Synopsis

We know taking breaks optimizes work-and-create flow. But what are the best practices? And does your creativity benefit from a full nap or not?

An optimal work-and-create flow is an extended period of time in which your mind and body are performing at their best when engaged in high-thinking and high-imagining tasks and projects. You sustain focus, your body’s fire stays stoked, your attitude flourishes, your imagination hangs from the monkey bars.

THE YOUTHFUL BRAIN IS FASTER BUT… not necessarily better (and working 16-hour days is not necessarily more productive). […]

If you’re middle-aged and blush because you seem to work more slowly, take heart. You’re likely working at far more effective, complex levels than your younger co-workers. It’s not only okay to take breaks during your work flow.

BREAK WITH RHYTHM. Our bodies and minds have natural rhythms of optimal performance. For most of us, those rhythms are in 90-minute to 2-hour increments. Our natural rapid-eye-movement dream cycles, for instance, typically flow in 90-minute waves. […]

I recommend to clients they remove themselves from the work environment if possible. For a corporate client, I recommended he schedule a walk to another part of his vast office quarters, glance out a floor-to-ceiling window, and then return to his office room, sit in a comfortable sofa normally reserved for clients, and remember the last time he was outdoors working on his ranch—one of his favorite activities.

DISTRACTION CAN RE-BOOT LONG-TERM FOCUS

[A] deliberate distraction or introduction of a second task actually can increase vigilant attention on the first task. […]

Pay attention to when you need to introduce a quick second task. Maybe sending off an email or text message will free up mental bandwidth and get you re-committed to the high-thinking task. Do this in tandem with the “Break with Rhythm” suggestions above.

THE FULL MONTE NAP: In some work environments, taking a 20-minute break still might be risky. Taking a real nap might be tantamount to losing a job. And many psychologists recommend not taking a full nap because doing so will make you feel groggy. […]

When you can take an extended creative or working retreat such as an 48-hour in-house retreat, include an afternoon 90-minute nap. Then move from lounge to desk. Your unconscious very well might untangle some of your conscious problems.

ENJOY YOUR EVENINGS.

[P]eople who disengage from thinking about their work during the evening are routinely happier and more refreshed the next day. […]

Schedule non-digital time in the evenings, especially 45 minutes before sleep. Set up a bi-weekly schedule of evening rhythms: One Monday as “reading night,” One Tuesday as “date night,” et cetera. If you must work some evenings, schedule work evenings. Make them the exception instead of the rule.

Remember, make space for pockets of wonder, pockets of silence, and pockets of play. There’s only one day like today. Make the day a piece of art worth remembering.