It’s an hour before lunch (or two hours before you can clock out), and you desperately want to take a break. You want to go for a walk, grab a cup of coffee, even check your Facebook or Twitter feed—something to shut your brain off for a little bit.
Regardless of what your gossipy colleague thinks, you’re not rebelling against your work. In fact, your natural inclination to take a break could optimize your productivity. As this infographic from our friends at Business Insider reminds us, working an eight-hour day is totally outdated. It would make a lot more sense to visualize the workday in shorter spans of time—with built-in breaks.
So the next time you want a 15-minute break from email, take it. You just may have a much more productive rest of your day.
