3 Reasons to Schedule Breaks Between Video Meetings
Feeling drained looking at your calendar packed with back-to-back video meetings? Schedule screen breaks.
Recent research by Microsoft demonstrates short breaks between video meetings could help improve your wellbeing and focus.
“Our research shows breaks are important, not just to make us less exhausted by the end of the day, but to actually improve our ability to focus and engage while in those meetings,” said Michael Bohan, senior director of Microsoft’s Human Factors Engineering group, who oversaw the project.
Microsoft studied the brainwave activities of 14 people who participated in two sessions of video meetings while wearing electroencephalogram (EEG) equipment. During the first session, the participants attended four half-hour meetings back-to-back. For the second session, 10-minute breaks were placed in between four half-hour meetings.
The results led to three key conclusions:
1. Taking breaks between meetings can allow your brain to reset and reduce the build-up of stress across meetings.
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Back-to-back meetings can lower your ability to focus and engage.
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Jumping straight from one meeting to the next can be a source of high stress.
Go ahead, take a screen break before your next virtual meeting.