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On Deep Breaks - Cal Newport

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After last week’s post on attention residue, multiple readers have asked about taking breaks during deep work sessions. These questions highlight an apparent tension. On the one hand, in my book on the topic and here on Study Hacks I often extol the productive virtue of spending multiple hours (and sometimes even days) in a state of distraction-free deep work. As I emphasized last week, these sessions need to be truly free of distraction — even quick glances at your inbox, for example, are enough to significantly reduce your cognitive capacity. On the other hand, in my Straight-A book (published, if you can believe it, almost exactly a decade before Deep Work), I recommend students study in 50 minute chunks followed by 10 minute breaks. I cite some relevant cognitive science to back up this timing. Similar recommendations are also made by adherents to the pomodoro technique, which suggests short timed bursts of concentration partitioned by breaks. Which idea is right? Deep Breaks The s

A Break to Discuss Breaks After last week’s post on attention residue , multiple readers have asked about taking breaks during deep work sessions. These questions highlight an apparent tension. On the one hand, in my book on the topic and here on Study Hacks I often extol the productive virtue of spending multiple hours ( and sometimes even days ) in a state of distraction-free deep work. As I emphasized last week , these sessions need to be truly free of distraction — even quick glances at your inbox, for example, are enough to significantly reduce your cognitive capacity. On the

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