Why Scheduling Free Time During Your Day Can Make You More Productive

It’s not unusual to feel rushed every moment of the working day. It’s a widespread issue among stretched-thin healthcare professionals. 

Scheduling a bit of downtime into your day gives you a moment to breathe and reboot and can also help you be more productive. 

How? Keep reading for reasons to schedule some free time in your workday.

You Can’t Be Productive Every Second of the Day

Any productivity expert will tell you that no number of hacks will make you entirely productive every moment of every day. Trying to do so is effectively a waste of time. However, you can encourage your brain to work at its peak by taking intermittent breaks throughout the day. 

That means stepping away for a lunch break (and maybe a brief coffee break or two) is mandatory. Studies have shown that taking a few minutes for yourself rejuvenates workers and makes them far more productive than if they attempt to work eight hours straight.

Scheduled Free Time Creates Healthy Boundaries

In addition to making you more productive (and refreshed), scheduling some downtime forces you to create boundaries between work and free time. Setting firm boundaries helps prevent work from creeping into the time when you’re supposed to be relaxing and refreshing yourself from the day’s tasks. 

Again, studies show that having some time to yourself increases your quality of life, leading to productivity rather than procrastination due to dreading specific tasks.