Time to take a break

Even taking just 10 minutes can improve your decision-making ability

We work too much. More accurately, we work too many hours without a break. We no longer take time away from our work day, in the mistaken belief (commonly called a “delusion”) that labouring without respite is more productive. We do this despite all evidence to the contrary.

In the field of problem solving, there is the concept of “incubation,” the demonstrated phenomenon that when we walk away from a problem and do something else not connected to the problem, then we often arrive at a solution much faster after that break even when we take the time spent on the break into account.

Sometimes, if we’re lucky, taking time to incubate the problem results in an unexpected payoff – the solution “magically” appears to us. This doesn’t happen often, and it’s far from reliable; but, incidents of this serendipitous flash of insight have happened to all of us. Call this phenomenon the “In the Shower Revelation” if you want to remember your experience.