Are Microbreaks the Secret to Productivity? The Answer is Yes

How short breaks can prevent burnout

Praveen Dinelka
The Cuegeon Project
7 min readAug 20, 2024

--

Imagine you’re a young professional fresh out of university. You find yourself scoring a high-quality internship at a leading software company, working night and day on projects. The hours are long, and the days grueling, but you stick with it. Soon enough, you’re feeling the intensity — your mood drops, and your health suffers under the workload.

It’s a common story. Most of us don’t have to imagine it — we’ve lived it. Burnout from a lack of breaks is a symptom of the modern-day work culture. Whether it’s corporate bosses or hustling entrepreneurs, the humble break is often looked down upon as lazy or a waste of time. Time is money, after all.

But this puritanical mindset ignores the power of microbreaks — the little mental pitstops when you let your mind and body relax. The result? Greater productivity, not less.

In this guide:

  1. What is a Microbreak?
  2. The Science Behind Microbreaks
  3. Timing Your Microbreaks for Maximum Impact
  4. Why Microbreaks Are Good for You

What is a Microbreak?

--

--

Praveen Dinelka
The Cuegeon Project

A compassionate, high-energy operating mechanical engineer turned software developer writing about Science.