Do you ever feel like your best ideas come before you drift off into sleep, are taking a shower, or when you’re out for a walk? There’s a reason for that.

For so many people, working from home has blurred the lines between ‘me’ time and their 9-5. Technology has made it too easy for managers to reach their employees at all hours of the day and, during a global pandemic, there’s not much else to do but work. This ‘always on’ mentality, has meant back-to-back zoom calls and countless days where six-o-clock rolls around and you are left thinking – “where did this day go?”

What if I told you that being this busy dulls your creativity and makes you less productive? Well, it’s true.

The other week, I was reading through my morning newsletters and stumbled across research about productivity. “Pause: How mindfulness alters your brain to be more rational, and less reactionary.” I’m a sucker for self-betterment articles, so I clicked on the link.

It turns out there is research to back this up.

Studies have found that taking uninterrupted breaks throughout your workday can change how the regions of your brain communicate with each other and can even permanently rewire your brain. In fact, one study found that after eight weeks, individuals who practiced mindfulness saw their amygdala - associated with our fight-or-flight response - shrink and prefrontal cortex - associated with concentration and decision-making - become thicker.

In simple terms, by taking uninterrupted breaks throughout your day, you could become more proactive and less reactive, increase your attention span and make fewer rash decisions. It also means improving the area of your brain that many in the business world deem ‘executive functioning.’  

After reading this article, I found myself becoming more intentional about my daily practices. I stopped listening to music as I walk down the street, avoid checking my emails first thing in the morning and haven’t listened to my usual podcasts in the shower. I’ve even sat down at my kitchen table to eat lunch for 30 minutes without scrolling through social media. I can say firsthand that these small changes in my daily life have helped me become more creative in my thinking, something I never thought I was (for one, it led me to create this blog).

So next time your boss tells you that they need you to be in that 12 pm, kindly let them know that you can’t. After all, it’s for the good of the company.