Taking breaks

Your ability to memorise diminishes as time goes by. Even if you still seem to be in full control, it is essential that you take breaks during your learning periods. While comprehension can be maintained at a constant level, this is not the case for memory. It is therefore not advisable to memorise a subject for three hours in a row; this method will be ineffective because it will cause an information bottleneck.

The ideal duration of a méquence is around 20 to 45 minutes. Any shorter and you won't have time to grasp a whole and you'll experience a feeling of parpillement; any longer and you'll become saturated. Make the pauses real moments of relaxation. Get away from it all: go for a breath of fresh air, listen to music, have a light snack, do some gymnastic movements.

What actually happens during breaks? The brain works on deciphering, structuring and associating new knowledge with previous knowledge in order to better integrate the material. As for the body, it can relax, thereby preventing the build-up of tension that is always a prerequisite for the process of memorisation.

Try the Pomodoro technique

The Pomodoro technique is a simple way of getting the most out of time management. It invites you to manage your time in 25-minute chunks, while still being able to take breaks. The method consists of adapting your work periods to your powers of concentration and devoting yourself fully to one task at a time.

For 25 minutes, you will focus your attention on a single activity. You will not be distracted by anything else. You cannot interrupt this activity for something else and then return to your initial task. Similarly, you cannot continue your activity beyond the 25 minutes, even if you think you can finish it with a few seconds more.

After each 25-minute cycle, you take a 3à 5-minute break. This is a total break during which you do nothing stimulating. After completing 4 cycles, you need to take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This is the ideal time to indulge in your time-consuming, unprofitable and falsely liberating activities, such as checking email, sending text messages, surfing the internet or putting the mail away.

Count up the cycles completed and take stock of this technique before leaving your workplace. Add your own personal seasoning to this method so that it's enjoyable for you. Enjoy!