C’mon, you’ve been looking for an excuse to unwind. But there’s that to-do list that needs to be tackled—and every time you cross something off, three more things appear. You need to be productive. Well, if recent research is any indication, the most productive thing you can do for yourself is work in a little break every now and then. Seriously.

According to a recent National Institutes of Health study (featured in the September 2019 Family Circle), when right-handed people typed a series of numbers with their left hand for 10 seconds, then took a 10-second break, they learned more during the break than when they were actually actively typing. So if you’re trying to pick up a new skill, you’re better off learning in short bursts, with breaks in between, giving the new skills/muscle memory/information time to sink in before jumping to the next bit.

 Maybe that’s why, two years after buying a ukulele on Amazon, I still haven’t actually learned to play a song: I’ve been trying to cram in as much as I can in 1-2 hour bursts without stopping! Well, that, or the fact that after cramming that session in (where I try to learn several chords at once, mind you, rather than starting with the basics), I get frustrated and ignore the instrument for the next three months. Okay, my uke isn’t a good example, but this study may just convince me to try again—with a little more moderation (and breaks) as I carve out a routine.

Lead Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash.