There’s lots of scientific evidence to show that regular study breaks help you remember more.
Breaks are also good for your brain and help you reduce stress. Read on for why it’s so important to take regular breaks when you’re learning English!
Why do you need breaks?
Breaks make your study time more efficient
You can be more productive when you take regular breaks away from studying. You’re less tired and less stressed when you take a break because you give your brain a chance to rest. Breaks help you to “reset” your brain and to focus on your study.
Breaks help you to continue enjoying learning
Learning English is a long-term goal, and you need motivation to keep going. Taking regular breaks can help you stay motivated to continue your journey to fluency!
Breaks also help you to remember new information better
Research shows that when we take breaks, our brains process memories and make sense of what we have been learning.
In addition, breaks help us think and analyse better, so they help us with tasks like reading comprehension and understanding new ideas – such as new grammar rules or vocabulary, etc.
How long should your break be?
Every hour
Try to take a break every hour / 90 minutes. Get up and walk away from your desk for five to ten minutes.
A complete day
If you’re having a bad day, don’t force yourself to study. Take the day off and you’ll find that the time away will refresh you.
Two weeks to a month!
Longer breaks are really good for you. Some interesting research tested two groups to find out how well they remembered a vocabulary list. They found two things:
– the group who studied the list a number of times remembered the words better up to a week later (compared to the group who only studied the list a few times. But there was no difference between the two groups after four weeks.
– the group who had a one-day break got the best scores when the test was repeated after ten days. But the group who had a one-month break got the best scores when the test was repeated after six months.
Conclusion: Longer breaks mean you remember information for longer as well!
What should you do in study breaks?
Getting up and walking away from your desk or screen are best. You can go for a quick walk or do another activity (like housework) for ten minutes. Meditation and yoga are also good ways to take a break.
The advantage of physical activity is that it increases the blood flow to the brain, and stimulates brain activity. You’ll also feel more positive and less stressed after physical exercise – and ready again for your English studies!
Consistent practice and the right study method will help you make progress in English. Join me in the English Fluency Club today and go from intermediate to advanced level!
When you join the English Fluency Club you get:
2 Group Live lessons every month
2 Complete English fluency programs
A vocabulary challenge every week in our (private) Facebook group – with video feedback
2 Personal lessons to use any time you want
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