Do It Today: Overcome Procrastination, Improve Productivity, and Achieve More Meaningful Things

If You Want To Be More
Productive, Research Shows You
Need A Break
Do you spend the majority of your day at your desk? And do
find it difficult to concentrate throughout the day? There’s a
simple solution to improve your productivity and focus.
“How can I get more stuff done without being distracted?”
That’s a question I often get. It’s human nature: We always
want to improve output. For machines, it’s straightforward:
You improve speed. Machines get faster and better every
day. But what about your personal productivity? I’ve read
dozens of books on productivity. I’ve read countless articles
on time-management. And I’ve tested different methods to
boost my productivity.
The idea is simple: I want to get more done in the same
amount of time. I’m not looking for shortcuts or hacks, so I
have to do less work. I don’t mind working. What I 
don’t
like
is the feeling of wasting time on stuff that is meaningless.
Sometimes I start by watching one YouTube video, and
BOOM, 2 hours have gone by.
And then I get frustrated with YouTube. But that doesn’t
make sense. It’s like getting angry with alcohol after you’ve
spent a night boozing. It’s not the alcohol, IT’S YOU. You just
couldn’t have 
one
drink, or watch just 
one
video. Couldn’t
you?
I’ve found a way to eliminate that frustration with the
distractions of work (not boozing), which makes it lot more
fun to work and less stressful.

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The solution is simple: Take a 5-minute break after
every 30 minutes of work.
It’s also called the Pomodoro technique. The reason this
method works is also simple: Evolutionary biology. The
human brain can’t focus on a single task for long periods.
Our brains are meant to ensure our survival. To protect us
from looming threats the brain is in a constant state of
alertness. So focusing on one thing for a long time is hard
for your brain.
Research by Alejandro Lleras, from the University of Illinois,
showed that deactivating and reactivating work allows us to
stay focused. When you are completing long tasks, such as
studying for exams, making presentations or writing reports,
it’s best to take short, and planned breaks.