I always assumed the fastest way to work is to go hard until I think I need a break, because I should know when I’m tired better than a fixed schedule, until recently I tried a break reminder.

When I talk about my student life back in Beijing with anyone who hasn’t experienced it, nobody believes that the kids can actually focus the whole time. But subjectively, I think my focus back then was sharper than when I studied in New Zealand. How could this be possible? Did the kids just raise up to expectations and develop supernatural studying abilities?

At the boarding schools (high schools) I went to, we’d start hardcore studying at 8am, finish at 4pm, come back to study from 6pm to 10pm. You’d need to work very hard to finish the homework within those hours, no slacking off.

I only just realised that this intense studying schedule had 10 minutes breaks every hour, a 30 minutes break in the morning where we do gentle exercises, and another 30 minutes break for during the evening self-studying/homework session. I never thought much about this, but now I realised this schedule can’t be random. In this highly competitive environment, almost everything is optimised for efficiency. (We did have sports, music and social clubs too)

So are we really so smart that taking breaks as we deem necessary leads to most comfort and efficiency?

I tried a desktop break reminder Stretchly for a week. I thought of using it mostly because I tend to avoid blinking while I work, and it causes eye problems. I set reminders for a 20 seconds break every 20 minutes, and a 10 minutes break every hour. At first, it felt like I was committing a crime..

The result, my dry eyes problem went away, and I feel generally healthier. Unexpectedly, feel more productive too. When I deliberately take a 10 minutes break, I feel that I’ve taken care of myself and more motivated to jump back to work.

So here’s your Asian productivity secret, or at least part of it. (The other part I think is pressure. When working hard is essential to your livelihood, you’d work pretty hard.) Take breaks. 🙂

• breaks
• productivity