

Pauses are essential — there’s no question about that.¹ They are such a fundamental element of a workday that discussing “how to take a break” might seem trivial and unnecessary.

But that's precisely where the challenge lies. Sometimes, we don’t even realize that we need to rest more. We become so entrenched in our routines that we almost forget what a perfect day feels like.

A closer look reveals that what constitutes a “work break” is not as straightforward as it might seem. There’s a significant gap between truly effective breaks and merely switching to a different activity.

Merely stepping away from work does not automatically mean you are “taking a break.” It certainly doesn’t equate to breaking smart. Effective and smart breaks can do much more than recharge your batteries; they can reduce stress levels, boost creativity, and enable you to leverage synergies across different areas of life.

I recently explored the philosophy of Slow Productivity. Understanding the significance of breaks is a closely related topic. However, in order to infuse our work days with more “conscious slowness,” it isn’t enough to take more breaks. While it is undoubtedly true that some of us sometimes don’t take enough breaks, the bigger problem is that we don’t take the right kind of breaks.

But what does a “good” break look like?

And how can we practically integrate such effective pauses into our days?

That’s what I want to explore in this issue.² I will explain what transforms a pause into an effective break and give you 12 ideas for smart breaks you can try today.

---

Diagnosing Your Need For Effective Breaks

Before we dive in, here are some signs that you might be lacking effective breaks:

• You feel worn out at the end of most days; your days are long.

• Time seems to slip away too quickly; your days feel too short.

• You often find yourself procrastinating work instead of taking genuine breaks.

• You regularly get sucked into The Vortex of unproductive activities.

• You often feel creatively blocked or struggle to maintain productivity on both big and small tasks.

If any of these resonate with you, the following insights are tailored for you. Even if these signs don’t seem familiar, you might still find it useful as a general hint to increase your self-awareness and evaluate your current break habits.

---

How Not to Take a Break

Let’s start by understanding how not to take breaks. Our brains constantly seek stimulation, making it easy to fall into unhelpful habits that don’t promote true relaxation, the most fundamental element of a break.

Here are some everyday activities that often fail to serve as adequate breaks:

• Using your smartphone on the toilet

• Managing anything related to emails

• Websurfing in general, but especially checking social media or news feeds

• Watching videos on YouTube, TikTok, or some other new trendy platform

• Participating in online meetings (even the ones called “coffee breaks”)

• Engaging in any cognitively demanding task

This list is by no means exhaustive. There are way more ways to take wrong breaks than good ones. One key to avoiding many pseudo-breaks may be limiting your smartphone use. When it’s time to take a break, consider leaving your phone behind to avoid distractions. While there are exceptions—like using it to play calming music, call a loved one, or take photos on a short walk—in general, avoiding smartphone use is beneficial. This approach has certainly worked wonders for me.

Turning Mere Pauses Into Effective Breaks

So, what counts as a genuinely effective break?