Doing DIY work can be hugely rewarding yet physically and mentally exhausting. Taking short breaks can be vitally important to stop you from burning out. There are many great ways to do this, with slots being one of the best examples.
Home improvement projects can require a lot of time, patience, and energy. Seeing the finished project can be a fantastic feeling, but there can also be frustration along the way. Taking your mind into another space for a few moments can be vital to help you refocus. This is when you need something to give your brain a break. There are a few methods you can try but slots are perhaps the most fun. When played the right way, they can give you the boost you need to reset your energy for those DIY tasks.
The Importance of Taking Short Breaks During DIY
When undertaking DIY tasks, you can have long stretches of physical work. Not only this, but you will constantly be making decisions and problem-solving. Whether it’s choosing the right screws or the most suitable joint, there is a constant mental load.
Sometimes you need to take a step back and do some creative planning or visualization techniques to ensure you’re not making mistakes. But even when you do this, you’re not giving your mind the true break it needs. Research from Harvard Business Review has shown that taking breaks can actually improve productivity.
It’s important to take your head into another space entirely to prevent fatigue and improve your mental focus. When you then go back to doing your DIY work, that problem you struggled to solve can suddenly seem much easier. It’s the same concept as sleeping on a problem, just in a much shorter time frame.
It’s always tempting to push through and try and complete the work as soon as you can. However, this can result in sloppy work or rushed work. You can see short breaks as a reset button for a renewed focus. For these reasons, you should never feel guilty about taking a break.
Why Slots Work as a Mental Refresh
There are a few great ways to refresh your mind, with slots being one of them. The reason for this is that they are light on brain power but high on stimulation. As soon as you start making those spins, you’ll forget about the problems you were just having and give yourself a little serotonin boost.
After spending perhaps hours on complex thinking involving physical labor, your brain will thank you for switching off for a few moments. One of the great aspects of slots is that you can play for a little as 5 minutes and still get this boost.
Slot games are full of colorful visuals and playful sounds. The straightforward gameplay gives you something enjoyable to focus on without requiring any effort. It pulls you out of the moment and makes you less mentally cluttered.
The important thing is to always see slots as a way to have fun instead of a genuine way of making money. If you play with stakes that you’re comfortable with, you can see the wins as a bonus and the losses as something you can shrug off as the price of your entertainment.
Staying Motivated with Rewards
When you’re in the flow and everything is going well, DIY can feel fantastic. However, if you enjoy DIY, you’ll know that it’s not always plain sailing. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the motivation you need to keep going.
This is when rewards can help. For example, you may say that you’ll do another 30 minutes of solid work before taking a reward break. Having this reward can give you more motivation before lifting your mood with a fun break.
Of course, slots aren’t the only way to do this. You may enjoy another casino game, want to take a walk, or perhaps want to listen to a podcast. Find whatever works for you but make sure it’s able to take your mind off your DIY work and feel like something to look forward to.
Balancing Play and Productivity
It can be hard to find the balance between play and productivity. A great way to get around this is to give yourself set breaks. The Pomodoro technique is a good example of this. Created by Francesco Cirillo in the 80s, the idea is to work for 25 solid minutes before taking a 5-minute break.
However, stopping suddenly isn’t always suitable for DIY if you’re in the middle of something. Due to this, you can work out your own method. For example, you can give yourself a break after finishing painting a wall before moving on to the next one.
Make sure to set a time limit on your break so you don’t accidentally spend too long away from your tasks. 5 to 15 minutes is usually perfect for a mental refresh. Giving yourself a short break after tasks can build a nice rhythm into your day and ensure your brain is always fully switched on when doing your home improvements.
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