The Importance of Taking Breaks while Studying

If you’re preparing for an important exam, it’s easy to sway to one of two extremes: studying too hard or not at all. Studying too hard can cause you to quickly burn out and quit studying before you’ve completed the syllabus. Not studying at all skips the hassle of studying hard and gets straight to the procrastination.



Neither of those is an optimal way to prepare for an important exam. Some people may not care about preparing for said exams, but if you’ve found your way to this article, you’re probably not one of them. The secret to studying well is taking smart breaks. Here’s why they’re important.

The Benefits

The greatest benefit of taking breaks is it prevents you from burning out. As a result, you can study more consistently and for longer periods. As fatigue sets in, your focus will also wane. As that happens, you’re more prone to being distracted, and before you know it, you’ve wasted an hour daydreaming. Instead of that, taking timed breaks can give your mind a break without wasting time.

Duration

As suggested above, regardless of what you do, your mind will force a break from studying upon you. The only thing you can control is how long that break is. If you study too much, your mind is going to force a long break (you’re easily looking at over an hour).



To control how long your breaks are, take them periodically. After an hour of studying, take a break for about 15 to 20 minutes. These breaks aren’t too short, so your mind gets enough time to relax. Besides that, they’re also not so long that you lose any and all motivation to study.

How to Spend Your Break?

With the break duration set, you need to spend those 15 to 20 minutes productively. For instance, you can spend this break taking a power nap. It’ll give your brain a rest and restore your energy. However, power naps aren’t for everyone; in fact, a power nap can make you groggier if you’re particularly fond of sleep.

Instead of sleeping then, you can move around for a bit. Sitting in the same position for too long can tighten your muscles and cause pains, so consider stretching. There are other productive ways to spend your break, such as meditation or doing something else entirely.

If you’re struggling to study on your own for any of the NYS civil service exams, contact Civil Service Success. They provide prep classes for the NYS court officer, firefighter, and other civil service exams.

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