Taking a break is one of the easiest parts of doing homework. After an hour of careful deliberation, you finish the first sentence of a massive essay that’s due the next day, and suddenly, it’s magically time to take a nice, long nap. Unfortunately, while taking a pause from working may be very soothing for your stressed self, a pause from your homework can often get out of hand, which usually spells catastrophe for your work. On a more positive note, there are ways to avoid inefficient breaks.

Though it might seem tedious, making a schedule for breaks is actually a great way to ensure that you don’t get carried away with your “short recess”. Set specific time intervals for studying and for taking breaks. For example, plan to do math homework for 90 minutes, then take ten minutes to take care of little things. Make sure that you don’t tell yourself ten minutes, and end up taking half an hour. This sort of extension is going to make studying all the more painful later.

From a less time-oriented perspective, remember to be healthy. During your breaks, don’t eat junk food or anything sugary, as this will most likely end with a sugar crash, which will put a serious dent in your motivation to do homework. You can plan a slightly longer break to eat a proper meal before studying. In addition, remember to get up and move around during your rest period. Stretch for a little bit, or take a walk. After all, exercising will increase blood flow to your brain, which can make your studying even more effective.

As for a list of forbidden items, try not to use technology unnecessarily. Checking your email, Facebook, Snapchat, or any other social media can be severely distracting, and therefore detrimental to your study session. Also, while it may seem tempting, try not to take naps during your break. Naps are especially prone to getting out of hand, especially when you are too worn out to think otherwise. In fact, naps can even make you more tired, so try your best to steer clear of sleeping. However, if you really need to rest your eyes, make sure to set an alarm to avoid oversleeping.

In the end, breaks should be taken in order to allow yourself to breathe and to let your brain recharge, so try not to get carried away.

Graphic by NICOLE SOONG