How can we maintain our focus when faced with a workload that demands maximum concentration? Scientists say there is no need for a long walk or motivational videos with relaxing music and nature, although it would be good. A 5-minute break is enough, they say.

Rest is increasingly recognized as important for productivity, brain function and learning.

Whether it’s a vacation, a good night’s sleep, an hour-long walk in the park, or a few minutes for a coffee, rest breaks are necessary.

In the workplace and in education, methods such as the Pomodoro technique – setting a timer for a short five-minute break after 25 minutes of concentrated work – are gaining popularity.

A team from the University of Sydney, Australia, decided to find out which of the common tricks to maintain attention really work.

They found that a 5-minute break to think is all we need to regain focus.

A series of studies since the 1980s have found that spending time in nature restores attention.

But not many of us can go for a “comfortable walk in the green” to take a break from the daily hustle and bustle at work or to learn new skills at work.

Some studies show that simply watching a video of a nature scene provides the same brain-restoring effect.

But new research has found that a simple, unstructured five-minute break from a challenging task is all we need to regain our focus or attention.

“If you want work or study to be more productive, you need to include five-minute breaks where you don’t do anything,” said Professor Paul Gines, an expert in educational psychology at the University of Sydney.

According to Australian researchers, we need to do something different for five minutes, step away from the computer or workstation, do breathing exercises or just sit quietly, to give our brain a break from the tasks it performs when we are focused on work.

But activity in social networks does not count towards rest time, experts warn

“You need to take a break from your devices,” says Professor Gines.

He explains that we use our brains to focus our attention so we can learn or solve problems, but attention spans are limited and can wear out quickly.

“Attention spans vary from person to person and are affected by the time of day, blood sugar or caffeine intake, so it’s complicated,” he says.

“But we wanted to test how we can restore attention, and what’s exciting is what we found, which is that it’s as simple as taking a five-minute rest break. It’s a simple productivity trick, and it’s available to everyone,” says the professor.

How the research was conducted

In a study published in Educational and Developmental Psychologist, 72 Australian students were first given a difficult math pretest under a timed testing condition to deplete the students’ attentional resources. This part of the experiment lasted about 20 minutes.

The students in the control group (no rest) then proceeded directly to learn a short lesson on how to mentally multiply two two-digit numbers (eg, 34 x 67).

The second group of students took a five-minute break while a countdown timer showed on the computer screen how much time was left until the break.

The third group watched the video for five minutes as if they were walking in the Australian rainforest.

The study called it “outdoor recreation,” even if it was just watching a video.

All students then completed a short “directed attention” survey about the extent to which they had distracting thoughts during math class, answering questions such as: “my attention was directed to things other than the lesson” and “I had a hard time.” keep me focused for long periods of time.”

Finally, students completed a 20-question test to see how well they could apply the mental math strategy.

When comparing the results of the three groups, students in the unstructured recreation group reported higher average levels of directed attention than those in the no-recreation control group.

During the problem-solving test, both the unstructured recreation group and the outdoor recreation group performed better than the control group.

While the outdoor recreation group solved more problems on average than the unstructured recreation group (60% vs. 53% correct), the difference between the two recreation groups was not statistically significant.

Why rest helps to study

“Many skills, including cognitive skills such as mathematics, require a lot of concentration to master, but our cognitive resources are depleted when we use our minds to solve problems or learn,” said Professor Gines, who led the study.

It may seem counterintuitive to take a study break to help study, but short breaks to relax — whether unstructured or watching “virtual” nature videos — appear to be worth the time, helping students focus better and learn more effectively, experts say.

It can also apply to workers who are learning new skills or focusing on a complex task, they say.

What can be done to regain attention

Take five-minute breaks after 20 minutes of complex cognitive work, even in classrooms or academic settings.

The team says that 5-minute breaks can also be used in some jobs or in the case of homework that requires complex cognitive tasks.

“The Pomodoro technique – where people work for 25 minutes and then take a five-minute break – is a popular method for solving life’s problems, and we may have found the first evidence that it works,” he said.

Experts also mention other tricks, such as deep breathing or identifying a sense of calm, which are centuries old.

No matter what you decide to do, give your brain a complete break for just five minutes and you’ll see your attention improve, experts urge. (Source: News.ro)