Why every developer should be taking breaks

You probably already know that you should be taking breaks during your workday. But often developers can get carried away and simply forget to step away from the computer. If you are one of them, here is something you should know about breaks to take them more seriously. 

Your Body Is Telling You Everything You Need To Know

Once you sit down and start the work, it’s easy to get into the flow and forget everything around you. But remember, that your body is exceptionally reasonable, and if you feel something, it’s not a random sensation, your body is telling you something, and you should listen to it. 

Karan on dev.to writes: “Being in touch with your body is crucial – especially while coding since most of the time you are inside your head. As soon as there is a physical feeling of sleepiness, discomfort, pain, or exhaustion – you must take a break.”

New Solutions Are Around The Corner

You might have noticed that even when you take a break and step away from your computer, your mind still wonders about the problem you are tackling. But it’s not a bad thing. When you get away from your computer screen, you can start to see the problem as a whole, rather than concentrating on the part of it that is on the screen. And it can give you a fresh approach.

Arnas Stuopelis, Chairman of web hosting provider Hostinger, says: “Sometimes people mock the fact that modern offices have all those playful elements: lounge zones, open kitchens, table tennis, foosball, and other games. But there’s a reason for that: all those details can distract you, offer you a new point of view, and give you some ideas for your work, even if it seems unrelated at first.”

The Decision Making Is At Risk

Another reason to take breaks is to prevent wearing down your willpower and reasoning ability. A study made with judges shows, that “judges were more likely to grant paroles to prisoners after their two daily breaks than after they had been working for a while. As decision fatigue set in, the rate of granting paroles gradually dropped to near 0% because judges resorted to the easiest and safest option—just say no.” 

When you get overworked, your head starts to doubt itself. Decision fatigue can lead to simplification instead of innovative solutions. And once you are not sure about the decisions you are making, you start to procrastinate more and more. All of that can be avoided with a simple break from time to time. 

Resting Improves Your Brain

You probably don’t doubt the necessity of sleep. It lets you both: get some rest and consolidate your memories. But resting can have the same impact on you! Scientific American shares insights, that “resting while awake likewise improves memory formation. During the rest period, it appears that the brain reviews and ingrains what it previously learned.” So if you stop and take a break, your mind absorbs your insights from the current task, and it improves your brain. 

Even on the busiest day, let yourself stop. You might think that it might slow down the work, but the results can be quite the opposite. First of all, listen to your body, if you feel hungry or sleepy, don’t ignore it, take a break and address those feelings. Don’t be afraid of work-related thoughts during your break. It might turn into new solutions while you are away from the screen. If you feel like not sure of what decision to make, it might be a decision-fatigue talking, and it’s time to take a break. And the break is also essential if you want to be learning from your work. Once you stop and take a break, you start to consolidate your memories and turn your work time into learned lessons.